From boy to man

Wishwa first came to the school in early 2011. You can read his story in our blog. We paid for extra tuition and he has now passed his O Levels and is determined to go on with his studies.

This is his extraordinary letter to FODAD:

Mrs. della, Mr don and  their friends

   you have helped me  around 3 year's for my education. you gave me money for extra classes. you have donated us school uniforms,shoes anually and you have donated us food daily. you provided us facilities to learn at school.  i dont know how to thank you for all these i have no words to thank. when we had money and when we had our own buisness, there were lot of friends of my father but after the fall down of  our  buisness there were no one with us. you came like a god and helped me and when i had no money to buy school uniform you  gave me . i can't forget all those and i will never forget it till i live...

And now my ordinary level results has come out with the bless of god and the help of you  now i have the chance to sit at advance level class. i chosed business studies,economics,accounts and english language  as my A/L subjects and the 6th of may i started my extra classes with the help of my father and mother. At that day my father advised me saying that " i and your mother  will give you money in anyway even without eating and he said say bye to your friends say bye to your mistakes and forget your past . go to the temple go to the chruch worship to lord buddha take the bless of jesus,god mother worship your mother. keep your foot forward never backdown make your ambition to go to the university and come out with the degree.. " that was  the first time i saw tears in my father eye's my parents told me take  us out from this hell.    

I will do it . now my ambition is only takeing high marks at A/L and  try to go to the university.. here after i will never give cry to my parents. thats my promise to my parents, god

MR don & MRS della again and again thank you very much for all your donataions i will never forget you guys still i die

School Trip

Just before we left Sri Lanka on our last trip, we provided funding for the school to go on an educational trip to Kandy. Starting at 06:00, it was a long day as they wanted to pack so much into it and see as much of their country as they could. Looks like it was very worthwhile as well as a lot of fun.  And the cost to FODAD? Just £2 per student, and a great example of how a little can go a long way.

My personal highlight...

I've been back from Sri Lanka for less than a week but have had time to reflect on our brief trip.   Even in the short period of time we were there, we crammed a lot in and there were many highlights which underlined the difference that FODAD is making to so many lives.  Taking the orphaned girls out for a day seems insignificant but it reminded me that we shouldn't underestimate what it means to them; looking round the school and seeing kids working on laptops or playing in the band is inspiring; and understanding the reach of the medical clinic and the number of beneficiaries continues to amaze.

But there was one particular highlight for me which is at the route of one our key aims - giving people access to learn English to improve their prospects.

At the end of 2013 we identified someone who was willing to come into the school and teach English to the kids. He started in January so I was keen to meet him and see him in action.  So on our last day, this young man turned up at the school after lessons had ended. I was amazed at the number of kids that had stayed behind especially for his 2 hour lesson and the rapport he had with them.  No one was forcing them to stay behind but there were almost 40 in his class, all hanging on his every word.

After-school lessons

The next day he turned up at the village on Saturday morning and did another 2 hour stint for around 30 children from the village in a small, cramped, hut.  So keen were the kids to attend that apparently, two brought chairs from their home at 07:30 in order to guarantee a space for the lesson which started 2 hours later. 

Teaching in the Village

This really marks the fulfilment of a dream and offers a step change in the opportunities we can provide the youngsters in the village. A tutor full of enthusiasm and enthralled children was an amazing experience to witness.  I don't think it's exagerating to suggest that this one guy could have such an impact of the the kids' lives and that he offers so many the best hope they have for the future. It costs us quite a lot, but given the number of people whose lives could be affected, he offers remarkable value as well as hope.

To me FODAD has been about making a difference and I've always said if one life is changed, then it's job done. But along with the other improvements at the school, the take up of medical facilities at the clinic and the joy and happiness of the orphans, the English tutor, and FODAD is making a massive difference to so many. 

Gav

Week 4 in Sri Lanka

The week did not start well!  We had expected Steve and Gav to arrive on Sunday at about 4pm ready to start work on Monday morning but due to a delayed flight out of Birmingham, they missed their connection in Dubai and we did not see them until late Monday afternoon having spent 24 hours in transit.  Really disappointing!

On Tuesday morning, Steve and Gav visited the school and gave them 2 laptops which had been kindly donated by Cleeve School in Cheltenham and joy of joy – a trumpet!    We finalised our preparations for “Fun Day" which is fiercely competitive and made arrangements for the visit to the beach from the children’s home the next day.

