- One Year on from the Tsunami
In our Summer edition we described how support from Thames Ditton Infants School and the wider Elmbridge community had helped those who suffered in the Christmas 2004 Tsunami in Sri Lanka. Here, Dorothy Clark, a Governor of the Infants School and who was in Sri Lanka with her husband Dennis at the time of the Tsunami, gives an up-date on how the money raised has been spent on reconstruction.
Dennis and I found our return to Sri Lanka with our family Sally, David and Claire an uplifting experience. The people of Sri Lanka are very courageous and a great deal has been achieved since our last visit in April. In December 2004 we witnessed absolute devastation all along the South West and South East Coast. Galle was particularly devastated - the few people who were around as we drove to take medical supplies to the Archdeacon of Galle were walking about as if in a daze with the police and the military looking on. In some places the cries of those who lost their loved ones brought tears to our eyes too and the stench of death was evident. As we drove through Galle this year the main street was full of people and bustling with activity, the shops were stocked up and gaily decorated and we felt very happy.
We visited the two orphans who were on the train with their parents when 1800 people drowned. They not only lost their parents but their uncle and aunt andseveral cousins. We were invited to attend the Almsgiving - a Memorial Service held one year after the death of the parents in their home. Ten Buddhist priests were present and we made our offerings in the form of tea and sugar to the priests. This was followed by a meal of delicious curry and traditional sweets - all made at home. We promised to continue to support the little girls.
The Computer Room for the school in Galle was finished and an opening ceremony was arranged to coincide with our arrival - Sally and David had worked closely with the Buddhist priest to ensure it was completed ready for the New Year. The refurbishment of the classroom together with the provision of 10 computers and desks cost £9000. It was wonderful to see the children who were soon using the computers with great confidence.
Our next visit was to see the three houses we paid for from our funds. Again it was a memorable experience to see the smiling faces of the families happily settled in their new homes. We saw the fishing boat that a kind gentleman in Thames Ditton had provided at a cost of £500 and brought back a photograph of the boat and the fisherman.
The members of SI Colombo have done the most impressive work with the funds they have received. They proudly showed me the Pre-School they built in Wadduwa - an area devasted by the Tsunami. I then accompanied them on a very long trip to Hambantota, a very poor area of Sri Lanka, to lay the foundation stones for two more Pre-Schools. It was a fascinating day as we first attended a meeting conducted by the Member of Parliament - Sajith Premadasa - his father had previous been the President of Sri Lanka and was murdered in 1992. A scheme to provide loans to women to start a small business with money from donors was being set up by the MP and we were given the opportunity to present the bank passbooks to the women. We then moved on to the sites of the two pre-schools where we laid the foundation stones followed by ceremonies where candles were lit and chanting by the Buddhist priests took place. Plenty of speech making took place and flags were raised.
Our daughter Sally, Headteacher of Merland Rise Primary School in Epsom together with Thames Ditton Infants School and many other Surrey schools, Soroptimists and many kind people donated the funds for all the projects many of which were masterminded by David, Sally's husband. We really thought perhaps we would be drawing a line on all the activities we have undertaken but it seems we are now committed to building a school on a site near the houses we built. The Buddhist Priest in Bentota is very charismatic and not only persuaded the Government to give him the land but also encouraged us to provide the school.
We gave a donation to the dedicated Archdeacon of Galle to help a family of four living in a shack and he would like us to meet the family on our next visit so I feel our links with Sri Lanka are continuing a long way into the future. Nobody seems to know actually what the Government is doing to provide for the victims of the Tsunami; it seems to be left to NGO's and kind people from all over the world.
Dorothy Clark