Wednesday 27 July 2011

Slumdogs Revisited

We actually came upon the "street children project" by chance when in September we visited our old friend and originator of so many of our original projects.   Father Mahendra had been the man behind our clinic in Ratmalana and before he moved to the other side of Columbo had become a great friend. 

He started a school for street children (slumdogs) last year on the premises of his Church and we visited him again in February of this year with the promise of funding daily meals for the children. We were overwhelmed when we saw them today. They still look poor and dirty but they also look healthy and smiled all the time.  They are shown such love by their teachers that for the first time in their lives they have learned to accept it and return it.

They were so excited when our friend Lucy gave them the cricket bats she had brought with and Father Mahendra was most amused as they are better than the bats the other school children have.  They sat quietly at their desks waiting for their meal and were even entrusted with raffle tickets to sell for their new school building.  They are still illiterate but are trying to learn and next week will go on their first trip outside their slum to a couple of heritage sites.  If ever we needed proof that what FODAD does really makes a difference, this is it!




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