Jayawickreme Foundation: Newsletter No. 4/2006, Weligama, 24.4.2006

News from May to September 2006

General
Up to date we are still involved in the Tsunami reconstruction work and at the same time continue with our poverty alleviation projects in the rural area as well. At the moment we are managing 21 projects: 10 Tsunami projects and 11 poverty alleviation projects including a 500 houses programme for people beyond poverty level, who still live under horrible circumstances in mud-huts, a multi-religious day-care-centre for 40 neglected and forgotten old people, the Jayawickreme Foundation Education Centre for 300 poor children, and more than 350 self-employment projects for needy women.

Tsunami
Almost 2 years have passed since deadly Tsunami hit the shores of Sri Lanka during Christmas 2004. According to the Reconstruction Authority just about 5 % of the houses damaged by Tsunami have been complete so far only. In Weligama about 450 houses still need to be built. Therefore many people are caught up and still living under horrible conditions in inhuman camps. These unfortunate survivours have given up hope of a better tomorrow. They feel betrayed and forgotten; they live in deep depression and are apathetic.

Education Centre
The Jayawickreme Foundation Education Centre in Denipitiya, Weligama celebrated its first anniversary in June. Most notably to mention is that on request of the children we are now introducing Tamil lessons as well. The explanation of the children was simple and straight to the point: They want to understand and communicate with the children and youth in other parts of the country. A direct dialog is the safest way to understanding and often brings even peace.
The Education Centre is also used for ceremonies and donations during the weekends. It has become an important meeting point not only for the children and youth but also for the people of the area, who take every chance to drop by whenever there is a seminar, donation or ceremony,

Rural housing
33 rural houses of our 500 houses programme for the rural poor are completed up to now. The experience has shown that the recipients got a psychological boost and suddenly came out of their lethargic down trodden lifestyle in dignity. So far all our house recipients have taken the chance to improve their livelihood and climbed up the social ladder alone by themselves. Some take part in our self-employment projects; others successfully went for job interviews. Moreover the performance of the recipients’ children at school has noticeably improved.

Tsunami housing
24 tsunami houses have been completed so far out of the 60-meter buffer zone in various costal parts of Weligama. At least another 2 more are in the pipeline.

Tsunami village
As promised the authorities have started to clear the land so that we can start building at least 20 houses soon. Unfortunately the work is delayed due to the prevailing monsoon season. In spite if this we hope to start building soon. The Rhein-Zeitung group of newspapers, Koblenz, Germany, with their foundation “Helft uns leben”, sponsors the village.

Donation for poor kids
350 poor children were gathering with their parents and relatives for a donation of school material and traditional white Sunday school uniforms in the Education Centre. Their parents are living beyond poverty level and cannot afford to buy their children those urgently needed uniforms and stationary.

Clothing for old people
110 traditional white cloths for the full moon temple ceremonies days (Poya days) have been donated to old people, who have lost everything due to the tsunami. They belong to the “old people society of Pelena”.

Specs donation
250 old people have received 2nd hand specs. The donation took place at the Education Centre. Up to now more than 1000 people have received 2nd hand specs, which are collected in various towns throughout Germany.

Portable wheelchair
A needy old woman received a portable wheelchair to ease her day-to-day life. Now she is flexible enough again to take part in family and community life again.

Day care centre for old people
The German journalists foundation “Helft uns leben” has also donated the funds to buy a suitable property with a house for a multi religious day care centre for 40 old people, who are traumatized, neglected and lonely, will be opened in October in Pelena, Weligama. Many people are still living in camps. Pelena was badly hit by the Tsunami. At the moment the renovation work is going on. The old people will be provided with tea and buns in the morning, lunch and tea in the afternoon. Catholic, Buddhist, Muslim and Methodist priests will give regular spiritual support by the 4 religious communities present in Weligama. Medical check ups and plenty of activities tailor made according to the demand of the old people will help to lighten up the days of those old people. We will be also having regular meetings with old people to get to know their sorrows and worries to address their urgent needs and requirements.

Livelihood projects
To encourage women to take up to self-employment projects we have formed various coir rope weaver associations in various villages. Due to various donations 70 coir rope making machines could be given to jobless poor women. Moreover we are helping to sell their produce like rope and coir mats directly to the consumer and wholesaler so that unscrupulous middlemen cannot exploit them.

Kindergarten/Sunday School opened
Finally after one year of building we could ceremonially open the Kindergarten/Sunday School for 550 children cum community hall in Pelena, Weligama. Hundreds of people were gathering for this occasion, which started with a colourful procession, a traditional Perahera. The “Initiative Quickborn hilft” will continue their support and is presently raising funds to equip the Kindergarten/Sunday School.

Radio
The opening ceremony of the Kindergarten/Sunday School as well as a recent donation ceremony was live broadcast throughout the country. Interviews with foundation members and beneficiaries completed the radio programmes. We are happy about the positive feedback received.

Request
Priests of small, poor temples, which are located in remote places, have asked for help for urgent repair work like damaged roofs, collapsing walls etc. We try to help here as well as far the funds allow us to do so. Temples are the meeting points for the village people as there no other places where they can gather. Children and youth attend Sunday school classes in temples.

Sole sponsor for Youth Sports District Festival in Matara
Desperate organizers of the annual Youth Sports District Festival in Matara approached the Jayawickreme Foundation. According to them there was nobody who would sponsor the awards. If not for the Jayawickreme foundation’s instant decision to sponsor the trophies, the sport festival would have been cancelled and countless youth would have been deprived of their annual competition on district level. Even the Government Agent for the Matara district appreciated the commitment of the Foundation to keep this important Sports meeting going.

Conclusion
Inflation and cost of living are spiraling. The ongoing “unofficial” war is expensive as well. In August alone the petrol prices were raised twice, and just reduced by a token amount again. Recently the Electricity Board has increased the costs for power for the 2nd this year. Costs of living, building material, transport, just everything is becoming more expensive by the day. Likewise our costs to run the projects properly are increasing.

To successfully continue with our work to uplift the lives of the needy and the poverty-stricken, to help them to become independent and take responsibility of their lives, to give poor children a better future so that they can spend a life in dignity, we need your support. We depend largely on contributions from individuals like you. Every cent helps to eradicate poverty and suffering.