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Revision of: Thu, December 6, 2007 |
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Did your $30 make a difference? Just off the southern tip of India, Sri Lanka is an island with a population of nineteen million whose coastline was changed forever by a tsunami at the end of 2005. Sleeping Children Around The World [Sleeping Children] has chosen to distribute bedkits there because it meets our criteria with an annual per capita income of less then $2,000 US. As you can see from the chart below, only 10% of the population makes more.
Poverty remains a challenge in Sri Lanka. The economy grew at a healthy rate over the past decade, but it failed to benefit the poor: 23% of people still live under the national poverty line. Inequality between urban and rural areas has also been widening with residents in rural/remote areas being left out of benefits from economic development.
The World Bank also charted the food consumed on a daily basis. The consumption of the poorest 20% is 27 rupees ($.30 CAD), while that of the richest 20% is almost 50 times more. Although we did not see starving children, many do not receive adequate nourishment. Nutrition experts warn that malnutrition at infancy can stunt a child's ability to learn. Children malnourished up to the age of two years develop deficiencies that eating properly in later years cannot reverse. As a result, these children are less able to learn when they enter school.
Most of the parents of these children work on tea plantations and in rice fields, or at jobs like tuk-tuk drivers and fisherman. They work twelve-hour days to make enough money to feed their family. Your $30 is more than a month's wages for these workers. The parents told us that the most appreciated item in the bedkit was the mosquito net. We are now home with a renewed appreciation for all we have and the hopes that we will stop complaining about nothing compared to what these children and their families live with every day of their lives. So, do you think your $30 made a difference in the lives of these children and their families? Absolutely.  Warm Welcomes
A Sleeping Children bedkit distribution is a much anticipated community event. To go along with such an auspicious event, a welcome ceremony is the order of the day. At many distribution sites children presented us with stacks of betel leaves, a traditional Sri Lankan welcome gift, and leis of fragrant flowers. Some children knelt to touch our feet as a sign of respect. We responded with a "Bless you" to the child. There were also handshakes with the teachers, the local Rotary Club members, and other dignitaries.
Sometimes a school band or a troop of colourful dancers led the way into an assembly room. Traditional music groups played horns and drums. Kandyan dancers wore bright red and white costumes, with ankle bells and decorative chain metal breastplates. Some bands looked and sounded more like Scottish highland bands, the bagpipes replaced with wind instruments. Some kids wore tall cone-shaped hats and walked on stilts. We knew they had been practicing for many days. The most important part of a welcoming ceremony was the lighting of a traditional oil lamp. Most were brass, multi-tiered lamps over five feet tall with a rooster on top draped with garlands of tiny flowers. Temple flowers decorated the base. Some lamps had as many as sixteen wicks which enabled many people to participate in the ceremony. It was a meaningful ritual that unified us all and brought light on the occasion. At some ceremonies a Buddhist monk led a prayer. Some included a flag-raising. At one site, flowers were folded into the flag so that when the flag was unfurled the petals floated out. The children then sang the beautiful Sri Lankan national anthem to which we responded with "O Canada."
And of course there were speeches. The president of the Bandarawela Rotary Club said in his speech, "Children are the soul of the country. You have helped them in this noble project." The son of Sri Lanka's Prime Minister talked about how a good night's sleep will help children live better. All-in-all we were welcomed graciously, with tradition and sincerity. We accepted these greetings on behalf of you, the donors, and gave your greetings to the children and their communities. At the end of one distribution, a child thanked us with these words, "The smiles on the faces of the children, parents, and teachers are witnesses of your great deeds." And indeed we saw these smiles. It is our great honour to pass these smiles on to you. Travelling in Sri Lanka This was my first Sleeping Children distribution and my first time to Sri Lanka. Both lived up to all expectations. Despite being limited by some security issues in the far North and East we covered a great deal of the country to deliver bedkits. This was so the children would not have to travel long distances to the bigger centres. Our trip from the mountain town of Ella to Colombo took almost eight hours to travel 205 kilometers. We travelled as far north as Puttalam on the north-east coast, as far south as the Tsunami-affected area of Hambantota, and everywhere in between. The Sri Lankan countryside is diverse and spectacular. Driving an average of five hours per day, we saw a great deal of it. Although the island is geographically small, we passed through many climates, including tropical beaches, tea-filled mountains, and dry desert regions.
