Report of working visit from the 26th of January to the 7th of February 2025
On Sunday the 26th of January we (Elsbeth and Tanja) left for Colombo. The flight went well. Sister Amatha was waiting for us. What a wonderful reunion! She told us that it had rained a lot lately and that today was the first dry day in times. She came with their own van, and the driver is the same fellow as last year. After a half hour drive, we arrived in Kelaniya. Sister Rafaëla and Sister Anne and 3 children were waiting for us. We received flowers from the children. The other children were at school. It was such a nice reunion. After a cup of tea, we quickly went to bed, to catch a few hours’ sleep. |
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The homes:
We were welcomed very warmly in all the homes. At first the girls were a bit shy, and they only stared at us. But the ice was quickly broken, when we asked their names with gestures, and tried to repeat them. Then they all had to laugh a lot. For us, they are rather difficult names to pronounce. We also asked them their age with gestures. It was not long before they asked us to sing songs, they remembered that from last year. The best way is to sing songs with gestures that they can copy. They also sang songs for us. It was so sweet!
We had brought Domino, Memory and Ludo, coloured pencils and colouring books with mandalas with us. The children love playing games, and singing and dancing together. We also enjoy that so much. It is wonderful to see how the children play happily in the garden. They run around, and play on the swings, the slide and the seesaw. It is wonderful to see that they are so cheerful and happy. At dinner time, the children fetch their own plate from the kitchen and go to sit on their own seat. Afterwards they tidy up everything together and wash the dishes. We helped with, among other things, hanging up the laundry, tidying up, watering the plants and putting the children to bed. We also helped the oldest girls with their sewing assignment by cutting the excess threads. Rather fun, actually! With some good music in the background. We also helped with the grating of coconuts, but that is quite a hard job. We inspected the homes and to see and ask what maintenance is needed. Sister Amatha will have estimates made of the costs of the necessary repair work. She will email these to us and then we will discuss, in the board meeting, whether we can pay for it, and which repair work needs to be done first. We are of the opinion that it is rather important to keep the homes well maintained and that they are absolutely safe. We also asked if there were other necessities. Sister Amatha indicated that they need 2 laptops for the older girls in Kelaniya. |
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Birthday
We experienced the birthday of a set of twins, who had turned 8 years old. They had hung up balloons and streamers. The birthday girls put on their party hat and then we started to sing. Then they sliced the chocolate cake together. The children had made beautiful drawings and cards for them. They also received a present: a small bottle of perfume. They were really beaming. So sweet! After half an hour the party was over. What a contrast compared to the birthdays of our children and grandchildren in Holland! But they really enjoyed it so very much and that is actually what counts most. These children are satisfied and happy with so little. |
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Schools
In Kelaniya one of the new little girls was to experience for her first day at school. We brought her to school, together with one of the oldest girls. We went altogether in a tuk-tuk. It was rather exciting for her.
In Katupotha there was also a girl who was to experience for her first day at school and we were allowed to take her to school. Again, we all (Sister Giovanna, the new little girl and us) cramped into a tuk-tuk. We were warmly welcomed. First the girl’s papers were checked in the director’s office, and then we went to have a look in her classroom. Then we walked to the road with the children, and waited behind the musicians. We were invited to walk next to the director (woman). The drum band started playing and we all walked and marched to the school, where a guard of honour is formed for the new children and their parents. When we arrived in the room where the festivities were celebrated, we were offered flowers and were allowed to sit in the front row. We walked through the room and all the other girls from the home waved and smiled at us. There was a stage on which there was a small table and chair covered with white cloths for the Buddhist monk who gave a speech and blessed the children. Then we were allowed to help light the candles in the Buddhist candlestick. We felt very honoured. Then there were a few more speeches and the children performed all kinds of dances. The new children received small package of books and then we took them to their classroom, where the director cut the ribbon and the classroom was officially “opened”. The children received a plate with on it a “lump” of milk rice, a banana and a kind of doughnut, a traditional dish. We went to the teacher’s lounge and were given very sweet tea with all kinds of goodies. How special it is, to be allowed to experience this. The first school day here is celebrated quite differently from that in Kelaniya. This week was sports week at all schools. The start of the new school year. Normally they start at the beginning of January, but since corona and the economic crisis they are behind schedule with the exams and cannot start the new school year until mid-February. The school year usually runs from January to January. They hope to have caught up the backlog in 2 years’ time, so that the future school years can start in January again. |
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New children
New children are admitted to our homes through the child protection authorities. Unfortunately, there are still quite a lot of street children and single-parent families who can no longer care for their child, because they have no work and or no money. Or the parents are drug addicted, seeing no prospects in the future. That is so extremely sad!
There is a new president now, but there is so much poverty and that cannot be solved easily nor quickly. |
Excursions
We made a trip to the dam and the reservoir with a group of children and sister Giovanna. It was just like a normal school trip. The children were excited and sang all kinds of songs loudly. And we also enjoyed the beautiful nature! On a small step by the lake, we sat in the shade and drank the lemonade that the sister had brought along, and we ate the syrup waffles (stroopwafels) that we had brought from Holland. We had enough for all the children and the sisters. They actually really liked them. After a walk along the lake and the dam, we drove to the old, smaller dam over a sandy road, through the beautiful nature. Many monkeys were jumping and climbing there, which was quite entertaining. On the way back we visited the Buddhist temple near Katupotha. We were invited to have lunch with the parents of sister Giovanna. They live in a fishing village. Her father is a fisherman. We were welcomed very warmly. We enjoyed the walk to the beach and the sea. However, there are many dilapidated fishermen’s houses and quite a lot of poverty here. Sister Giovanna told us that her mother sometimes visits the children’s home and that she then cooks a meal for all the children. The children also really enjoy it when she comes. Contact between the parents of the sisters and the homes is very good. They also give fish to the homes regularly.
In Katupotha we took a walk to the lake. We walked under our umbrella, because the sun was burning rather brightly. We passed several rice fields. There is still too much water on the land after the heavy rainfall of the last few months. But nature is really very beautiful here. So many palm trees and all kinds of beautiful flowering shrubs. The people we meet are very friendly. We came across plastic sheets on the roads near the houses, on which they dry the rice. On the way back we saw a man “cutting” coconuts out of a tree. With a very long bamboo stick with a crooked knife attached to the point. Everyone wants to talk to us. Some can speak a few words of English. But otherwise, we use gestures, and that also works. |
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Problems
There are animals that crawl under the roof tiles, a kind of weasel, a so-called Asian palm civet. They gnaw on the wooden beams. They also regularly drop smelly urine on the floor. Nobody knows how to get rid of these animals. Buddhist law prohibits killing them. There are also too many small palm squirrels, that eat the young fruits of the coconut trees, so that they cannot form coconuts. The last months of last year and in January of this year, it rained quite a lot and therefore many harvests were destroyed. |
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