Real People.

15th March 2008

The last couple of days were spent visiting my father’s extended family on the south coast of the island. Everyone has many accounts of the tsunami and individual experiences.




The train carrying the 1,700 passengers that was thrown inland a mile's length was actually found on one of my cousin’s owned land. It has now been relocated to its original location.




Now it is nothing more than a Ghost Train...


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2004/dec/29/tsunami2004.srilanka

During my visit I managed to eat something dodgy so while travelling around I was unfortunately fighting down a spell of untimely food poisoning. But still, I sucked up the pain and kept going as I was determined not waste a minute while there.

So it starts again. 15^th March, it’s a Saturday, very early morning.

We met Ira and Nisanka of the Buddhist Village Trust for Sri Lanka (BVTS) accompanied by Manel Piyasena of the Sahanoda Foundation who voluntarily assists with the coordination of BVTS, and start our journey to Hikkaduwa. We arrived at the Sri Gnanananda Ramaya temple within 2 hours, due to our crack of dawn drive and our excellent driver.

A few classrooms and a hall is situated next to the temple, within the same grounds. Once the majority of the kids had arrived we held a Boddhi Pooja (Buddhist offering). The sole residing monk told us his life story and advised the children not to waste their lives and take anything for granted. He also asked the children not to keep sadness or anger in their minds about the occurances of their parents, siblings, grandparents, and friends. He had a lot of character and delivered his message clearly with no confusion. It was evident that I, and every other person present were completely absorbed into his words.

At the end of the ceremony the children made an offering of a traditional robe to the monk and we all proceeded into the big hall.

There was easily over 100 people in the hall, 60-70 of them being young boys and girls, all from the regions of Hikkaduwa, Balapitiya, and Galle. The BVTS works with regions situated all around the island and with communities of all religions. They have helped 600 children in total affected by the tsunami.

“Miss Diana”, the affectionate term used by the children for their teacher, gave a short speech explaining that this meeting was to 'check in' and share an update of how everyone has progressed, but also to welcome me and my father as their guests. These meetings are held every couple of months and the main topics of discussion include the children’s progress and the foster families care. The BVTS makes their assessment's by closely watching and corresponding with the children through school reports and regular weekly meetings. Ira, Nisanka, Manel and Diana know each child like their own.

About ten children stepped up onto the stage to present us with beautiful and colourful flower bouquets that they had prepared for us as gifts.

We all, including one of the kids lit the oil lamp, a very traditional start to any special Buddhist Sri Lankan ceremony. A symbol of hope and new beginnings. 

This particular project has been running for 3 years since the start of March 2005. When the tsunami hit these shores on the 26^th December 2004, all hell ran loose. The majority of the children in the hall had lost their entire families within minutes of the waves engulfing the land. Mothers, Fathers, Brothers, Sisters, Grandmothers, and Grandfathers. Friends and family friends. In some cases few had survived, in others all had been taken. I tried to imagine waking up one morning and not having anyone or anything familiar to my life. Ira announced that I wanted to give each child a gift voucher of a particular value so that they could go to their local allocated departmental stores and purchase necessities.

To get a better idea about each individual young person, myself and Ira interviewed each child asking them about their interests and noted down individual talents. All discussions took place in Sinhalese, and the kids were very understanding of my rusty vocabulary! As each came up to us to have a chat more and more home made thank you cards and happy New Year cards were presented, which they were all so happy for us to accept. After the interviews were completed, 3 girls sang a song about their love for their late mothers.

In sets of two, pre-prepared dances were performed in our honour which were all applauded heavily by the hall of people.

Whilst sitting amongst the children watching these dances and other performances, I got chatting to a few girls sitting in the front row. One of the girls Iresha was showing a book to her fellow students, using an I.D. card as a bookmark. She explained that the I.D. card had belonged to her grandmother, but seemed quite shy to talk about it. I guessed that it was one of the few items she had managed to keep from her previous life.

We later had a group picture taken, followed by a lunch organised by the BVTS for all the children, foster families and carers. During this time we had a chance to chat to many of the new parents and care givers. I was told of one little boy’s case from a caretaker working on the grounds of the temple. His son had a severe life threatening respiratory condition caused by the tsunami. Another lady told me about her situation, where she had fostered a young girl whom had lost her entire family to the sea. This lady already had five children of her own, so life was already a constant struggle. Another case about a girl whom had lost her mother and siblings leaving behind her father and herself. Her father remarried and abandoned his child. The young girl had no where to go until a distant aunt heard about the situation and took her niece into her own personal care. These foster families and extended family members were poor people themselves, and it was an amazing thing to be present amongst these real human beings acting like REAL people. People of all religions and races acting together as REAL human beings.

The children and families left and I told them I would leave my address details with their teacher Miss Diana. The rest of us sat down and had a meeting about the events of the day and I discussed how I would like the money to be spent on behalf of all my friends and family back home in the UK. It was a day of success and we were all knackered so the 3 hour ride home was much appreciated.

While resting against the minivan window, stuck in steady traffic, I started thinking about the young girl from Sooriya Wawa, Hambantota area that Ira had been telling me about during our morning journey. Hambantota is famous for their banana produce but also for the large fresh produce market and the active shipping harbour. Many children from areas safely inland to Hambantota had lost their parents to the tsunami at this market place. BVTS had accounted for 120 tsunami families from these areas. The girl had lost her mother to the wave, but her father had survived only to be left severely ill. She has two younger brothers, of which the oldest is boarding at a school for educational purposes (education still remains free for most parts of Sri Lanka). The youngest brother was two years old when the tsunami hit, so this young girl has been bringing him up as her own son while looking after her sick father. She had planned to sit for three A’ Level examinations last year, two of which she completed and passed. The third she missed due to terrible illness, which unfortunately hindered her passing into higher education. They live in complete poverty stricken conditions. The last time Ira met up with the young girl she had a very suspicious looking black bruised eye. She claims she fell, although many other fellow villagers believe she is being abused, and too frightened to talk out about it. She needed Rs.1,000 per month for 6 months of tuition fee’s to resit for the missed A’Level exam, and after Ira's persuasion she agreed to try again for the last paper. It’s her only way out. The BVTS had agreed to take responsibility for the fees, which I donated on behalf of us all.
http://www.bvts.org.uk/