ISLE Fund Distributions
October, 2005
We are pleased to report that donations are still coming into the ISLE Relief Fund. We are continually finding new and worthy organizations and efforts to support. Please, keep giving; even as the memory of the tsunami's immediate tragedy fades, there is still much work to do. And please remember that your dollar goes a very long way in Sri Lanka, so even the smallest amounts can achieve great things.
In September, we received a generous donation of nearly $300 from a progam alum, and we were quite anxious to give that over to a new organization called The UDANA Society. This organization is helping children who were victimized by the tsunami with both academic and emotional support, by creating monetary funds for each child, and by arranging for counseling and for cultural and educational "field trips" and experiences. This is a wonderful opportunity to make a big change in someone's life, for very little money. The effort is being spearheaded by the Dept. of Pali and Buddhist Studies, University of Peradeniya, and University and ISLE instructor Dr. P.D. Premasiri (Professor of Pali and Buddhist Studies). More info.
The ISLE Program made a large donation of $18,047 to the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) (ICES), in Kandy. This money is earmarked for educational purposes, focusing on tsunami-affected schools in rural areas of the south and the east. For details of the tsunami projects that the ICES is undertaking, go to these web sites:
www.ices.lk and www.kandynews.net
ISLE students, if they choose to, could pursue an academic project involving the above schools (one or more depending on their project) as part of their own independent studies.
ICES Professor Sam Samarasinghe previously wrote: "We hope to choose about six schools — possibly three from the northeast and three from the south — for development. The main criteria for selection are tsunami and poverty of the community where they are located. We will use the school as an entry point to the community for broader community development. There are several advantages in this method. The school is a formal entity with a structure, leadership (principal), support staff (faculty) and community involvement (kids and parents). Thus it is logistically easy to deal. We do not plan to do anything that replaces government effort. That means construction of building is low priority. We will help with laboratories, school equipment that the government normally does not supply, training for teachers in IT, perhaps some teaching resources in English, sport and extra curricular activities, career guidance, scholarships for the poor among the kids, and so on. We also hope to develop links between the schools (Tamil-Muslim-Sinhalese) to promote peace and understanding. Through the school we will develop some broader programs for the community that will include housing on a strictly as needed basis, health programs, and job placement. We are in the process of identifying schools."
First Donations
Earlier in the year, monies from the ISLE Tsunami Relief Fund were distributed to the following organizations:
1. $3000 to the The Sumithrayo Rural Programme. This effort is coordinated by Lakshmi Ratnayeke who has been a friend of the ISLE Program for the past several years, and is a suicide prevention and trauma counseling center. The Programme has very little funding. Lakshmi and other volunteers with some means work without any compensation. But they pay some minimum wages to their poor rural volunteers who don’t have any means otherwise to support themselves.
These are the goals for Sumithrayo Rural Programme:
1. Help rural men, women & children improve skills in decision making and selecting healthy alternatives in life.
2. Improve their skills in coping with negative feelings and urges in a more positive manner.
3. Empower rural people to make better choices for themselves and their children.
4. Improve awareness on human sexuality, mental health, and suicidal behaviors.
5. Help enhancement of self-worth and self respect amongst the rural population, leading to a reduction of suicides in the areas that Sumithrayo function in.
Since the tsunami, they have been vigorously working in the affected areas bringing basic needs to the victims. They need financial assistance in these efforts.
2. $2000 to the Muslim Women’s Research and Action Forum (MWRAF). This is a non-profit organization working on the east coast of the island, committed to the cause of promoting and building a society based on equity and justice. They have been involved in projects for over 20 years and work in the under-privileged areas of the East where the population is multi ethnic -- Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim. Almost all these villages have been affected by the disaster.
The organization is seeking financial assistance to help these communities in their immediate needs. They have been involved in delivering aid directly to the victims. Their goals are to meet immediate needs of the victims, to provide them psycho-social assistance and assistance for re-habilitation and re-settlement.
Jezima Ismail, who participates in a women’s seminar conducted every year for the ISLE students, founded this organization. She is also the founder and past president of Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Education (SLAAED). This organization works with children to take care of their educational needs.
3. $1000 to the Association of War Affected Women, headquartered in Kandy. From their Web site:
"1. Ours is a broad coalition of women representing a wide group of women’s organizations from all districts of the country. We will take the necessary action
"(1) to identify needs and priorities for the delivery of relief and assistance in the immediate future
"(11) to ensure the inclusion of women in all processes of decision making in the reconstruction and rehabilitation processes,
"(111) to identify medium-term and long-term programmes that can strengthen women’s initiatives at the community level, and to ensure the protection and promotion of women’s rights in the processes of reconstruction and rehabilitation.
"2.We hope to rebuild a fishing village where all communities can live together as a model village which can strengthen the peace process and let the women play a vital role in decision making on rebuilding and reconstruction of their village, giving priorities to women’s needs in the entire process.
"Doners can indicate which project they would like the funds to be utilized."
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