Project Update

The Rotary Club of Colombo Regency have posted the latest update here on the project. You will also find Pictures there. Also see Project progress plan up-to-date here.

Rotary IDP Camp - Site Plan: Released by RCCR

Pictured above is the Rotary IDP Camp (Zone 3 - A, B, C) in Chettikulam, Vavuniya and see the full article released by the Rotary Club of Colombo Regency today (17th June).

Toilet crisis in IDP camps: UN reports

“Only half of the required toilets and one sixth of the entire requirement of bathing spaces are available for the displaced people in Vavuniya camps, a United Nations report said.

While about 6,000 toilets are needed in the camps, only about 3,150 have been constructed and about 2800 need to be set up immediately, the report said. To reduce the ratio from 1:50 to 1:20, nearly 11,500 more toilets will have to be set up later.

"More needs to be done for these long-suffering people to get more water and sanitation facilities. Whilst the camps are run by the government, UNICEF and others continue to provide as much assistance as possible", he said.”

See the complete article here on the Sunday Times by Chathuri Dissanayake

“The Best cup of Nestomalt I’ve had in my life!”

Marisa de Silva, a young activist in Colombo narrates her stories and first hand experiences after having visited some of the hospitals in the East of Sri Lanka, where some of the internally displaced persons are being treated.

Let alone Nestomalt, it was the best cup of anything I’ve ever drunk in my life. Honestly speaking, it was the first cup of Nestomalt I’ve ever drunk, cos’ I hate the stuff usually. Enough about me and Nestomalt, let me tell you why it was the best cup I’ve ever drunk!

I’m going to be starting with the end this time…it was approximately 7 pm and two of us were just finishing off our last distribution of some tea, sugar and “Nestomalt,” to the last ward. Once we were done, we decided to sit down and have a little chat with some of the patients and their families. We barely had any time to have a chat with anyone this time, because distribution was an absolute “logistical nightmare!” Anyway, as a direct result of a part Sinhala, part Tamil, part English and part sign language chat I had with one of the families, they discovered that we hadn’t had lunch as yet. And to make matters worse, I told them that I was “setthu poochi” (dead)! After having a good laugh possibly at my heavily accented Tamil, and also what I said, I guess, I moved to another group of patients, and as far as I was concerned, that was the end of that. That was of course until, around 10 minutes later, I get a little tap on my shoulder and a little girl hands me a little stainless steel tumbler full of piping hot Nestomalt!

I was caught so off guard that I was too overwhelmed to really say much, so I just smiled, said thank you and held it in my hands for a while. In that little while, so many thought were racing through my head. We didn’t have enough Nestomalt to give each person a packet, so we had to break them open and pour some into their individual bottles or cups. Out of that little quota we gave them, they’d made 2 cups for us! They were so affected by us not having eaten, that they felt that it was almost their duty as our “hosts” to offer us whatever they had, and considering that wasn’t a whole lot, they still took the trouble to make us a warm cuppa’. The least I could do was drink every drop of it, and boy...did I do just that! Relished every single drop in fact!

It was in the same ward that I met “Uncle” (because for some strange reason, I keep forgetting to ask names...). He had this wise, old look and a charming smile which seemed to be just brimming with stories. So before I knew it, I was sitting beside him on his mat and listening to his story... “I was a Police constable till 1981, and then went to the UK to work. I was working at the Sheraton Hotel near the Heathrow Airport for most of my stint abroad and only 2 years ago returned to Sri Lanka to visit my beloved 5 children and wife in Malavi. During my stay here, the roads were suddenly shut off and we couldn’t leave. Now, my family’s in Vavuniya and I’m here.” At which point I asked, “Have you had any news from them since you parted a month ago?” To which he answered with such conviction, “No I haven’t, but definitely God will look after us no?” I was just blown away...but, I managed to say, “Of course he will!”

Just before we left, I saw one of the patients having a hearty laugh with the young nurse in charge of the ward, as she attempted to say good-bye for the day. “Poiyta waren,” she stuttered much to the amusement and satisfaction of her “teacher!” I know it’s just one little thing, but, I’d like to think of it as a start at least.

