Wednesday 22nd July

We might be back but the work carries on. Saul (Della's brother) and his family are staying until the middle of August and are busy following up lots of issues. Since the burglary, it emerged that the Village School had no water supply because of a leaky tank, no money to fix it and no expectation of the government doing anything about it. So for less than a tenner, he arranged for it to be fixed in under a day.

Also, Saul has given a number of students cameras to take home and take photos of things of interest to them and then using the developed pictures to talk to them about their lives and hopes. Hopefully we'll be able to link to them from the website some time in the future.

Elsewhere, he has been working hard with Udaya and the school principal to open up the Village Library to the kids during school time.

Time to Reflect

We've been back a few days now and it's given us time to think about all that we achieved but also the stuff we weren't able to do. Luckily, Saul is still in Sri Lanka for another few weeks and is actively following up ideas and issues.

In the meantime, we've managed to review some of the photos (over 1,000 of them) and video footage (nearly 2 hours).

Below are our top10 video clips from the 18 days away:

The Lime & Spoon Race

The Friends of Della & Don Boat gets Launched

The Sack Race at Sports Day

Balloon Dancing #1

Balloon Dancing #2

Balloon Blowing Contest

Beach Cricket at the Village

The Village

The Orphans' Day Out

The Orphans' Marching Band

Wednesday 15 July

A sad day...it’s our last in Sri Lanka and didn’t get off to a great start as we heard from Udaya that the Village school had been broken into overnight. Money that the children had collected for their day-trip today was stolen along with the only computer base unit. There is no hope of recovering the items nor making any arrests.

So, the Trustees (Della, Steve & Saul) met to discuss the work achieved over the last 16 days and priorities for the next 3 weeks whilst Saul remains...

And after saying our goodbyes, it's up at 0400 to start the journey back to the UK.

We hope you've enjoyed reading what we've been up to; there will be loads more pics and videos on the website at www.friendsofdellaanddon.com where you can also find out how to help :-)

Tuesday 16 July

Today’s main event was the School Sports & Games Day but even before that started, there was a trip back to the Clinic which FODAD supports. A number of the children which are directly receiving benefit from your support had come and Della, Don and Saul had the opportunity chat to them. Again, the visit highlighted jst how desperate some families are and not necessarily through any problems of their own making. One family we help are just really, really poor; the father, who is a labourer/brick layer, earns just 300 Rupees a day when he can find work – that’s just £1.60 or about $2.80. Consider my fish and chip meal last night cost 900 rupees and you can sense how much of struggle it can be for many families. Even some of the hotel management where we are staying earn just £60 a month so it’s easy to see how relatively small amounts can make a serious difference.

Back at the Village School, we arrived to set things up and were heartened to hear that attendance today was the highest it has been in the 2 weeks we’ve been here – 120 pupils. With very few resources, we were ready to go with 8 teams of 15 children, each managed by one of us. Della’s Black Horses were a very enthusiastic bunch with a mean, determination to win whilst unsurprisingly perhaps, Don’s team were the loudest and as it later emerged from video evidence, had a tendency to interpret the rules to suit them!!!

The first event was the 3-legged race and as we started, in true English summer sports day style, the heavens opened! This did not dampen sprits and it was a bizarre to see 16 kids of all sizes charge off the starting line to rapturous cheers and shouts from their team mates.

Next was the Sri lankan version of the egg and spoon race. This differs from the traditional game as we know it... the egg is replaced by a lime but the spoon is clenched in the mouth. Some of the teams took the speed approach but it was clear, a more cautious approach worked best.

The third event was a sack race in which Saul and Steve led off for their respective teams. The sacks came to

their knees whilst some of the smaller team members were almost engulfed with just their heads peeking out of the top. At the end of the this event, Della’s team were streaking ahead closely followed by Gav’s Red Bulls.

As the heat and humidty grew, the next event was pass the tennis ball under the chin. Classic comedy moments all round as 10 year olds struggled to reach down to receive the ball from children of 5 and girls reluctantly having to get close to boys!

The penultimate event was a Sri Lankan favourite, apparently. Five of the smallest members from each team had a balloon and had to blow it up until it exploded... It soon became clear that with balloons reaching 3 times the size of the kids’ faces, some assistance might be needed so the scorers ball point pen proved useful in putting the smaller kids and onlookers out of their agony. A most bizarre game but actually, really funny.

With just three points separating four teams, there was all to play for on the final event – again another Sri Lankan favourite – dancing with balloons. Ably demonstrated by Della and Don, couples simply had to dance together but keep the balloon off the ground. So, we were faced with around 20 couples dancing to some ring-tones played through a PA system which had already been left open to the elements; numbers were whittled down quite quickly until we got to a hard-core group of balloon-dancing pros who it seemed were prepared to dance all day.

Eventually, the scores were collated and, thanks to their success at ballon dancing, the WHite Bears came from behind and stole the title from Della’s Black Horses. And Don’s team...well, they didn’t rack up a single win despite his manipulation of the rules.

The event ended with Della handing our prizes for the winners and then a handing oit soft toys, books shoes and clothes to all the kids from the donations from New York and the UK. The joy on the face of the girl who recently lost her mother when she received as special teddy bear will live with me forever.

After a brief pause, we piled up about 5 boxes into a tuk-tuk and headed for the Fishing Village.

