January 29, 2005
Today was the most challenging day for the Serendib Sri Lanka team. We awoke at 3 a.m. in the morning, after only several hours of sleep, and departed for the eastern coast of Sri Lanka and a particular town called Pottuvil. Determined as a team to reach the neediest areas, and fuelled by the need to deliver these school supplies to the most deserving children, we began our trek towards the longest day of the mission. In fact, from our departure at Matara around 6 p.m. on the 28th until the next morning when we reached Ratnapura, the team spent 16 solid hours on the relief bus reaching the most devastated areas, delivering aid, and returning to headquarters.
Upon reaching Pottuvil we were greeted by a plethora of NGOs and international organizations already doing work on the ground there. Relief Services International, Mercy Corps, USAID, the Swiss Red Cross, World Vision, and the local Sewa Lanka foundation were among those people already involved in supplying water, vital supplies, utensils, shelter, and, as we were to find out, basic school equipment for the children whose schools had been completely destroyed by the tsunami. In Pottuvil these numbered a total of 9.
The President of Serendib-USA together with his colleagues Mr. Jesuppillai and Mr. Jayawardhena conducted the reconnaissance of the Pottuvil area and concluded that in fact the children who most needed the assistance of Serendib Sri Lanka had already been well served by the existing organizations in the field. Rather than risk duplication of efforts, an increasing problem in the relief effort now in Sri Lanka, we decided to continue northward towards Ampara with our supplies to locate refugee camps that perhaps had not been so fortunate.
The day wore on, however, and the driver of the bus had already expressed his disliking for traveling at night. We knew that we had a window of opportunity extending only several hours into the afternoon, as it was imperative that we begin our return journey of approximately 10 hours to Ratnapura no later than 3 p.m. The new tactic we adopted, then, in the interest of time, was to stop at every Camp we sighted and interview the children in their local tongue. We found that without exception the children were more honest about the aid they had received than the adults in charge of the Camp.
At about 1 p.m. in the afternoon we reached Thirukkovil and a large camp of approximately 500 + persons on the outskirts of town that had been erected with the help of the U.S. military. We knew that a tradeoff was in the making – the refugee camp had no facilities with which to conduct our planned program of activities – only one 20 by 30 foot tent which served as the main hall. After covertly interviewing several of the children we found that a small number of school supplies had been distributed – but it was done in such a disorderly fashion that most of the girls did not receive anything, and some children received more than one bag.
It was then decided by the Serendib Sri Lanka team to distribute our supplies to these children, as they were clearly in need, and due to their removed location from the town, were less likely to be included in the plans of other more prominent international relief organizations. The joy in the children’s eyes was visible when they realized that each one of them would actually have a chance to receive something, an occurrence which we later realized was altogether rare in the coordination of supplies and the distribution of aid. Altogether we distributed school supplies and uniforms to more than 200 school children. The tradeoff, of course, was that due to time constraints and lack of facilities, the teachers were not able to work with the children doing the songs, games, and activities that had become the trademark of these relief trips.
Satisfied with our mission and the fruits of our long journey to the east, we piled into the Serendib Relief team bus and began our long journey back toward Ratnapura. Later that evening the sadness on the teacher’s faces was evident. They had participated in a great effort to bring happiness and meaning into the lives of nearly 600 children across the nation most affected by the tsunami. One teacher, generous of spirit and heart, spoke with pureness of intention when she said that if the government of Sri Lanka would release them, they would be willing to travel around and continue these programs for the benefit of the children most in need. Another teacher who had worked so hard on the preparation of the school supplies stood quietly beside the bus in tears, contemplating the end of what had been a wonderful work of charity extended over a 3 week period.
I promised to return in June with a team of dedicated volunteers and educators to inaugurate into the next phase of Serendib Sri Lanka’s involvement in the rehabilitation and reconstruction effort. The building of schools, provision of scholarships for affected families, and the possible construction of an orphanage have been among some of the ideas discussed by these teachers. It is clear from their sacrifice and dedication that they have been, are, and will continue to be willing to make a difference in the lives of these children affected by the natural disaster.
Tucker
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Webmaster's Note: The following pictures relate to this Report. My best guess about the blue pix is that they were made under a blue tent]
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