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Briton to exhibit tsunami paintings by children
Indo-Asian News Service

London, Sep 28 (IANS) A Briton from Wales who helped in tsunami rescue efforts plans to raise awareness about the plight of the people hit by the disaster by holding an exhibition of paintings drawn by children.


Esmor Davies, a builder, has visited Sri Lanka eight times to help with the relief operation. About 30,000 people were killed and a million left homeless mainly in the country's north and east that were the worst hit.

He received drawings form the children in Sri Lanka and is likely to put them up for auction to raise funds for the victims of the killer wave that struck the Indian Ocean region Dec 26 last year, killing over 220,000 people.

He said: "The paintings were drawn by children at the school I have helped to rebuild. They are quite graphic and harrowing in their detail but in their own way very, very touching too." 

Esmor, 60, plans to auction the drawings at Sotheby's early next year. But first the drawings will go on show at the Welsh Assembly's Cardiff headquarters in October and later at the House of Lords, in Westminster.

Esmor said: "It will be an exhibition to raise awareness of the plight of the people in this remote region of northeastern Sri Lanka who fear they will be forgotten.

"That is why I have called the collection of drawings 'The Wave' by the 'Forgotten Children'."

Esmor vowed to help after witnessing the scale of the disaster. He set about building two schools for 900 children and a community centre near new homes in the region.

He has flown out with colleagues several times and helped rebuild the villages of Amprann and Battigola in Sri Lanka. 

"I have made good friends in the region. "They are desperately poor and have nothing left," he told the media.