posted February 13, 2001 10:05 PM         

I’m back. So sorry for not being able to participate on this forum for a while. I see some of our more intelligent friends are still going strong with productive and informative discussions - well done!. And of course I also see some of our infamous bottom-feeders still hanging on to whatever possible too - some people never learn do they?

I’ve had a very good opportunity to put my money where my mouth is - so to speak. During the last few months I was lucky enough to be able to work hand in hand with the ICRC in Sri Lanka, thus giving something back to the wonderful country which has given me so much. I was offered a position as one of the independent consultants on a specific project to the ICRC. Our object was to assess and submit recommendations to the ICRC on possible improvements to their management / distribution of various aid to the Northeastern shores of Sri Lanka.

We had to undergo 12 days training before going to these areas so that we will be prepared for any shock that might greet us - but I tell you no amount of work can prepare a human for what was to come. The amount of losses, displacements, family breakup, mental and physical drainage, exodus - and yet this was not even the front lines. I wish everyone participating on this forum will get the opportunity to see what I saw - get first hand experience of what this senseless war had done to thousands of innocent people. Maybe then people might stop to think before firing that next shot, or think twice about sending that check to fund a destructive machine.

The thought of our report making some improvements (however indirectly) kept us working overtime in hash conditions. I put my heart and soul to that work and if offered will take up such an opportunity again in an instant.

I will be returning to Sri Lanka again shortly to continue with some other work but will try to keep participating on this forum whenever I can.

Keep up the good work.

posted February 14, 2001 09:44 AM         

Ranjan,
Your mind is so screwed up that you can't read anything without thinking about your own fantasies. What a sad life must you be living ......

posted February 14, 2001 09:52 PM         

How does one (who is not living in Sri Lanka) go about adopting (or is it sponsoring) Sri Lankan children? Where can we get more information on the subject?

posted February 15, 2001 11:20 AM         

My husband and I sponsor 7 children. His brother, who lives in SL, identified 7 deserving children (mostly orphans) through their village school principal. We sent a lump sum to our bank in SL and gave them instructions to transfer RS.700 at the start of each month to the accounts of these children. The children's accounts are in the name of the said child and a guardian or a parent if any. We have been going this for the past 3 years. The children write to us after each exam term with a copy of their report card. To them we act as "mentors" and not just as "the folks who send them money". We send personal letters to them encouraging free thinking and good behavior. It means a lot to a child to know that some one cares and that there is hope. We plan on doing this until all those children reach adulthood and can be gainfully employed. The improvements they have made are tremendous. This will also be a good way for our children (for those of us who have children) to be in touch with the "Sri Lankan reality" and to have a friend from Sri Lanka. It is important that you help these children in a very private manner, which will not hurt their self-esteem.

You can contact your relatives in your hometown, or school principals, local monk, or church priest or Hindu priest to help you identify the deserving children. After that is done, it is better to directly deal with the child and his/her family and avoid sending money through the principal/monk/priest etc, since if this is done, those people may influence the children and the children may feel obligated to do little "chores" for them. It is important to let the children know that their obligation is only to themselves, i.e: they are obligated to use this help for their benefit in terms of good education and such.

There is a lot of educated and well established Sri Lankans in the west who can mentor, encourage and inspire our Sri lankan children back home.

Hope this information helps. Let us make a difference in the life of One Child at a time !

posted February 18, 2001 04:10 PM            

HOW IS OUR FRIEND SADDAM HUSSEIN DOING THESE DAYS! I HEARD THE AMERICANS KICKED HIS ASSS AGAIN YESTERDAY! OFCOURSE SADDAM WILL CLAIM THIS AS A VICTORY?

WHY DO YOU DO THIS MAN?

WHAT A CRAZY PEOPLE THE SONS OF ISLAM ARE?

posted February 21, 2001 01:28 AM         

Welcome back! Great to hear about your wonderful efforts in the north and east.

Can you please tell us a bit about the views of the people living in north and east ? Do most of the Tamil people in north and east support a separate state ? Do they see the Sinhalese as their enemies ? Or are they just caught up in the political games played by both parties ? How are the living conditions in these areas ?

posted February 21, 2001 07:54 PM         

Nice to hear from you. The work I have been doing in Sri Lanka during the past few months concentrated along the Northeastern shores - from Pankulam (just above Trinco) down to Perilavel (just above Batticaloa). The work was basically trying to come up with better ways to manage aids to the displaced people in the area. Therefore we were instructed to try to keep aside any of our personal bias towards the SL Government or the LTTE. We weren’t trying to find out how they (civilians) ended up in that situation at all. I guess it was not a method of prevention but more like trying to find a better cure. Nevertheless as you speak to all those civilians, most of them, inevitably started telling us their stories. And most of us listened - hoping that somehow it would make things a little easier for those unfortunate civilians. The stories were tragic and too many to mention here. Sitting there listening to them sure makes you wonder... makes you rethink each and every one of your values... makes you ashamed of not doing anything else to help them.

One thing I noticed straight away was the overwhelming sentiment that most of them echoed. They really didn’t know what was going on and they really didn’t care either (including who wins this war) - all they wanted was to be left alone so that they can live in peace. So like you said they are just innocent people caught up in this cruel and unforgiving political game that the big boys (SL Government and the LTTE) play. If there was any positive side to their stories is that each of their tragedies have (perhaps in a strange way) brought them closer to each other. They were from very different areas and different ethnicities (although most spoke Tamil, there were Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese) but they were united as one big family. The rest of the country (and our expats) can learn a thing or two about true unity from them.