The narrow roads add another element of excitement. Having no clearly defined middle line they're shared by pretty much everything imaginable: pedestrians, cyclists, animals, cars, trucks, and many unfamiliar vehicles such as three-wheeled tuk-tuks and 'iron buffalos' as pictured at left. A few times a transport truck was approaching us while we were in one of two vehicles driving beside each other around a sharp corner. But not to worry -- nothing a little horn honking and braking couldn't solve. Drivers in Sri Lanka are in constant vehicular horn conversation. Our driver and assistant were fantastic and, despite the excitement, they managed to transport our group of eighteen without incident.
Distribution sites included schools, Buddhist temples, churches, community halls and old cricket stadiums. The kids and families often walked many kilometers to these locations. Transportation for the children was relatively safe, but we had a scare in the North at the Puttalam distribution. Many of the children at this distribution were ethnically Tamil and came from the LTTE (Tamil Tiger) controlled areas that were close by. It was getting late in the day and we were told it would be very dangerous for these children to travel at night, even with adults, due to the risk of kidnapping by the LTTE and being forced to be child soldiers. Fortunately, we were able to accelerate the distribution, successfully hand out the bedkits, and get these children and families home safely before dark. It is startling to think about these everyday safety issues that we don't have to worry about in Canada. Although I've travelled quite a bit, this trip was different. I really enjoyed the hands-on experience of seeing the bedkits reach the children and spending some time with them and their families. I shook more hands, gave more high fives, and saw more smiles in two weeks than I have in a long time. I am touched by how people can be happy, no matter what they have. This was very evident in Sri Lanka. The smiles of the children and beauty of the country have left a lasting impression. For the Children Five thousand more of Murray's children are getting a better night's sleep thanks to your donations. These children share many things with children from other parts of the world. They go to school like ours do and they have dreams and hopes like ours do.
But two things that set these children apart are certain inherent dangers of living in Sri Lanka and their level of poverty. Often the children wore nothing on their feet. Some children wore flip-flops. Shoes were either too large, too small, or tattered and torn. Regardless of the state of their footwear, the sparkles in their eyes, and the smiles on their faces communicated a thousand thank you's. During our distribution in Ratnapura, I met nine-year-old Yeshini Chamodhi. She collects feathers, stickers and local stamps -- she currently has five. Yeshini gets up at 6 am to get ready for school. It takes her about half an hour to walk to school, which starts at 7:30 am. For her, school finishes at 1 pm. I also met a nine-year-old Tamil boy named Ramson. He did not give a last name and some of the translations were a bit difficult because his Sinhalese, one of the languages spoken in Sri Lanka, was learned by playing with his friends. His mother worked on an estate to support her family. He helped her by carrying water, and husking coconuts, which is a very difficult job. His bedkit was probably the first new thing he had ever received. Ramson enjoys playing cricket. To his friends in Canada he says, "Isthuthi," (pronounced ish-THEW-tee) meaning "Thank you."
At our first distribution I met Indika Ushan Kumara, the youngest in a family of seven. His mother was left to look after all the children after the father had committed suicide. For Indika, this bedkit provided a more peaceful sleep. Other recipients had suffered from polio, railway accidents, and birth defects. These children's lives have been made better because of our ability to distribute your generous gifts of the bedkits. It was difficult to leave behind the children of Sri Lanka. The ear-to-ear smiles and the isthuthi's; the sparkles in the children's eyes and the handshakes; and the fear and apprehension of some as they carried their bedkits away spoke to us volumes of appreciation. To use Yeshini Chambodhi's words, "Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart." 
The People of Sri Lanka The Sleeping Children team found the people of Sri Lanka to be warm, kind, and very gracious. Not only the Rotarians of Kelenyia who assisted with the distributions but also other people we met -- taxi drivers, waiters, shop owners, teachers -- wanted to be sure that all of our needs were met. The three main religions of Sri Lanka are Buddhism, Hindu, and Roman Catholic. We encountered all three religions among our Rotarians and within the schools of our distribution sites.