The Principal is presented with new laptops and a trumpet

Asika the Bandmaster gets to grips with the trumpet

Wednesday morning was Fun Day.  Della and Don’s team were “The Sharks” Steve’s the” Lanka Lions” and Gav’s "Scooby Doo".   Della made a mess of unfurling the Union Flag but after that hitch, the games were underway. The Sharks were well into the lead in no time.  They won the “lime and spoon-race” easily and did well enough in the sack –race, bottle filling, musical chairs and balloon dancing to win medals for the first time ever!   We think they were given the strongest team out of pity.  Gav’s support for his team reached new levels of devotion especially in the heat of Sri Lanka.

A slight technical hitch!

Special guest appearance from Scooby Doo

The victorious Sharks

Della and Don with winners' medals

Our friends Beryl and Bernard had turned up at the school earlier with a brand new sewing machine. The Home Science teacher was thrilled and we look forward to the kids being able to sew their own uniforms in no time at all!

Presenting a new sewing machine

Late that afternoon we entertained 22 children from a children’s home inland.  Some of them had never seen the sea.    Each of the children has a seriously tragic story and to be able to have such fun with them was magical.  They also enjoyed soft drinks and sea-food fried rice at a local beach restaurant.

Enjoying the sea for the first time

Last shot before enjoying a meal

Thursday was the long-awaited day out with the girls from the orphanage.  The bus turned up sharp at 9am and the girls had decorated it beautifully.  They sang all the way to Bentota where we played a few games before having lunch and then going down to the sea.  They were really impatient to get down there and when I told them they would have to “learn to be patient” they said that they had waited patiently for a year.  Well, you cannot argue with that!  They had such fun.  Sadly it was time to leave all too quickly.  They presented us with beautiful mugs they had decorated for us and then sang all the way home.  Such lovely girls!  We were so sad to say goodbye and this year more than ever, we realised just how much this day out means to the girls.

The Orphanage girls perform before hitting the beach

On Friday morning, Steve, Della and Don went to the clinic which we support.  We were thrilled that we could assure them that we would be able to fund them through the coming year.  They do an amazing job.   We pay for the drugs and the administration but the doctors give their time totally free.  Through the same group we sponsor 18 children’s education they are all doing well.

From there we went straight to the school.  Eight of the children had been entered for an environmental workshop.  Two of the children had come first and second in our district and are going forward for awards from the President of Sri Lanka.  We had provided the caps and uniforms that they will need for the occasion and were very proud to present them.

Presenting caps for environmental awards

 Friday Afternoon saw the 8th Cricket Match on the beach between Udaya’s team and Lahiru’s team.  We watched drinking tea and eating cake.  Udaya’s team won and Della presented the cup to the proud captain before the fishermen launched their boats to fish all night.

Presenting the trophy

Launching the boat

Almost the end of a frenetic but incredibly worthwhile month!

Week Three in Sri Lanka

The Sarath de Mel Memorial Day dominated the third week of our trip to Sri Lanka.    Sarath de Mel was, until he tragically passed away in early 2007, our greatest friend in Sri Lanka.  We were with him on the day of the 2004 Tsunami and it was through him that we started most of our projects.   He helped us buy our first boat, and from then on managed everything on the ground for us.

When he passed away far too young , we decided that we would have an annual day at the school in his honour.  We chose February 15^th, his birthday.

Each year, we give certificates of achievement to the children at the school as well as new uniforms and shoes. The new prefects are given their jackets and the class monitors, and head boy and head girl are appointed.    It is a very special day for the school.  This year on February 18^th we were accompanied by Bernard and Beryl Brown, long time visitors to Sri Lanka, our good friend David Hoole and Kiran and Sanjeev from London. 

Don pinning a prefect's badge to a brand new jacket

Shehan and his mother Lynette handing out the shoes

There were several speeches including one from Sarath’s son Shehan   He was accompanied at the school by his Mother. . Lynette.  We were also lucky because a waiter at our hotel was an old boy from the school and he was able to tell the children how important education had been in enabling him to find a job.

Certificates of Achievement

An enormous amount of work goes into making this day a success.  The children have to be measured for their uniforms and shoes, certificates have to be printed, prizes bought and then each shoe box and uniform pack labelled with the individual children’s names.  Somehow it all works out.

On the morning of that day, we had visited the children’s nursery where we also distribute shoes.

  

The Nursery School children with their new shoes

The next day we went to visit the nursery school in the jungle which is run by a Buddhist Monk.  He splits his time between our local temple and his original village where the nursery is situated. We gave out more shoes and watched the children perform for us before they played in the playground which had been renovated with money from our great friend Toby Green and his boys.

