News Update 17

30 Jun 2005

News Update 17 - 29 June 2005

www.friendsofunawatuna.org.uk

Update in Unawatuna

Laura Dunham and Kate Posner have taken a trip to India to both have a chance for some rest, but primarily to renew their visas, so they can continue to be integral to the efforts of Friends of Unawatuna on the ground, helped of course by Sam: driver, translator, bodyguard, etc etc. Two of the trustees, Claire & Jamie Wilkinson visited Unawatuna, self-funded, to take a look at how the work was progressing across the area.

There are now more restaurants and guesthouses open, sun beds on the beach and people enjoying the sea once more. The beach sellers are out again and there’s always an opportunity to buy jewellery from Mike (who’s still doing his dog bite trick!), clothing, wood sculptures etc.

The shape of the beach has changed: it appears that sand is being  washed from the west end of the beach, (the Submarine and Kingfisher end) and is being deposited at the east end (Banana Garden, Peacock end). The creek at the west end that became a deep chasm immediately after the tsunami has filled in. Apparently this area does change through the seasons anyway and as the monsoon really kicks in, the creek will create a channel, although not in the way it was.

There was also a surfing competition in Unawatuna (yes, the monsoon does bring with it some great surfing waves!) with some of the local boys involved.

However, despite places being open, there is still so much work to be done, not just in Unawatuna, but throughout Sri Lanka. There are still tented camps on the Galle road all the way up to Matara and beyond. In fact during a trip to Arugam Bay by Claire & Jamie, the clean up operations appeared to be going at a much slower pace. This is not helped by the 200 metre no build rule that has apparently been put in place and is being enforced along the east coast of Sri Lanka.

UNAWATUNA MAHA VIDUHALA SCHOOL

The refurbishment of the 6 classrooms, stairwell and hallway are just about finished.

We are just about finished with all the painting and need to put in the floor in the computer room and then the room will be ready for the computers.  The classrooms downstairs have all had a facelift by being cleaned and painted and having clocks installed (not that time means a damn thing here in Sri Lanka!).  The hallway and ceiling downstairs have also been cleaned and painted. Many spiders lost their homes in the cleaning tsunami, but the building looks infinitely better, brighter, and cleaner.

Friends of Unawatuna plaques have been made for the rooms.

Rugby and netball shirts have also been donated by FoU, which look fantastic.

Picture of the progress at the school can be found here.

UNAWATUNA DISTRICT HOSPITAL

This is a heart wrenching place to visit. The women are locked in one area, seemingly caged in, for their safety, whilst the men are free to roam around more freely. The changes made to the wards though have made for a much brighter and cleaner environment and the patients have loved meeting and interacting with the Friends. See here for some pictures of the hospital

MEEGAHA TEMPLE

The perimeter wall is finished.  They are still working on some of the glass holders which were damaged (holding statues of Buddha).  It looks fabulous!  Many people were there for the June poya (full moon) celebrations.  There should be an official ceremony to celebrate for the next poya which lasts 7 days.

See here for pictures of the temple

ROOMASSALA TEMPLE

 We bought two moonstones for the entrance to the Roomassala Temple.  A moonstone is a concrete semi-circle that must be stepped over to enter the temple.  It is important to the Buddhist religion as it is carved to represent the stages of Buddhist life.  These moonstones will have a dedication to the victims of the tsunami.  They are in place but still need to be carved.  When finished, they will be beautiful symbols of life and remembrance. 

V. SHRAMAYA TEMPLE

The V. Shramaya Temple, is having a new floor and building a new wall. FoU funded the sand and cement. When the materials were delivered, Laura writes “Both monks had huge smiles and both said the same thing:  we are one of the few charities that has made a promise and followed through. This is something that we have heard over and over again”

Being able to help all these temples is great for Friends of Unawatuna as they are of so much importance to the village and they were a great comfort to both locals and travellers alike during the tsunami, with a lot of people taking shelter in the aftermath.

For those of you who are not sure which temple is which, the Meegaha is not actually a temple but a shrine. This is on the road behind the beach; the Roomassala and V. Shramaya temples are 2 of the small temples in the hills used for shelter after the tsunami.

VILLAGE INTERNET

It has been agreed to help fund Dave and Helen Kelly set up a website which will allow people to be able to see at a glance what is open in Unawatuna and for the small businesses to advertise to potential holiday makers. Friends of Unawatuna will help to fund the startup of this website, but will have no further involvement. Dave & Helen are also in the process of setting up lessons for some of the locals wanting much sought after computer skills.

FUNDRAISING and THANKS

Countryside Properties have sent in cheques totalling £6,313.69 raised in their offices in Brentwood & Warrington. The money was raised by individual donations, 2 music gigs, an 'empty your pockets into tins’ appeal and a dress down day and sale of sweets.

We also received a cheque for £90 from Sitel consulting in response to a cultural staff survey completed by staff in March.

On Saturday, 23rd July, Richard Posner’s band played a gig at Sandy Lodge Golf Club in aid of Friends of Unawatuna. Thank you to all involved. To those of you who recognise the last name, this is the father of Kate Posner, who is doing so much work for us in Unawatuna.

Mario Cacciottolo  of The Derby Telegraph for their ongoing support of Unawatuna and publicity of the Friends of Unawatuna. You can see an article in the Derby Telegraph focusing on the Unawatuna M. V school here

Dulce Garcia has asked for us to make a special thank you to her sister, Raquel. In Dulce’s words: “She is a self financed student that has to work hard to survive as she is not entitled to any grant and being a Spanish, in Spain, wages aren't all that good plus university fees are high.

I obviously told her about F.o.U. as soon as it was created and she donated 150 pounds that is may not seem much but in proportion to her economy is a lot.

I have been meaning to write this letter a few times for her to gain recognition but never got around it. Her name is Raquel and she has always been my sunshine and specially since that modest donation to F.O.U. even more.”

We would like to add our thanks to Raquel for this generous donation.

Dave Birch  completed the half-marathon 22nd May. I hope the aches and pains have subsided by now!

Dene Zarins sent us £801.17p. This donation is the result of Hearts and Voices 5th birthday bash combined with a silent auction and cabaret. Chrissy, our conductor, knocked us back with her brilliant singing, Jane and Andrea with their wonderful organisation, and our guests with their generousity. Many people added an extra tenner on top of their original bid. Amazing work especially as Dene tells us the teachers of 5 yr olds rarely work beyond 20p!

Belated thanks to Northwood College and Helen Levy, the Charity Coordinator who donated nearly £800 to FoU

Thank you to all the other contributions we have received but have not mentioned individually.

Kindest Regards

Friends of Unawatuna

 

Jake Zarins

Jamie & Claire Wilkinson

Jon Walter and Tanya Smart

Matt Rose

Tarquin and Tine Desoutter

Nick Keegan