When it was finally time for us to leave, we wound up giving our numbers to all the kids and some of the others, saying that they had to give us a call once they got back home or ever visited Colombo. We all seemed quite thrilled and excited at the prospect of having found new friends in each other. So much so, that I can’t wait to pick up my phone one day and find one of my new found buddies at the other end! Finally having to part ways, we left on the note that all of us were welcome in one another’s homes if ever we were in each others’ neighbourhoods! If that isn’t hope for a new beginning, I don’t know what is.

There were quite a few other heart wrenching moments, like when a little kid without one leg, and so being carried by her dad was brought near our trolley to get her share of “goodies,” as she was just about to leave for the camps in Vavuniya. There was something very sad and almost ominous in the way all the nurses crowded around the trolley saying, “Aney pauw, mey lamaya Vavuniyawate yawanawa dan, ithin eyata pulluwan tharam deval denna, Miss.” (“Poor little thing, she’s being sent to the camps in Vavuniya, so please give her as many things as you can, miss.”) It was almost as if Vavuniya was this dreary ‘land of no return,’ where you needed to stock up as much as possible, just in order to survive. As true or not as the stories of Vavuniya might be, we couldn’t help but feel so sad for this little girl and fear for her future. Although sheltered in her fathers’ loving arms for now, I couldn’t help but question what her future had in store for her.

Yet another moment was when one of the nurses put her hand reassuringly on the arm of another patient (who she seemed to have grown quite fond of, and was just getting ready to leave for Vavuniya with his wife) and said “Dan parrissamen gihin hondha jeevithayak gatha karranne harida? Ekai mage ekema prarthananawa oyalata.” (“Please travel safely and live a good life. That’s my only wish for you both.”)

How could I forget one of the most memorable moments of our visit, when we almost managed to willing “adopt” an adorable little baby girl who found one of my friends quite a comfortable refuge once carried, and refused to go back to her father! She actually started to cry when she was returned to him. So he took her back and then later handed her over to me, at which point we decided to take her with us on our distribution, with her father following quite good naturedly behind. When we asked her if she’d like to come home with us and her father waved “bye” to her, she waved “bye” back. We couldn’t believe our eyes! I guess children don’t see through the same eyes as adults. How I wish we could all be like children!

The cards and novels were a huge hit as by the end of the day, many of the novels had been completed and intense card games had begun!

Amidst all this hope though, there was one rather depressing sight of this girl (who was asleep during our entire stay there,) asleep on the floor - flies setting on her face. “She has lost her mind and is all alone. Nobody knows where her family is. All she does is sleep. She doesn’t eat, she doesn’t bathe, she doesn’t change her clothes, she doesn’t speak, all she does is sleep all day,” said the elderly couple occupying the bed alongside her. How do you come to terms with a story like that? Where do you even start?

And then last but hardly least, there was precious little 2 week year old Arjun who had been born at the hospital. Cradled in his dad’s arms, he just lay there with his eyes peacefully shut, seemingly without a care in the world. Looking down on this tiny little miracle, all I could wish for with all my heart was that he gets to grow up in a world where war, hatred, pain and suffering are only heard of in story books.

RCCR releases pictures of the toilets

The Rotary Club of Colombo Regency released some pictures of the temporary toilets done in the camp. Please see here.

Rotary Club of Colombo Regency secures their target, but more to go

RCCR announced yesterday that they have secured pledges for 100 temporary toilets for the zone allocated for them and started to receive the funding for the same. They have said that 55 toilets are under construction and the balance 45 will commence before the end of this week.

In the same communiqué, RCCR also announced their new plan:

“We are launching a fresh appeal to secure funds to build the next 100 toilets. Out of these 100 toilets, we will deploy 60 in the new Zone 5 that is coming up. The balance 40 will be deployed in Zone II.”

Rotary Colombo will focus on Children in the camps

While The Sri Lankan armed forces have succeeded in defeating the terrorist campaign, which attempted to divide the country based on ethnic lines, many innocent people who were caught up in the conflict used as human shields (hostages), remain injured, separated from their families, homeless and displaced. The Rotary Club of Colombo is part of a coordinated Rotary District 3220 wide effort to provide relief to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP). We have decided to call this “the IDP Relief Project”. The Rotary Club of Colombo is raising funds to provide relief to the IDP’s any amount will be welcome.