The new playground

New shoes for the new intake of pupils

The Jungle Nursery

David, Sanjay and Kiran had all left us by the end of the week. More to come with the long awaited arrival of Steve and Gav!

Kiran and Sanjeev's guest blog

We are Kiran and Sanjeev.

Having taken a year out of our lives back home in the UK to discover the world, we are now in Sri Lanka.  We have experienced so much in the several months of travelling and now an opportunity has arisen to stop, reflect and contribute a little.

We've been lucky to meet Della and Don, whose story of surviving a Tsunami in Sri Lanka and then returning every year for the past decade to help the people devastated by the natural disaster, has been nothing short of a humbling experience. Kiran having heard so much about Della and Don through working with Della's brother, was keen to find out first hand what the charity does.  We were also extremely keen to learn about the different projects and to get involved in whatever which way was needed.
During our time here so far we spent a day visiting some of the many projects that Della and Don support.  We ended up at the village school which is attended by children from poor backgrounds, including those living by the railway.  Although these children don't have much in terms of material worth, they appeared to be happy and had a healthy appetite to learn. This was evident when we started to play interactive games with them teaching them about 'opposites', the class grew from six to a crowd!  

Thanks to the charity, these children now have uniforms, shoes and a lunch provided for.  A few of the children even came in on Saturday to help paint their school furniture, some of which has seen better days. Children from the UK could learn a thing or three from them! 

Some teachers are funded through the charity and some by the government. We witnessed first hand English being taught by a teacher funded by the charity. He attends once a week to teach ALL the children English, in one sitting all together. We were amazed at how attentive, engrossed and engaged these children were, again reinforcing their appetite to learn.

The Principal has been witness to these very children attending school hungry and in dirty clothes, some without shoes, and some in flip flops. She'd always wished for better for these children, and in her very own words she conveyed how 'Della and Don have been a god send to these children', providing them with opportunity and hope.

Although only having experienced a snippet of this charities work, it has left us feeling humbled and honoured to have had the privilege to be a part of this community for even a short time. 

Our second week in Sri Lanka

 

On Sunday February 9th David Hoole arrived in Sri Lanka for 10 days.  He has been a generous contributor to FODAD taking part in several sporting events to raise money.  

We introduced David to the school first thing on Monday morning, and after watching the children who had played in the band and performed in the National Day Parade proudly receiving their certificates of participation, he went to “inspect” the toilets and the shower s which had been built through FODAD with the proceeds of his efforts.

We then bundled him into a van and took him to the children’s home where we have sponsored two boys.   They used to live in our village. Much to our amazement David even played cricket which was a first for him. The two boys were so pleased to see us and insisted on having their photos taken with me (Della).

On Tuesday, after visiting the school in the morning, we distributed the clothes and shoes we had brought from England for the fishing village.  The parents were thrilled with the children’s clothes – so thanks everyone and please keep them coming!

On Wednesday, we took the Galle Road down South to see the women for whom we have now bought 3 sewing machines.  We were thrilled that nowadays they have a little tailoring shop. Each of the machines is supporting at least eight extended families.  A real success story! They gave me a beautiful sari but I am sure I will never learn how to wear it.   

We left there and went to show David the memorial to the 1270 Tsunami victims who were killed on a train and in the adjoining village.    It is a beautiful work of art and very moving.

On Thursday we had a wonderful morning at the orphanage in Colombo.  The girls had organized a show which was both touching and hilarious in equal measure.   There was a new girl from Jaffna who danced like a star from a Bollywood movie.  She was very small and full of expression.  We all got up and danced afterwards - I doubt that she was very impressed.     On our last week here we will be taking them for a day out.  They are really looking forward to it.

Friday was Poya – full moon day – which is always a public holiday in Sri Lanka though we did briefly visit the clinic we support in the morning.     The February holiday is very special and involves parades of dancers and elephants through Colombo.

The week finished with a wonderful “Big Girl Party”.  Throughout Sri Lanka huge parties are thrown when a girl starts to menstruate.  An astrologer will determine the most propitious date for the celebrations.  Udaya is the fisherman who does almost everything for FODAD in Sri Lanka. His daughter’s party was on February 15th.  It was a wonderful celebration. Held on the beach with an almost full moon, it was just like a wedding.  Everyone was dressed up, the food was wonderful and we danced the night away underneath the stars on the sand.