TODAY WORLD WATER DAY: THE MOMENT!
This newsletter is about our commitment to the too much, too little and no good water in Sri Lanka. But then as a basic necessity of life.
See also the video about the recent landslide at the bottom of the newsletter.
Working visit report January 2023
Accompanied by Anny van Orsouw, board member, and Chaminda Fernando, our project manager in Sri Lanka, Jan van der Steen paid another working visit to the projects last December/January.
Below is Jan’s report.
This is our first Christmas in Sri Lanka, a special experience. Christmas stalls are everywhere along the streets. And on Christmas Day at 7 o’clock in the church for the Christmas celebration. This Christmas Day is mainly about distributing food to the less fortunate.
This visit takes us from the Northern Province (at sea level) in the west to the tea plantations in Bandarawela (1,300M+) of UVA Province.
Sri Lanka cannot pay off its debts. There is still no question of a stable political and economic situation.
There is still a shortage of food, materials, fuel, medicines and gas. Many prices have tripled, life has come to a standstill, high unemployment, no social safety nets, people are starving, what will we eat tomorrow?
We visit 10 old/recently realized projects and 10 new projects.
This time mostly new water projects for the disadvantaged Tamil population.
We also visit the large Tamil community of Galaboda (more than 1,300 people) in the Central Province.
A bad passable mountain road takes us to these people, we have to walk the last 2.5 km and then we are at 1,000M+. The tea plantation is gone, the families are left unemployed. For their water they use 2 mountain springs, built in the English period. The steel pipes have completely rusted through and the pits are no longer usable due to concrete rot. Every day many families have to walk 2 km for the oh so important water! They would like a new pipe and wells that transport the water from the source back to their receiving wells. No one helps these poorest families. An old man says in fairly good English: “You are the first white person I see in 50 years”.
We make a first contact; we need to build mutual trust.
We walk around, look at their “houses”, of course we talk extensively about the water and promise that we will really do our best to collect the necessary financial resources for this. For a short interesting impression of this visit see the video below.
On the last Sunday of the working visit we will visit a possible school project south of Negombo, in a fishing village. We are met by 15 “Old Girls and Boys”, these elderly people have all attended this school in the past. The school has no water for 6 months a year. The “Old Girls and Boys” want to breathe new life into “their” school. We listen and look around, the buildings don’t look good! They will have to wait another year for a new water supply. We do, however, already supply 50 liters of wall paint to brighten up the classrooms on the inside. The same week they start cleaning and painting and the result is impressive. A warm initiative that makes you silent. For a short impression of this visit and the necessary support. See the video below.
"Old Girls and Boys" give their old school New Life
This project is also open for financial support. We call on donors to make their contribution. These highly motivated former students want a future for their children. No perspective without education and clean drinking water
A film of a Tamil school/community project in which we have invested heavily.
The gratitude is always enormous, it remains incredible. See the video below.
THE POWER OF A SUSTAINABLE WATER SUPPLY!
We also pay attention to this. A Dutch request for a thank offering. Through the Buddhist temple less fortunate people were selected for a rice offering. See the video below.
The connection of gratitude.
Both our teams are working hard, they are going like clockwork. The demand for water is enormous, we have more than 100 water requests.
Six busy weeks, a lot of driving, quite tough, but with a satisfied feeling back to the water-rich Netherlands.
John van der Steen
Benefit evening AMF
Saturday 25 March there will be another benefit evening with a Battle of the Bands in the Kafmolen in Schijndel, organized by the Ad Moosdijk foundation. Do you want to be there? Then you contribute to a donation for our foundation and you have a nice evening full of music.
Landslide
3 days ago, after heavy rain, there was a landslide in Poonagala in the mountains of UVA province. In this area, the underprivileged currently has 3 projects in progress at a distance of 2 km from the landslide. 60 Tamil families, 300 persons, are affected. Houses completely destroyed, homeless, no clean water.
Underprivileged is nearby and is building a complete water supply for this affected Tamil community. See the video below.
Want to support a project?
There are various possibilities. We are happy to help you find the right project, action and support.
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What happens with your donation?
As a Foundation, we receive donations and carry out actions to collect funds through schools, Rotaries, companies, individuals, etc. Suitable projects are identified in Sri Lanka on an ongoing basis. The next step is to submit an application for project support to Wilde Ganzen. After reviewing and approval of the application, the Foundation for the Disadvantaged Sri Lanka will transfer the collected money to Wilde Ganzen, who will add 50% to this amount. €1 becomes €1.50. Wilde Ganzen then transfers the total amount to the bank account of the Sri Lanka-based Underprivileged Sri Lanka Foundation.
Project sponsorship without support from Wilde Ganzen as a condition is respected.
What happens with your donation?
Sri Lanka Underprivileged Foundation
Donations IBAN: NL87 RABO 0121 5293 04
in the name of Stichting Kansarmen Sri Lanka
stating name/email-(address) Email: info@kansarmensrila
nka.nl Website: kansarmensrilanka.nl
Webmaster: vacancy in completion
Travel: Priyantha Fernando
Board Chairman/project coordinator: Jan van der Steen
tel. 073-5033294 / 0622069555
Treasurer: Huub Clement
Secretary: Anny van Orsouw
Board members: Bjørn Hoogwout
and Marjan Wind
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