Tuesday 30th

After a night of torrential rain, we headed this morning into the chaos that is Colombo. The weather today was particularly oppressive with little sunshine and extreme humidity. Today’s mission was to secure and pay for the 159 uniforms for the Village School which will be presented on Thursday. Thankfully, the shop was better prepared than last time yet something we would take pretty much for granted, still took about 2 hours. But thankfully, Udaya had already provided them with all the measurements of the uniforms. That said, in order to try and ensure value for money, the negotiations over the final price became a little strained at one point!

After that, back on the “high street” narrowly avoiding death by oncoming traffic and asphyxiation in the stifling heat and exhaust fumes, we found a small sports shop where we were able to buy the promised cricket equipment for the school. For just £8, our personal donation will stop the kids having to use inadequate kit for something which is so popular.

Tonight we’re meeting up with Shahan, the son of Sareth who was instrumental in helping Della and Don identify the causes which needed the most help but who died tragically last year. We’re hoping to be able to set up a yearly prize for best improved student of English at the school.

And then it will probably an early night before the very long day ahead of us - The Orphans’ Day Out!

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...

First Update

Sunday 28th

Arrived late on Sunday after a relatively stress-free and comfortable flight from Heathrow via Bangalore. Met up with Saul, Caroline, Jacob and Sophie who had moved up the coast. All enjoyed an early night.

Monday 29th

Business began early after an 8am breakfast at the Mount Lavinia Hotel, our base for the next 18 days.
First port of call was the Nursery school where the Project provides food and uniforms. And it’s typical Catch-22 situation: if a child has no uniform, it can’t attend the school but as you can see below, they look incredibly smart!

Thanks to the Village School