Tuesday 7 July

This morning we were collected early and headed off to the Girls’ orphanage on the outskirts of Colombo. This is a project which has been supported for just over 4 years and where we provide English tutoring, non-academic studies such as sewing and dress-making and of course the occasional day out! The girls were delighted to see us again and welcomed us with a performance of their recently formed band. Given the fact that they had only started within the past month, their ability was astonishing.

Inside, we met with the Head Mistress and members of the Governing committee and were treated to a number of songs, dances and recitals by the orphans. Given the tragic circumstances that many of the girls have experienced to end up in the orphanage, it is a credit to the love and care from the staff that the girls are so seemingly happy, continually smiling and very well educated.

Many supporters of the Project sponsor the children on an individual basis; the only additional thing they sought our help with is to fund a music teacher for 2 hours a week costing $20 per month. This may seem a very small sum to us but the amount of joy it will bring, is immeasurable.

Della also took the opportunity to handover letters from pen friends at the Perse School in Cambridge who have been such strong supporters of the girls.

The visit was really uplifting and our thanks go to all those who have and continue to contribute towards the education and well-being of the girls.

Monday 6th July

Today is a Poya day which marks the New Moon and is a significant event for Buddhists. As a result, all shops, schools and business are closed for the day making things tricky to do anything on the ground. So all attention turned to the beach cricket match we had arranged with the villagers. Lords may have hosted the recent Twenty-Twenty World Cup but Ratmalana was hosting its very own Ten-ty Ten-ty cricket match. And there was a score to be settled too, as Udaya and his team which included Don, narrowly beat Steve and Gav’s team in the inaugural match on New Year’s Day.




The earlier heavy rain had given way to overcast skies but the pitch (sand) was looking in good condition, as many from the village had cleared the beach of debris. We mustered 9 a-side with a good mix of ages and abilities; Steve and Udaya captained and a crowd began to gather.

To be honest, neither captain delivered an outstanding performance and instead, honours go to Saul on his debut, who made a fantastic catch in the slips, and to Gav who manfully ended his innings “not out” having run like a greyhound, churning up the “pitch” before the opposition batted!


In the end, Steve’s team secured a momentous victory by 40 runs and took the trophy which was officially presented to the winning team by Della. We hope to have a re-match on our next visit.

All in all a lot of fun but also a great lesson in how a simple sports game can bring people together despite their religion, caste and nationality.

After the match two other issues arose; in a similar way that seven-month old Sophie attracts the attentions of all the locals wherever she goes, Della became a beacon for every mosquito in the area and got bitten over 30 times causing much irritation, literally. The other problem concerns the status of the shipment of donated items sent from the UK which now appear to be stuck at Colombo customs. Tony and his team at Macmillan back home have been making numerous calls to try and free the consignment but so far to no avail. Hopefully, we’ll make some progress soon as we’re keen to get the contents to the people who need them as quickly as possible.

Sunday 5th July

A day with a difference... no formal appointments so apart from walk around the local market – an assault on the senses if ever there was one – we spent the day relaxing.

Saturday 4th July

It’s the weekend so today was largely a more relaxed affair which was just as well as Gav had fallen victim to a 24hr virus. But the magic potion that is Lem-Sip proved he hadn’t succumbed to Dengue Fever. What we did achieve was agreement from the family of the late Sareth de Mel to present a yearly award to a child at the Village School. At dinner at their house, the family suggested their father had believed that education was crucial so we will set up an annual award for the child that reaches the highest level of attendance. Their name will be added to a plaque in the school and they will receive a gift.

Friday 3rd July

This morning saw us visit the medical clinic that we’ve been supporting for 4 years and is the one which is probably the least known project or gets less exposure than some of our other projects simply because of it having less visual impact. But if it were considered purely on the tangible benefits that the project is delivering and the real change this is making to lives of ordinary people, this would probably headline as a major success story.

For one, it is extremely well run by a team of dedicated individuals and we started by going through the accounts so that we could see, line by line just how and where the donations were being spent: providing medicines for the clinic, paying for a doctor and also helping out genuine families who had fallen on hard times through no fault of their own but were keen to seek assistance in ensuring their children received support or assistance for education.