Strict Buddhists abstain from alcohol and meat and practice meditation both at home and at their temples which are liberally scattered about the country. They want to achieve a level of inner peace and practise "loving kindness" in all their daily activities. Five times a day the lyrical call to worship rings in the air throughout the country. Families often encourage male children to become a monk, so they can be educated, fed, and clothed during their teenage years. Final affirmation takes place when they are twenty. The adult Buddhist monks we met were shy by nature and would take an observer role at a distribution. They offered a prayer during the opening ceremony but did not engage in conversation. The two young boys at left were quite fascinated by white Canadians. Ten and twelve years old, they are studying to be monks.
Many male Hindus, including children, wear a white cap on their head. Each religion had small talismans -- sometimes worn as a short necklace. A young couple living in Columbo told us that, as Buddhists, they believe that males and females are created equal but this view is not shared by all. Many couples with grown children had been married through an arrangement made by their parents. Slowly the thought of choosing one's own spouse is becoming acceptable. The thought of separation or divorce is not even acknowledged. Women in middle and upper classes may work outside the home but the running of the house and child rearing is still a female responsibility and, despite Bhuddist beliefs, family units still appear to be male dominated. Poor families face other problems. It is not uncommon for a man to drink excessively and return home with little money for food. Even if he becomes violent with his wife and children, a woman would never leave her husband. She encourages her children to become educated to break the poverty cycle. Sri Lanka's strict child labour laws mean a child must be eighteen before being allowed to work. Education, including college and university is free for all.
Women of all walks of life wear the traditional sari lower wrap, matching short blouse, and the sari drape. Made of nylon, cotton, or silk, saris are usually adorned with hand-beaded accents and come in beautiful vibrant colours. The salwar kameez dress of baggy pants and long tunic top with the drape or scarf is the optional traditional dress for women. In professional settings, most men and a few women wear "western" clothes. Young girls at school wear government-issued white uniforms, their long hair tied in two black braids with ribbons at the end. All boys were given a sarong in the bedkit. They usually wear shorts during the day and the sarong as pyjamas or leisure wear. Shop keepers, pluckers of tea and vegetables, construction workers, tuk-tuk drivers, and innkeepers all wear sarongs with a button down shirt or bare-chested depending on the work. Foot attire varies from flat sandals and flip-flops to bare feet for both men and women. Many have heavy calluses and sores on the soles of their feet and toes from years of going barefoot. The people of Sri Lanka are happy, with quick smiles, warm greetings, and wonderful hospitality, They enjoy their surroundings and they enjoy each other. We would be wise to follow their calm peaceful approach to the world around us. Our OVO in Sri Lanka Many years ago, Murray Dryden met members of the Inner Wheel, wives of Rotarians, at an overseas conference and set up a partnership for several distributions.
Varuni Cabral, daughter of the original organizer, championed the reinstatement of Sri Lanka distributions a few years ago through our Overseas Volunteer Organization [OVO], the Rotary Club of Kelaniya, of which she is a member. Varuni was also one of the six Rotarians who travelled with the Sleeping Children team in our eighteen-passenger van to each distribution. She is a gracious, quiet and knowedgeable resource whom everyone respects. When Varuni spoke, everyone listened. Varuni's sister-in-law provided space in her large house to collect the bedkit items and assemble them. The Rotary Club of Kelaniya, under the leadership of Rajan Dharmarajan, was able to partner with seventeen other Rotary Clubs who were trained in the selection of children according to Sleeping Children guidelines: those who would benefit the most, from a variety of beliefs and cultures, between the ages of six and twelve, with an equal number of girls and boys. This year's recipients were approximately 30% Tamil and 70% Sinhalese. Each child was given a numbered label or ticket matching a master list at each distribution. No label or ticket would mean no entry. This dedicated group of Rotarians, women and men, fulfilled their obligations admirably: they introduced us at each site, provided crowd control and order, prepared the children for their photos and perhaps most importantly acted as translators. Their assistance was immeasurable.
The Rotary Club of Kelaniya and their seventeen Rotary partners, like the Moratuwa club pictured here, have been good stewards of your gift. A major duty of the Overseas Volunteer Organization (OVO) is to source the items for the bedkits. Our friends from Rotary Kelaniya have done a superb job as you can read below:
A sincere and heartfelt "Thank you" from all Canadian team members. We could not we have done it without you.
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