The Kandy News Online Edition
February/March 2005
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TSUNAMI RELIEF PROJECTS

The Kandy News Joins the Senkadagala Lions
to Provide Tsunami Relief

The Kandy News in collaboration with the Lions Club of Senkadagala District 306C and in association with the International Center for Ethnic Studies (ICES), Kandy launched a substantial program to assist the Tsunami victims in the south, east and north of the country. The funds for this effort came mainly from local and foreign well wishers of the ICES, Lions, and The Kandy News.

In the first phase of the program relief and rehabilitation assistance was provided to Tsunami victims in Trincomalee. Matara, and Jaffna. A team from the three collaborating organizations together with members of Sri Lanka Telecom and a Dutch donor Mr. Jacob visited Tsunami victims belonging to all three ethnic groups in Trincomalee Town, Nilavelli and Kinniya and distributed school supplies, toys, female undergarments, sports goods and footwear worth Rs 1.2 million. The Lions Club of Trincomalee Town under the leadership of Lion Udaya Shankar acted as the principal host and local partner for this project.

Three schools in Matara, St Mary's Convent, Mahamaya Balika Vidyalaya, and St. Servetious College, all of which suffered substantial losses from the tsunami, received assistance when members of the Kandy organizations visited Matara in mid January. Library books, school equipment, and a substantial amount of new clothes valued at about Rs 500,000 were donated to the three institutions and individual victims. The Iddamalgoda family from the Senkadagala Lions Club also donated Rs 100,000 to a tsunami victim in Matara to rebuild her house. The Lions Club of Matara led by Past District Governor Lion Chandra Kumar Wijaya Gunawardena acted as the local host institution.

In the third visit the consortium with additional assistance from the Rotary Club of Kandy Metro and Sri Lanka Telecom took relief and rehabilitation aid to Kilinochchi and Jaffna. School supplies, school uniforms, sports equipment and toys worth Rs 850,000 were donated. A noteworthy feature of the trip to the north was the fact that the visitors from Kandy received the support of the Sri Lanka government authorities as well as the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) of the LTTE. Col Lal Gunasekera and his colleaugues and the Lions Club of Chavakachcheri under the leadership of Lion Dr Arualanandan acted as joint hosts.

In the next phase of assistance The Kandy News, Senkadagala Lions, and ICES plan to provide rehabilitation and reconstruction assistance to communities in Trincomalee. Amapara and Matara. This will include assistance for housing, livelihood rehabilitation, and school development.

We acknowledge with thanks the assistance provided by a large number of individuals and organizations including all those who made donations in cash and kind and helped us in numerous ways to facilitate our relief project and visits.

Col Lal Gunasekera (left) and Father Ravichandran hand over a pack of school supplies to a child displaced from Mullaitivu and currently residing in St. Ligotia Church in Chavakachcheri.		(Left) Project Chairman and The Kandy News Editor Lion Professor Sam Samarasinghe with Lion Chinthika Wijesuriya (left), Lion Sivaraj, and Lion Chandana Ekanayaka and (Right) Zone Chairman Lion Dilini Gunasekera, Lion Chinthaka Wijesuriya (left), Lion Lady Irfana Jaleel, Lion Ananda Jayawardena, and TRO Jaffna Director Mr. Jeyaraj handing over school supplies to children in Sivaguru Vidyalai, Velevetithurai.

Visitors from Kandy at the Sivaguru Vidyalai, Velvetithurai that was badly damaged by the tsunami. From left Lions Chinthaka, Dilini, Ananda, Shirley, Mr. Jeyaraj (TRO), Lion Lady Irfana, Mr. Allan (Sri Lanka Telecom), Sivaguru Vidyalai Principal, and Lion Dr. Arulanandan (Chavakachcheri Lions Club).		The Kandy visitors at Thallaiyadi, Kilinochchi that was badly damaged by the tsunami.

Students of Sivaguru Vidyalai with visitors from Kandy, members of TRO and members of the Lion club of Chavakachcheri.		Visitors from Kandy with the students of Sivaguru Vidyalai (left) and playing cricket with the students.

Discussion with USA Trincomalee Project Manager Brenda Barrette (fourth from left), Kandy Deputy Mayor L B Aluvihare (standing) and members of Lions Club of Trincomalee Town.

Distributions of school books, school bags and toys to students of Nilawelly Tamil School, Trincomalee.

Distributions of relief items at Kinnya, Trincomalee		Sri Lanka Telecom Chairman Mr. Sheul Annan (sixth from left) and Mr. Chintaka Wijesuria (General Manager - Regional SLT) with the team from Kandy in Trincomalee.

Senkadagala Lions Club President Lion Iqbal Jaleel handing-over school equipment to St. Servetious College.	St Mary's Library in shambles following the tsunami.	St Mary's alumnus and The Kandy News Managing Director Lion Shirley Jayawardena handing-over library books to the Sister Principal of St. Mary's in the presence of school faculty member Mrs. Sakuntala Gregory, students of St. Mary's Convent, Lion Dr. Sarath Dissanayaka and Past District Governor Lion Chandra Kumar Wijaya Gunawardena.

The Kandy News Editor Lion Professor Sam Samarashinghe handing-over library books to the students of St. Mary’s Convent. Members of the Lions Club of Senkadagala are in the pitcher.	Principle Mrs. Hathtowa and teachers Mahamaya Balika Vidyalaya with the members of the Lions Club of Senkadala and Matara	A student of Mahamaya Balika Vidyalaya, Matara delivering a vote of thanks for the assistances given to the school by the visitor from Kandy.