The focus of our Club is on the children: On recommendations from counselors and rehabilitation specialists we were advised to provide occupational relief by way of a school pack, made up of assorted exercise books, pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, crayons. As you know education is one of the most important aspects of a child’s life. Providing the means to develop writing at this time is critical. In addition to it was suggested to keep the children occupied with recreational sports. We will therefore provide sports equipment made up of soccer balls, volley ball sets, cricket sets, carom and draughts boards.

The School Pack is made up of:

• 6 Nos. 80 page Single Side Ex. Books.
• 6 Nos. 120 pages Single Side Ex. Books
• 1 No. CR Book 1 Quire.
• 3 Nos. Blue Ball point Pens.
• 3 Nos. Lead Pencils.
• 1 No. Pencil Sharpener.
• 1 No. Eraser.
• 1 No. Drawing Book 40 leaves.
• 1 Set Colour pencils.

The Recreational items include:

• Soccer balls
• Volley balls with nets
• Cricket bats and soft ball (tennis)
• Carom Boards
• Draughts Boards.

Please contact Rtn. Ranil Pieris on pierisr@sltnet.lk for more information

Reachout. Lend a hand. Make a difference!

ReachOut is the disaster relief project of the Rotaract Club of Colombo.

In the beginning operating as an independent committee, ReachOut was first formed in December 2004 on the Boxing Day to be exact. For most people, the day after Christmas, is the day to recover from the merriment of the previous eve. However, for most of coastal south Asia, December 26th 2004 was the day their world was torn apart. As wave after wave came crashing down, it brought with it incredible tales of death and destruction, so horrific that our minds could not comprehend.

Members of the Rotaract clubs of Colombo and Colombo Regent had already started collecting food and other supplies before 24 hours had passed and they were soon joined by the members of the OCS Alumni who were looking for an effective means of contributing to the relief effort. Accompanied by family and friends they formed ReachOut. The project consisted of three phrases; Immediate relief, Counseling & secondary items and Rebuilding houses and pre-schools.

In the Present day, The war, which has been raging for the past 26 years and claimed thousands of lives, took a turning point this year. This year (2009) has been the year of military victory by the current government over the terrorists and the military battle having come to its close. However, this victory has come with a price; thousands of people have become internally displaced.

Now, ReachOut meets a new need to serve, this time to help those internally displaced, rebuild their lives.

Donate to help rebuild the lives of the Internally Displaced!
The war torn North and the East of Sri Lanka destroyed the livelihoods, infrastructure and the economy of the two provinces, bringing about a complete change to the lifestyle led by the inhabitant people. It is estimated that, there are over two hundred thousand (200,000) internally displaced persons in the recent past (the last four to five years), excluding the figures which were reported last year.

Currently aid is flowing to Sri Lanka and most of the needy are being fed and sheltered in camps. However, currently the next phase of concern is the health and unsanitary living conditions of these internally displaced persons. Afterwards, the true test will of course be rebuilding their lives, their homes, their livelihood, and their peace of mind. It will take some years to recover from the effects of the disaster.

ReachOut has launched an appeal to help those whose lives have been devastated by the war. Your contributions will go towards the residents of Manik Farm, Section C which is currently (approx) 2500 people have been relocated there.

The three main objectives the ReachOut team hopes to achieve are:
· The building of a total of 100 toilets, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Colombo Regency, providing immediate basic sanitation.
· Conducting a health camp, specifically hearing tests - Many are suffering from varying levels of hearing loss as a result of the heavy shelling and blasts in close vicinity to them.
· Once all residents have been tested, all those requiring hearing aids will be provided with the necessary equipment, thus, improving their quality of life.

Remember those who lost their lives, Remember those who are still living. Remember that, they still need Our Help!

Reachout. Lend a hand. Make a difference!

RCC teams up with Rotary Club of Colombo Regency

The Rotaract Club of Colombo teamed up with the Rotary Club of Colombo Regency (RCCR), RI District 3220 to assist the Internally Displaced Persons. RCC have already confirmed funding for 25 temporary toilets for the IDP camps and are looking at assisting with more.

All together the RCCR have got 85pledges for such toilets and aim to set up a hundred in total, in the said camps and 20 have already been deployed to the Vanni.