Dear Friends,
On December 26th, it will be 5 years since the devastating Tsunami changed our lives. We started 2009 in Sri Lanka and we had every intention of being back there now. But as many of you know, fate took a hand and Don is now recovering from the surgery he had in late September. He is improving really well and we hope to join our friends in Sri Lanka early in the New Year.
We did visit in the summer and with your help and generosity we:
- arranged the continued supply of daily meals for all the primary and nursery school children in the village
- distributed the contents of 15 boxes and 2 suitcases of donations to children at the school, people attending the clinic and the villagers
- bought new shoes for all the children
- arranged to ay for the continued education of seriously deprived children
- supplied a new uniform for every child at the school
- provided cricket bats, balls and badminton equipment for the children to use
- made arrangements for a prize of a bicycle for the child who achieves the highest attendanceat school
- took over 80 orpahned girls out for a day at the beach; their only trip outside since our last visit in December 2008
- provided English lessons to the pupis at the village school
- ordered musical instruments so that the children could learn music
- arranged weekly music lessons at the orphanage
- provided funds to support th Medical Clinic so that they can employ a doctor and buy drugs
- handed over letters to some of the orphans from pen-pals in the UK
- provided funding for the children unable to afford the fare for a school trip
- made arrangements for a girl to receive extra tuition and be looked after whilst her recently-widowed father works
- hosted a sports and games day.
Wherever you are and whomever you are with, have a wonderful time
Della & Don
