What we do


Community Re-building in Post Tsunami Kalmunai Sri Lanka

 

The town of Kalmunai on the East Coast of Sri Lanka was devastated by the tsunami of 26th December 2004. This project initially focused on meeting the needs of the children injured and traumatized by this event. The first priority was emergency medical care, followed by psychological support and school counseling. Later the focus changed to educational support as the children struggled to catch up lost school time. Two years after the tsunami, the civil war re-ignited adding new trauma and hardship to the community. The project expanded to include care of refugees, post-conflict counseling and peace-building activities. The project is community based and has always been driven by the changing priorities of the population, especially the displaced families still living in makeshift camps.

In 2007 a micro-credit program was launched and continues to expand. To-day ( 2008) Rose Charities Sri Lanka is a multi-program community-based organization registered and administered in Sri Lanka. Much of the success of this program is owed to the many volunteers, both Kalmunai residents and from overseas, who continue to donate their time and energy to helping this community recover and grow. In 2006 the program was awarded a 2-year development grant from CIDA to strengthen the Youth Programs for Peace. However, the organization could not exist without continued support from individual donors through Rose Charities Canada, USA and others. 



Phase 1 Emergency Pediatric Support for Child Survivors
Rose Charities Canada responded to the tsunami by sending pediatric teams of volunteers to the Kalmunai Base Hospital. The teams supported the staff at the hospital, ran the pediatric ward, held daily pediatric clinics, and visited the camps.


Phase 2 Psycho-Social Support and School Counseling

It quickly became apparent after the tsunami that the psychological needs of the children were a greater priority than physical healthcare. The medical teams saw numerous children displaying symptoms of severe psychological trauma. The first step was to develop a childrens clinic where the children could be helped through drawing and other counseling techniques. The program was then expanded to bring counseling into the schools and camps. Using Canadian experts to train trainers at the Mental Health Unit of the Kalmunai Base Hospital, a group of volunteer Child Support Workers was trained and a system of school counseling was established in 18 schools in Kalmunai. This network supplied support to over 10,000 children and their families over the following 2 years. The Mental health Unit trained over 150 support workers for other organizations.


Phase 3 Educational Support

The tsunami caused many children to lose a year or more of education. The schools were damaged, books and supplies destroyed, families suffered appalling losses and were living in crowded shelters without electricity. This became a major source of stress, particularly for the high school students with graduating exams ahead. The Educational Support Program began with almost no funding and was built entirely on community spirit. Led by Rose Charities Sri Lanka, ninety-six local teachers volunteered to work 6 afternoons a week for 4 months. Nearly 1000 high school students received 4 months free tuition leading up to their exams. The average pass mark was 75% and 11 students were accepted into University. There is now 2 years CIDA funding for this program (2007 & 2008). The program has expanded to include 3 pre-schools for children at risk, English language classes and school drop out programs. In 2007 a young student from the program earned the highest O Level Examination marks in the whole of Sri Lanka. She obtained 100% in 10 subjects.
Phase 4 Youth Programs for Peace

In 2006/2007 Kalmunai was badly affected by the civil war. Some 2500 refugees flocked into this already distressed community and the local people did what they could to help. School children donated bags of rice and Rose Charities organized meals and basic supplies for the new arrivals and counseling for the children and families. In 2006 Rose Charities Sri Lanka was awarded a CIDA grant to develop “Youth Programs for Peace”

This program combines school counseling, conflict resolution training, educational support, sports and vocational training to enhance peace in the different religious and ethnic communities in the region. 
Basketball

As part of the CIDA funded Sports for Peace” Rose Charities Sri Lanka organizes a school basketball league. Twelve schools take part and are picked from the Tamil, Sinhalese, Muslim, Hindu , Christian and Buddhist communities. The children attend training camps and tournaments together. The 2007 inter-school was attended by a huge local crowd and has become a positive focal activity for the community. We would like to find the funds to expand this program to other schools. There is a shortage of equipment, many of the children play barefoot, particularly the girls. 



University Scholarships


University is free in Sri Lanka, however many students from poor families are forced to turn down their university places because they lack the funds to pay for books, transport and food. The University Scholarship program provides grants of approx $10/month to cover their living expenses. This is enough to make the difference and allow them to go to University. In 2007 there were 27 scholarships in place. All the students were doing well. One engineering student won the highest marks on the campus in 2007. The scholarships are supported by sponsors in Canada and USA. For $250 per year you can sponsor a student. 

It was started by BC school girl Amanda Yogendran. She travelled to Kalmunai Sri Lanka with her father after the tsunami in 2006 and was appalled to discover students turning down their free university places because they could not afford the text books and other small expenses. 

Thanks to Canadian and USA sponsors who donate $200/year, 26 students are now attending university from Kalmunai. We try and find sponsors for 10 or more students a year. If you would like to sponsor a student please contact: RoseHQ@aol.com



Rose Micro-Credit Committee 

The Rose Micro-Credit Committee is a group of Vancouver business leaders whose target is to foster micro-credit projects worldwide and to raise $1 million for micro credit. Micro-credit is giving small loans to people to start small businesses to increase their income and help them escape from poverty. As the small business grows, the loans are repaid and the money is given out to others in more small loans. The Rose Micro-Credit project in Kalmunai, Sri Lanka is a pilot project that incorporates training in running a small business as part of the loan. This project began with just $5,000 of loans and is building up incrementally until it becomes financially self sufficient. Each expansion step is monitored by the Committee. By March 2008 there are over 200 loans given out 

If you are interested in donating to this project or taking part in this group please contact : 

Josephine de Freitas Josephine@shaw.ca