We were briefed on two particular success stories which had happened solely down to the donations from the Friends of Della and Don fund. In one case, a young boy had suffered from a growth hormone deficiency; we have paid for the drugs necessary and the boy is now of normal height which has boosted his confidence and as a result he achieved mostly grade A O-levels and is now working hard on his A Levels. His father was there to thanks us for the opportunity we had given his son.

As well as providing a doctor and drugs for the clinic – which is attended by about 80 people per day - we’re helping 10 similar cases, some of whom we hope to feature on the website in the future. Their stories might be heart-breaking but the difference being made to their lives is heart warming.

After we left the clinic, Steve and Gav visited the local Village school again where we were able to meet with the Principal. We now have agreement to hold a fun sports day for all the pupils on Tue 14 July involving various games and race such as the egg and spoon race. They seemed very keen on the idea and it’s something we’re all looking forward to.

We also had the chance to chat directly to some of the boys in the school and start off with a few conversational sessions in English. There is a lot to do to improve the basic skill levels but some pupils show real promise.

As we headed back to reconvene at the Beach Bar, our route took us through the edge of the village next to the main Colombo – Galle railway track. It’s easy for us to forget just what a struggle it still is for so many people here and understanding the squalid, basic existence they still have.

Thursday 2 July

This morning was a trip to the Ratmalana Village School where many of the fishermen from the village send their children. The main purpose was to distribute new school uniforms for every single child and which we have to thank the Village School in Hampstead for helping make possible. As we arrived, the children presented us with floral garlands and had lined up along the driveway, almost in a guard of honour which was very touching. The heat and humidity was building so we were quickly ushered into the main school assembly hall which also doubles as a classroom. The deputy Principal conducted proceedings and it took all his authority to keep the excited children in order. Then, we were invited up to the stage to hand out the shorts, shirts, blouses and skirts to the children as their names were read out. All beamed with pride as they came up to receive their uniform. Sadly, one girl was called up only to find that there wasn’t a uniform for her so had to retreat empty-handed. As I looked back, I saw her desperately trying to stop the tears rolling down her face and her lip quivering. A quick tip-off to Udaya who spoke to the deputy head quickly resulted in her being called back up and presented with a new uniform and her smile alone has probably made the whole trip worthwhile.

We also presented brand new cricket bats and balls and during break-time, there were 3 different cricket matches taking place which even included a girls match.

After, we watched as the daily meal was handed out to all the children and were then invited to meet with some members of staff and the vice-principal. We chatted about how we might help the school further and Saul, Caroline and Steve are going back to help with English lessons next week. One of the teachers was very keen to seek our help in providing the school uniforms for a band (school bands seem to be very prestigious in Sri Lanka). We agreed that if the Government funded the musical instruments, we would look to see if we could raise the money to buy the uniforms.

After school ended (in Sri Lanka the school day runs from 0730-1330), we all met up to discuss amongst ourselves how we might continue to provide assistance and think of different ways to help. We have been invited to go to the school at anytime and will chat to the children and teachers to hear their ideas.

Wednesday 1 July

It’s almost impossible to believe that it’s been just over 6 months since we met the girls from the orphanage and even harer to believe that they wouldn’t have left the confines of their home since that trip. But today we had the pleasure of taking them to beach again.

As usual, the trip started in typical, noisy fashion with all of them singing, clapping and beaming for the entire 3 hour journey despite being crammed into every available space. As we travelled down the coast Mrs Mohammed, the Principal, revealed that the girls had been so excited at the prospect of the day out, they weren’t able to sleep and were still giggling at 0130 that morning! She also told us about two new girls who had joined the orphanage in the last month. Both were only 5 years old and had been rescued from a house where apparently they had been enslaved by their “owners” . Both were still visibly shaken but were clearly being looked after by the older girls.

At the beach, the day kicked off with songs, dancing and games and the pictures show us joining in the fun and Steve monkeying around! But before long, the lure of the sea proved too much we and about 85 girls all rushed into the ocean. Given the dire weather so far, we were so lucky that the sun had been shining all day.

After an hour or so, the sky turned black and the heavens opened so we started the journey back, stopping at another beach after the weather had cleared. We were presented with gifts which was very humbling and had another chance to thank the girls and staff for making our trip so enjoyable. We’ve now decided to visit the Orphange next week to show them the many photos we took and also to hear their newly formed band play.