A Morning at the Orphanage

A personal highlight of any trip to Sri Lanka is visiting the girls at the Orphanage.  This project is particularly important to me as I’ve known many of the girls for a long time now, and I cannot wait to see them every time I come here.   On my past two visits we have taken all of the girls on a day out, however as it is currently Ramadan and the girls fast during the day, we were invited to visit the orphanage for a morning of games and activities.  It was great to see them all smiling and enjoying themselves so much, and it was lovely to chat to the several girls whom I keep in contact with throughout the year via email or letters.   We had a hilarious morning full of songs, games, jokes and dancing and as usual, saying goodbye to everyone was terribly sad as we wished we could have stayed for longer.

 Lucy

A few words from Mary and Caroline…

Caroline:

Visiting the girls at the orphanage was a particularly moving experience for me, as this is my first time coming out to see the projects of FODAD in Sri Lanka.  I saw just how much the charity affects the lives of these wonderful people, supporting their many talents through education and giving a home to some who might not otherwise have had one.  Being the same age as some of the girls and seeing how they cope, always keeping a smile on their faces, was eye-opening. They are amazing people, and I thank them so much for immediately befriending me.

Mary:

As with all the people I’ve met since arriving for my first visit, I’ve been so impressed at the joy the girls expressed despite coming from the dire situations they experienced before coming to the loving care of the Mrs. Mohammed, the Principal, and her teaching staff.  The girls were delighted with their Eid gifts  of costume necklaces and earrings for the smaller girls and watches for the older ones, that Della and Don presented to them.  What touched my heart most of all was that the girls kept asking me if I remembered their names.  The desired to be acknowledged is universal.

Caroline (left) and Lucy (right) with the girls 

Mary playing a game