As we arrived an expectant crowed was beginning to gather but we’re managing to keep a respectful distance. It didn’t last long though as the crowd surged forward the moment the first box was opened. Clothes, books, shoes, flip-flops and bed linen were all handed out as fairly as we could but the feeling of desperation was overwhelming. At least almost everyone got at least something.

Finally, we saw the fishing boat which Della and Don bought immediately after the Tsunami to help the villagers’ livelihoods being launched for only the second time whilst we’ve been here.

Until now, the monsoon conditions have made it to rough to fish and consequentially, the fisherman haven’t been able to earn anything for their families for about 3 weeks. We learnt later that that day’s haul netted them 1000 Rupees.

Monday 13 July

Firstly, apologies if the updates become considerably shorter over the next few days because there is so much to do in the 3 days we have left on the island. Today was very much like starting the new working week with an early start and action-packed agenda. First stop was to drop off soft toys, games and books for the Nursery school for the under-5s, many of which were part of the recent shipment. These are some of the cutest kids you ever saw and their delight at each receiving a cuddly toy was amazing. We spent time playing with them and joining in their songs which was great fun. Before leaving, the teachers pointed out that some of the kids didn’t have any shoes so we agreed we’d like to buy the 40 or so children new ones in September. This would be the first time that we will have provided them with footwear and estimate the cost will be around $350 or £200.

Next stop was the Village School where we discussed preparations for tomorrow’s sports and games day.

We also reported to the Principal the fact that we had already ordered some musical instruments for the school band and she was so delighted, she could hardly contain herself!

Then, because there is so much to do, we split up. Gav headed off into town with Udaya to get all the things needed for the event including food and drink for 150 children as well as 8 badminton racquets for the girls to play with at break. Meanwhile, Steve continued his English lessons assisted by Della with a very attentive bunch of students whose confidence has already improved dramatically. And outside, Saul and Caroline continued to teach English through interactive games, ably assisted by Jacob.

Before leaving, we were introduced to a child of 6 and her father. Sadly, the mother died 4 weeks ago in a traffic accident and both still seemed dazed by the experience. With Udaya translating, we learned that after school finished at 1330, the father had to pick her up and take her back to his workplace at a brick-making factory until he finished at around 1800. Unfortunately there is no real after-school care to speak of. We desperately wanted to help and so Udaya suggested that the girl could attend after school tutoring 3 days a week with his daughter and niece and stay at his house with them on the other 2 days. The cost of the tutoring a month...? Just 400 Rupees or £2.20, that’s about $3.50 USD. Such a small amount but it will provide her with a better education, friends and allow the father to work. We also agreed to meet the costs of her uniforms, shoes and books.

Immediately after, it was back to the hotel to tackle all of the items that recently arrived as well as the ones we brought out with us which had been donated by friends. We made up prize bags, separated items for men, women and children, filled two boxes full of educational books and pens and set aside some items for the clinic. The current plan is to hand out as much as we can after the sports event at the School and then to the villagers. But as we’ve found many times in Sri Lanka, things always take twice as long to do and rarely go according to plan!

Sunday 12 July

We got back from our travels around 7pm after a fascinating break travelling extensively within Sri Lanka. This country offers so many contrasts; we visited ancient sites where highly developed civilisations lived as far back as the 3^rd Century BC; saw the sun rise over a pure white, deserted beach; swam in warm waters; and saw elephants, monkeys and crocodiles in their natural habitat. Tourism has suffered in Sri Lanka because of the Tsunami, the civil war and global recession but with the war now over and political moves being made for reconciliation, now is a great time to visit. There is so much to see and do, the people are warm and friendly but they desperately need visitors to return to kick-start their economy. Please come and visit.

We then spent the rest of Sunday evening sorting through 14 boxes of items donated by many supporters and were astounded at the generosity and thoughtfulness of the donated items. Thanks to you all and to all those who made the shipment from New York and the UK possible.

Wednesday 8 July

A hectic day all round... First stop was the Village School where we were all able to meet with the Principal. We agreed to fund those children who weren’t able to afford a trip up country on a school outing next weekend. We also secured support from the school for the idea for an annual prize for the child that achieves the best attendance record in memory of Della and Don’s good friend, Sareth.

Next up was confirmation over the sports and games day to be held next Tuesday. Saul and Caroline gained agreement to come into school over the next few weeks to provide additional English lessons and they started in earnest later that morning. Finally, the Principal was delighted with the proposal to fund musical instruments for the school band in memory of Don’s brother, Declan, who himself was an accomplished musician. A number of people had donated money as a gift for Don’s birthday and he was sure that Declan would have wanted nothing more than giving poor children, who would never normally have the opportunity, to play music. Very kindly, the Principal agreed that it would be fitting for the children to paint a picture in the “music room” which would also bear a plaque acknowledging Declan’s legacy.

Once the formal discussions were over, Steve and Gav set to work with one of the classes of 13 year olds where we managed to cover English, Geography and Maths as well as lots of laughs. What they lacked in ability was more than made up for in enthusiasm and willingness to learn. It’s a tragedy that there is currently no English teacher. Meanwhile, Saul and Caroline got on with their group outside ably assisted by 4 year old Jacob.

Later, we headed off in search of a music shop on the main Colombo road to kick off the process of buying instruments to get the school started.

PS – No more updates until the weekend as we’re heading up country for a break and to celebrate Steve’s (Della’s son) birthday. Thanks to those who have kindly donated in lieu... check out www.friendsofdellaanddon.com if you’d like to help us carry on the work!