TSUNAMI
RELIEF PROJECTS |
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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.
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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. |
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(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. |
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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).
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The
Kandy visitors at Thallaiyadi, Kilinochchi that was badly damaged
by the tsunami. |
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Students
of Sivaguru Vidyalai with visitors from Kandy, members of TRO
and members of the Lion club of Chavakachcheri.
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Visitors
from Kandy with the students of Sivaguru Vidyalai (left) and
playing cricket with the students. |
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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.
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Distributions
of school books, school bags and toys to students of Nilawelly
Tamil School, Trincomalee.
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Distributions
of relief items at Kinnya, Trincomalee |
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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. |
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Senkadagala
Lions Club President Lion Iqbal Jaleel handing-over school equipment
to St. Servetious College.
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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. |
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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. |
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