More Work

After this we moved on to the Ratmalana Village school. We discussed the ongoing work and made arrangements for the presentation of new uniforms for ALL the children later this week. Whilst we there, we witnessed firsthand the delivery of the daily meal for the children which only happens due to the generous support and close links with The Village School in Hampstead, London.

At break, the boys rushed out into the school yard and picked up the cricket bat and ball; we say “bat” but it was actually made from what appeared to be a piece of old skirting board. Steve and Gav were invited to play and having experienced the difficulty of wielding a plank of wood against some pretty mean bowlers, decided that they would personally go out and buy new equipment for the school.

Meanwhile, the youngest of our party, Sophie, aged just 8 months, was a definite hit with all the school girls.

After a hectic morning, we jumped in Tuk-Tuks and reconvened at Bubas for a ginger beer or two! Don had been feeling a bit stiff so had his head massaged by one of the locals. Despite claiming it was a pleasurable experience, the photo below suggests otherwise!

In the afternoon, we walked along the litter-strewn beach to the village which afterall, was where this whole story began. We were greeted with customary hospitality – the ginger tea just doesn’t taste the same back home – and caught up with the local news. Despite the frequent, heavy downpours, the village boys couldn’t be put off playing their cricket game though the main Colombo to Galle railway line doesn’t make for the prettiest nor safest venue.

Wandering back, we all reflected just how gloomy things seemed; whether it was the dreary weather, being more attuned to current pandemics, the stagnant lying water, or more buildings crumbling as a result of the monsoon, we really felt slightly down. To add to our discomfort , that day’s local newspaper had reported that Dengue Fever was raging across the area with 12,000 confirmed cases in Colombo, just up the road which had already resulted in 180 deaths. As if these people didn’t have enough to contend with...