This is what we started with!
This is the house which is the main hub of the convent and the orphanage and the school.
These are the buildings which house the teaching area for the children. Children come from 3 pm and some of them will not go home even at 8 pm!!
Teaching areas!
Sometime ago, I mentioned that I am involved in helping to set up a center in Vattakandal in the Adampan area (North East Sri Lanka). The area was totally devastated by the war and as usual loss of life and property has been extremely high. This area was a very rich agricultural area and families are used to paddy cultivation, chillies, onion, and vegetable cultivation. Hopefully with the cessation of the war all this will also begin.
Education has been on the back burner for quite a while as survival was the more important thing at the time! Now there is a huge need for these children to catch up with the rest of Sri Lanka and boy are they keen. The medium of instruction is Tamil and fortunately books are available in plenty in this language. The problem is to get it across!!!
There are 3 nuns based in this little convent and they help out with extra classes to supplement the school programme. The classes are concentrating on English language, Tamil language, Maths and what we call Social Studies which is actually a combination of History, Geography and a bit of Civics. We are now well established with the classes and children and parents are fully supportive of this.
We have just commenced providing accommodation for 15 children who have lost either a single parent or both parents due to the war and who need help in the form of a proper home. This is just at the initial stage and we hope that this too will grow. There is no electricity from the main grid or water available but we have found people who have helped to pay for a generator as well as water pumps so that this basic need is now attended to.
This is just part of the work I do and I do hope those who read this blog will like this post! I know its different from my usual book blogging posts but something I hope that will be of interest to readers.
Wonderful post. God bless you and all who are working to provide comfort to those in need.
ReplyDeleteexcellent work done in difficult circumstances. the effort is to be admired.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited for you and the children! What wonderful work to do!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I found your blog. I've seen your blogroll at the top but never scrolled down far enough to see that you actually blogged too. I just became a follower!