11th March 2008
It STARTS!
Fresh coconut rotti for breakfast. I am so happy, and savour this meal.
Afterwards, went straight to a Ratmalana orphanage “Sri Yasodara Devi Aramaya & Balika Niwasaya”. Entrance is via an air force checkpoint as it is surrounded by air force military grounds. The home is part of a temple and nunnery run and lived in by “sil maniyo” (female Buddhist monks). It was founded in 1986 after Rev. Mahagoda Sumeththa Sil Matha, known as Loku Maniyo (Chief Monk) visited the refugee camps in the north as well as in the hill country, witnessing the everlasting sufferings of the people and young children, created by poverty, landslides and the attacks of war. The home started with 25 young children, and now accommodates 60 females between the ages of 1 to 23 years old. Living space is clearly not enough and presently accommodate over capacity, having to refuse new arrivals everyday. Loku Maniyo is making consistent efforts to raise funds to expand the building. She has seen the importance of keeping the establishment running.
Girls are accepted from both sides of the civil war and from mixed religious backgrounds, and there lies a peaceful co-existence.
On our arrival Loku Maniyo tells us a bit about the Hostel she opened up in Welligama called the “Sri Yasodara Devi Shanthi Niketanaya”, in aid of post tsunami victims, where again 22 girls were sheltered, educated, and generally taken care of. The hostel cost the equivalent of £750 per month for total costs, which eventually they could not afford to continue, so the hostel was closed down.
After explaining my interest, Loku Maniyo took me to the main multi-purpose hall area and asked some of the girls to join me.
They were extremely shy but very respectful of my visit, each dragging each other out to come sit down. 15 girls in total came out to have a chat. Ages ranging 7 to16 years old, they all treat each other as sisters holding hands, whispering and telling each other off. They told me that their youngest sister in the home was 1 years old. A baby. It was heart warming to see how close they were to each other; a true family.
We talked about hobbies, studies, languages, and about other visitors. They were very inquisitive about my family, and throughout our time together this made me very conscious about the things that we all take for granted. I showed them a picture of Gayan, my not so little anymore brother which I keep in my wallet. I then showed them the pictures I had stored on my phone. I asked if they would write a few lines in my journal to show my friends back in England, which thirteen of them eagerly did. And they asked me to write in their own autograph books.
I learnt that the girls all cook meals, take part in cleaning and up keep, and have extra classes for English, French, and Sinhala, all held in the home itself. They love and adore their Sil Maniyo(female monks). 2 hours whizzed by and i didn't feel a minute of it. Even the girls couldn’t believe it as it felt like a much shorter time. Before we left one of the little one's came out to say hello, staring at me with an intensity probably thinking that I looked a bit odd.
Next stop, “Shilpa Children’s Trust” in Narahenpita, Colombo, founded in 1987, to help young girls displaced by ethnic conflict.
We met Chandini who introduced me to a few other ladies working there. She took me on a quick tour of the administrative department and showed me a few vocational rooms where they perform sewing and art classes. The main administrative room was very well kept in appearance with necessary amenities and air conditioning for the staff. A large amount of work goes on from this small room. Niranjala, the chief administrator, runs a database with all the girl’s details (roughly 50 girls on average). Lunch was being served so I sat down with Niranjala and we had a lovely meal. The girl’s are served vegetarian dishes for main meals on a daily basis, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I got a chance to have a chat with Niranjala to learn more about her background and how she came to be working at this home. The girl’s were constantly making quick shy glances in my direction and I couldn’t have been happier to smile back just to get a shy but genuine smile from each of them. Their warmth was overwhelming.
After lunch I sat in for an English class held by Ms. Ruth Thompson. Ruth and her partner had sold up their property in the UK to settle in Sri Lanka. Throughout the class it is very clear that this occupation is her passion and her objective is to improve the lives and prospects of these young people. There were five pupils present, each quite shy at first but gradually plucking up the courage to speak to me. The most striking quality about all the girl’s I had met so far were their absolute thirst to learn, something I had never witnessed within my own educational experiences. How refreshing. I felt inspired! These pupils loved their Ms. Ruth dearly and Ms. Ruth loved them. After the class Ruth suggested I come back to help with the English classes as the girls required practice by vocalising what they were learning, which was an effortless help I could provide.
The Shilpa Children’s Trust also were heavily engaged in community rehabilitation projects immediately after the devastating tsunami hit the shores of our beautiful island. Hambantota, on the southern tip of the island, was one of the worst affected areas. Many children lost their families as parents travelled to Hambantota to trade in the large marketplace, which many of them relied on for their livelihood. In this area, Shilpa runs a community sponsorship programme for 300 children who lost their parents. It also assists other affected family members, in particular women, by enabling them access to livelihood programmes. Through art therapy workshops many of these young children have managed to express their emotions, vital for recovery from their own trauma.
Take a look at their website: www.shilpa.org
By request of Shilpa Childrens Home, I have not included any photo's of the residing girls due to privacy issues.
Ended the day by visiting my grandfather and eating some more great food. Feels like I'm only just starting the beginning of my trip.
