‘Baywatch Miss’ turns promises into action
Barely ten days into winning the Crown Miss Intercontinental Sri Lanka title, Natalee Fernando is embarking on her maiden project. As Crown Miss Intercontinental Sri Lanka 2017, she articulated a public commitment to work towards empowering women and children. She made her customary visit to Kalpitiya, but this time with a determined cause in her mind: to help the Muthuwarrama fishing village in Dutch Bay Island Kalpitiya which houses about 150 Muslim and Sinhala families whose only livelihood is seasonal fishing, which means that they live in extreme poverty.
Natalee who has been visiting her friend’s resort Baywatch Eco Lodge at Dutch Bay Island for about four years now, decided to meet the principals of the two schools in the area. “I never realised that water would be such an issue because we take water for granted so much,” she said. “The water is so salty in Kalpitiya that unless bottled water is obtained, the villagers have no drinking water.”
On visiting the schools (the two schools have about 70 students ranging from grades 1 to 5), she became aware of the extreme poverty these students come from. “Some don’t even have slippers to wear to school. The principal introduced me to some students; some needed clothes and most didn’t even have birth certificates and hence, ages were speculated by the teachers. But it is drinking water that remains one of the biggest concerns.”
As an immediate measure, Natalee has begun paying for 60 litres of bottled drinking water to be delivered to the schools daily with dispensers until a permanent solution can be worked on. “There was a purification project initiated by the Australian High Commission but that was put on hold as the area didn’t have electricity. They do have electricity now and we decided to revive discussions to work for a permanent solution.” In the meantime, Natalee is returning to the villages with uniforms and shoes.
Another problem that Natalee is keen on tackling is the challenge the schools face in keeping female students in school beyond Year 6, as children as young as 11 are being married off due to the severe poverty levels.“Children as young as 15 have babies, when they should be in school. This is something I really want to look into seriously and am working on plans that will motivate parents to keep the girls in school.”
The villagers call her “Baywatch Miss”, taking her name from the resort they associate her with. The resort itself is helping her achieve the goals of getting clean drinking water for the community. “What better way to start my new journey than doing something closer to home with a community around an area where I’ve been visiting now for four years,” she says.