This year it will be a shorter report as normally because it didn’t go as planned.
I will not bore you with the stuff around the container but the conclusion is that we couldn’t distribute the items from the container as was planned.
So what did I do ?
One week I spent at Negombo (going there twice)
It was a lot of travelling and was a lost week.
Of course I visited the 3 homes we have been in touch with over many years now.
1=SINGITHI HOME
I go there every year to give the kids some TLC ( tender loving care) and a
present. This year it was a car and for the girls a singing doll. They asked for this and we could give it with our budget. They also got a cricketset and of course some sweets.
The older girls got shampoo and cream and so did the metrons
2=SUCCES (ORPHANAGE FOR GIRLS)
This year we gave them a lipstick (thanks again for ETOS in Heemstede) and as always 250 rupees pocketmoney plus a bar of chocolate.
We always buy a chocolate cake and share it among the girls.
They love to eat chocolate cake, and although it is messy, a melting cake, no forks, no napkins and plates it makes everybody very happy.
3= SARAVENA HOME
We gave the next 3 cupboards and have given 15 cupboards up to now.
Next year we hope to be able to give the last 3 cupboards. Gamani and me were thinking what to give the boys this year as an extra. We came up with the idea of pocketmoney (as we have done so many years at Succes) and a chocolate bar. There were 3 boys who did their GCSE of whom one only
passed. He got an extra 500 rupuus and the other 2 got an extra 250 R.
The metrons got shampoo. They showed me as well what they could do with the Knex I had given them last year. It stayed the whole year in the cup- board as they didn’t know what to do with it although i had given them all the examples. Hmmm that how it works in Sri Lanka.
4-= WETTEWA SCHOOL
I visited this school to see how the sponsor a child project progressed.
Ramani took photos of the new children.
5= SAMAN’S SCHOOL
I went here to witness the finishing touches of the new computer room which we paid last year. And to have conversations with the children and of course this was in English and a few Sri Lankan words on my part.
Besides visiting my old places I visited many new schools. I will give a short summery of what I have done or given them.
1=ELDERY HOME
We gave a water dispenser. Good for cold and hot water and it doesn’t costs to much Electricity
2= AUTISTIC SCHOOL
This school was opened 3 years ago. They are able to use one classroom in a primary school. There are 8 children and 1 teacher. We gave jigsaws, games, Building bricks, and games to do with shapes. Later on Gamani gave them a few balls. The teacher would really like a new toilet and we would like to give this if we have enough money. The toilet they use now is outside and far away from their class. They can’t go alone so it is a real problem for the teacher.
3=PELIMATALAWA JUNIOR SCHOOL
Here I gave english stickers, conversation books, english games and posters.
We also had a meeting about teaching english, and about education.
We will stay in touch to discuss education.
4=TOILET SCHOOLS
I visited 2 schools where we had given money -500 euro- each to built a toilet.
We selected those schools through another teacher (Saman). were good schools . One is ready, and the other one was under construction when I was overthere.
Both schools are very happy.
I got flowers and they performed an opening ritual for me.
5= 2 JUNGLE SCHOOLS
Ramani showed me the 2 schools where we had given money to build a playground. We also meet up with the teachers who organised this.
Those schools are jungle schools and so their only playarea is this one at their school. The children were and are so happy!!!!!
6=ENGLISH MEDIUM SCHOOL
Ramani took me to another jungle school which was an English medium school.
This is a very special school as it is in the middle of the jungle where no parents will or can speak English but where a bunch of teachers decided that there should be an english medium school. The government said: oke . We will pay the salaries and we will give you an English teacher and that is it. Those kids get free education which is in this case special as normally English schools are private ones, where the parents have to pay a lot of money. The children get every day 2 hours of English and I was impressed by their English.
Ramani paid for every child the school materials such as exercise books, pencils, felttips, ruler, rubber, crayons, drawing book etc. Here in Sri Lanka parents have to pay this themselves which of course for the very poor people is impossible.
This year we like to give them a playground and next year I hopefully will be able to give them English books and games.
Last but not least I visited my good friend Kanchana. She has an English medium nursery school and I observe one of the teachers there to help her and them to get better organised with Young children. I give advice on how to improve nursery education in her school.
We have requests from schools. They are in need of a playground , toilets, games, computers. If you think you could sponsor or give some money it will go to the children in need
THANK YOU