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Post LEAP

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:36:43 -0700

David, Ainslie and Munir are all back in Canada now. I booked a few extra weeks here in Sri Lanka in order to wrap up in Valaichenai and get a head start making arrangements for next year. Travelling back and forth across the island is all part of the process, so I have been sampling the local train and bus system a fair bit. Throughout the trip I have been surprized to see how quickly the country is unwinding after the war. Checkpoints are dismantling by the day, roads which have been closed for years are opening again. It is exciting to be here at this time, and see it unfolding before us. Also, it makes it easier to get around!

LEAP update - LEAP, LEAPing - LEAPed!

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:55:31 -0700

Friday saw the conclusion of the LEAP 2009 programme. All the students gathered at one of our participant schools to share their work with parents and fellow students. Despite the inevitable challenges of organizing an event for 300 children, and their parents, the afternoon came off very well: orders of bananas, cup-cakes and lentil balls arrived on time, and we were even able to acquire and distrubute ice-creams to the kids before they melted. And so the second run of LEAP Sri Lanka draws to a close. Thanks for your support! I will try to get photos posted in the next week, and continue to update you all as we do some preliminary evaluation and planning for the future over the next couple of week.

COME TO THE PAMPERED CHEF FUNDRAISER AND SUPPORT SRI LANKAN TSUNAMI AND WAR REFUGEES

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:40:27 -0700

WHEN:                Wednesday, August 5th, 6:30-8:30 PM
WHERE:        1165 Brockman Dr., Sonoma, CA, 95476
CONTACT:        Gereon Yee, gereon@srilankanaid.com

The event will be a Pampered Chef show hosted by myself, Gereon Yee, and will include a 30-45 minute demonstration of some of the products offered, an update on the work of Sri Lankan Aid, as well as a chance for you to test out some of the items yourself.  The best part is that 25% of all the proceeds will go directly towards our projects this summer, and if you are unable to attend you can still support us by viewing the online catalog and making your purchase through our demonstrator’s website at www.pamperedchef.biz/cecilewuu.  Simply enter Sri Lankan Aid in the space provided when placing your order.  Also, if you would like to contribute to us directly, online donations can be made at www.srilankanaid.com and checks can be mailed to PO BOX 1392, Sonoma, CA, 95476.  Please RVSP to gereon@srilankanaid.com if you plan on attending, and feel free to invite anyone else that you see fit!  Hope to see you there!

-Gereon

LEAP update - One Day Left!

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:40:03 -0700

It's Friday morning in Valaichenai, and the LEAP team is putting the finishing touches on plans for the exhibition this afternoon. This week we saw our groups for one last day of programming - we weight-tested toothpick bridges, analyzed results of our science experiments, put our solar ovens into the sun, and helped students build stories from their photo collections.. among other things! It has been quite a ride. This afternoon we are preparing a party/exhibition for 300 children and their parents. Unfortunately, our plans have been complicated by the fact that, it being Friday, all the Muslim shops are closed... those important details like paper plates should not have been left to the last minute! Munir is putting the finishing touches on the certificates for winning projects, so my internet time is up. Thanks for your support throughout this, and we'll let you know how it goes!

LEAP update - Last Week!

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 22:12:49 -0700

LEAP 2009 is rounding the corner and well into our last week. Back from a much needed break this weekend at Arugam Bay, Ainslie, David, Munir and I have been joined by Nazeem, also from Saskatoon (and Sri Lanka!). It is great to have a new perspective join the team, and while Nazeem is here we are talking a lot about how we might evaluate the program. With 3 more teaching days before the Final Ceremony this Friday, goodbyes are on the horizon. Lots to look forward to in between, however: from delicious home-cooked curries (both from our hostess Babuji, and other invitations such as dinner at our translator Hari's house last night... amazing), to procuring 500 peices of cake for our event on Friday.

LEAP update - Finished Week 2

Sun, 5 Jul 2009 19:02:14 -0700

On Thursday we completed our second day of classes with the last of 8 groups. Week two brought the added challenge of a mix of new and old activities. Many of the projects we began last week needed to be continued during the second session of classes. Unfortunately, safe and protected spaces are rare or non-existant in many of the east's open-framework, well-used schools. Few of our delicate toothpick bridges survived a week of rest untouched, so many classes had to do damage-repair before advancing their projects to the next level. Finding secure storage space is an ongoing challenge; having redoubled our efforts at impressing the importance of this to teachers and principals, I think that this week will be better. Other than that, Week Two has been a great success, and 320 children are trying to get their mouths around "I'm A Little Teapot" before class next week...

LEAP week 2 underway!

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 02:18:24 -0700

After a weekend off exploring the hill country, LEAP is back in action for our Week Two program. We have been joined by 4 more Sri Lankan Aid members, all from the US, who will be staying with us while carrying out several other projects in this area and further afield. The extra hands were a great help as we prepared for our second round of programming this morning! At 2:00 we were greeted by excited children, proudly showing off the hand-made books we created last week, and ready for more. We continued projects we began last time, initiated a couple of new ones, and had a good round of Science Olympics. More of the same for the rest of the week, as we work our way through 8 classes of grade 8s!

LEAP 2009 completes week one!

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 08:27:04 -0700

Ainslie, Munir, David and Margaret celebrated the successful completion of "week one" this evening. Working in two teams, we have initiated the program with 8 classes of students. Already we are meeting excited parents in the street (or the fish market) who have heard stories from their kids about the strange things they have done with LEAP. Despite the shortened program day, and the fact that we see the students after they have finished a long day of school, we have had a great turn-out and have been able to fit a lot into the afternoon. With the help of our four terrific translator/co-teachers, communicating ideas and instructions has been a breeze and our new local staff have risen to the occasion splendidly. Looking forward to Monday!

LEAP Update

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 08:04:22 -0700

A quick hi from Valaichenai! Ainslie, Munir, David and I have been here 4 days or so, and are starting to settle into the hectic routine of pre-leap planning. After a great meeting with the principal of Hindu College, we had a disappointing run-in with the local zonal director: Ultimately she approved the program, but only with the caveat that the program could not be carried out during school hours. So we have been relegated to the afternoon. We will find out next week how this will affect our numbers - it throws off our schedule and puts the program into conflict with after-school classes and kids' free time. However, it may be that the classroom interruption was indeed problematic, so perhaps this is a valuable amendment. In any case, the challenge has been thrown to make this year even better and crisper than we had hoped possible. Were doing our best to make that happen!

Cars4Causes

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 23:54:11 -0700

Sri Lankan Aid has partnered with Cars4Causes, a fantastic nonprofit group that can turn your donated car, boat, rv, or motorcycle into funding for our projects!

Check out our page on the Cars4Causes website and spread the word!

Sri Lankan Aid on Facebook

Mon, 25 May 2009 16:31:08 -0700

Visit our Facebook page and become a fan!

Urgent Appeal

Sun, 24 May 2009 14:07:49 -0700

Sri Lankan Aids URGENTLY needs you support to begin reconstruction on the ground in Mullativu. Please read about this critical work here.

Villagers Saved By Civilian War Shelters

Mon, 25 May 2009 18:54:56 -0700

In 2007, Sri Lankan Aid funded the construction of civilian war shelters in the town of Vernavil. We just got news that Vernavil was heavily shelled in the war, but the families of the village, approx 250 people, were able to safely make it within our shelters. Although most of the community was destroyed, the people survived.