100 days have passed since December 26 and time for us to report what we have been doing as well as what we hope to achieve.
Please allow a little time to recap. Friends of the South (FoS) is an entirely volunteer association incorporated in Sri Lanka on 14 June 2004. The responsibility of management is undertaken by 7 Sri Lankan and expatriate friends living in and around Galle, Sri Lanka. The remit of FoS both before, and since Dec 26, is to contribute to 'improvement of livelihood of local people living in the South of SL'.
Pre Dec 26 we saw this remit being achieved by assisting grass roots local charities with essential funding to ensure that they were able to carry on with their excellent work. These projects included helping handicapped patients and their families with rehabilitation; vocational training for prisoners; equipping schools with essential items; and sponsoring children to attend school. These projects are on going.
Post Dec 26 we have thus far allocated your kind donations on the following:
Fishermens' Friends, as newspapers around the world have reported, the fishing industry in SL was decimated. Allocation of your funds, to date, has been Rs2,982,371.56 (approx USD30,432) and has helped the local fishing community back to work as follows:
3 new boat moulds have been made.
22 newly made boats have been handed over.
Other equipment, including fishing lines and outriggers have been handed out.
Nets are on order.
A new workshop for boat-building and engine repair is nearly complete. Many thanks to the Belgian army engineers for their great work in getting this built.
Fish market stalls are being rebuilt and new equipment (such as knives) has been provided.
High quality insulated fiberglass cool-boxes, to keep fish fresh for longer, have been given to small fish salesmen and as well as to some fishermen.
Thanks to you, our work on livelihood projects continues to expand and we have thus far allocated Rs2,948,919 (approx USD30,091) to getting people back to a starting point where they can take care of themselves. To a large extent this is all a lot of people want and you have provided funds to dozens of small businesses and individuals. Projects are always selected using local knowledge and contacts, either through local/village associations and other similar bodies or on individual recommendation. Supported projects come from all sectors including: tailoring and textile, iron working, dyeing, restaurant / food stalls / hospitality, garage / engine repair, woodwork, handicraft, communications, photography, three-wheeler/taxi, retailers, art gallery, bakery, and electrical.
We are working closely with PG05 (www.projectgalle2005.com ) in this field.
Children are often the most vulnerable sector of a community and your donations have funded a number of projects specifically for them. Allocating Rs1,538,372 (USD15,697.67) you have provided schooling materials; clothes; scholarships; as well as repairs and improvements to school buildings.
Whilst there remained some houses that were only partially damaged often the occupants were too scared to return and in any case everything had been washed away. To ease the burden of returning and to assist with restarting lives you have given 'back to home' packs consisting of cooking items; mosquito nets; table and chairs; kitchen utensils; bedding etc to over 35 families amounting to Rs525,000 (USD5,357).
You have provided essential financial support to the tune of Rs600,000 (USD6,122) to a recently-formed Sri Lankan charity, Swim Lanka. Spearheaded by Sri Lankan Olympic swimmer Julian Bolling, Swim Lanka aims to ease trauma associated with water and to teach children how to swim. Your funds will build four moveable fibre-glass pools that will be located in and around the Galle area. Coaches will be trained by Julian at his Colombo academy and will then begin their work with the children.
On behalf of the people you have helped, "Bo-ho-ma Stu-tiy" (Thank you very much.). But whilst you have given generously, and your board has worked hard to allocate responsibly, to see the flattened buildings that still line the coast road makes us realize just how much remains to be done over the coming months and years.
Please therefore copy this around and visit us at www.friendsofthesouth.org.
Going forward, FoS will be continue to allocate your donations as follows:
Fishermens' Friends
Livelihood projects
Children
Swim Lanka and other local 'grass roots' charities
Projects to help with reconstruction
Special projects – possible construction of a 'Youth & Community Centre'
Others yet to be identified.
Continued thanks to the Web of Hope who have been running an online fundraising campaign for us allowing your donation to benefit from gift aid. Please visit their site at www.thewebofhope.com, and pass on to others who might be interested.
Robert Drummond (Chairman)
Jack Eden
Nasar Hussain
Para Dias Jayasundera
Ulla Maschberger
Olivia Richli (Secretary)
Bindu Wickramasekara
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