Just want to include this letter here for you all to read. It came addressed to me but want to share it with you as you all were a huge part of being able to raise the amount of money we did...
Dear Melissa, (and all you ladies who attended)
Thank you again for your hard work in raising money for Vavuniya Childrens Home in Sri Lanka.
As mentioned in my note to you, Pastor Kevin Hughes has just returned from a trip there. He has sent me a report of his time there. I have attached it, and thought I would give you the whole report because it’s interesting to read about the other homes and what life can be like there in Sri Lanka. I have also printed off four photos of the home at Vavuniya (one is of the well and water tower which has recently been completed).
I have told Kevin of your donation, and apart from the couple of things he mentions in the report, he has given me a more comprehensive list of specific items which he said “I do not have quotes for but I think the funds would go a long way to covering most of them”.
Shelving for the kitchen & store room
Blackboard and stand
12 chairs
Wok
CD player
Toaster
1 bicycle
sports equipment – cricket, soccer
Guitar
Maintenance – windows have to be sanded back and lacquered (need to employ someone to do this)
Fridge – approx. $500 to $600
Repairs to small motorbike used to take the kids to school – approx. $200
We really appreciate your support of the children at the home, and hope you will be happy with some (or all) of the items above being purchased for them to help fit-out the home with just some of the things we take for granted here in Australia.
Bless you
And here is part of a recent report from the Boys home in Vavuniya
BOYS HOME – VAVUNIYA
7 boys 4 staff
The children all seem very settled and look very healthy. One of the boys has severe eye problem and will need glasses. He will be taken for tests. There are some problems with the drinking water – the area is renown for high calcium content, and we are seeing what can be done to rectify this. Fruit and vegetable gardens are being established and look great. We will be investing in some chairs, white board, some extra shelving for the kitchen and some sports equipment and another bicycle. There is an obvious need for a fridge also.
The kids travel 3 kms to and from each day on the small motorbike with Ps Murali. Utimately we will have to purchase a 3 wheeler and/or van as the numbers of children increase. There are now some new regulations which we must meet prior to children being granted permission to stay at the Home – this is a frustratingly slow as there are many children in need.
Because of the military restrictions in place, no vehicles are allowed past the last major checkpoint about an hour south of the town. This requires walking quite a distance through a large checking area, presenting passports and identity cards for locals, and then cramming onto buses for the ride into town. There are two other checkpoints on the way – all passengers have to leave the bus and proceed through the area on foot and having thorough searches made of any luggage or belongings. This is quite time consuming and a little alarming for any newcomer. The same system applies on the way out. On the day before I arrived a motorbike bomb was detonated at a police checkpoint only a few minutes from the Boys Home, resulting in the deaths of two policeman and a soldier and 7 others injured.
7 boys 4 staff
The children all seem very settled and look very healthy. One of the boys has severe eye problem and will need glasses. He will be taken for tests. There are some problems with the drinking water – the area is renown for high calcium content, and we are seeing what can be done to rectify this. Fruit and vegetable gardens are being established and look great. We will be investing in some chairs, white board, some extra shelving for the kitchen and some sports equipment and another bicycle. There is an obvious need for a fridge also.
The kids travel 3 kms to and from each day on the small motorbike with Ps Murali. Utimately we will have to purchase a 3 wheeler and/or van as the numbers of children increase. There are now some new regulations which we must meet prior to children being granted permission to stay at the Home – this is a frustratingly slow as there are many children in need.
Because of the military restrictions in place, no vehicles are allowed past the last major checkpoint about an hour south of the town. This requires walking quite a distance through a large checking area, presenting passports and identity cards for locals, and then cramming onto buses for the ride into town. There are two other checkpoints on the way – all passengers have to leave the bus and proceed through the area on foot and having thorough searches made of any luggage or belongings. This is quite time consuming and a little alarming for any newcomer. The same system applies on the way out. On the day before I arrived a motorbike bomb was detonated at a police checkpoint only a few minutes from the Boys Home, resulting in the deaths of two policeman and a soldier and 7 others injured.
As you can see the money we raised went a long way. I guess what we take for granted these kids have been waiting for people such as yourselves to raise some money for.
Thanks again for your generosity and I look forward to our next workshop
love
Melissa
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