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Till trickles of merriment run down the cheeks…
Volunteers are helping children laugh again reports Feizal Samath
At a small village in Galle on a Tuesday evening, the children are in peals of laughter as Nilanka and Dilshan, two young volunteers, take them through a fun-filled exercise on the tsunami that hit Sri Lanka and how best to recover from it.

"Where did the tsunami originate?" they ask. "Indonesia," shout the excited kids. Curious adults join in the response. "Ah .. you know. goood!," says Nilanka.

In a 10-15 minute skit, replete with music, drama, acting, showing sketches and education, the two youngsters helped by their colleague on an accordion -- take the group of children and some adults at Medawatte village through the pros and cons of the tsunami, its origins and the need for preparedness. An interested bystander picks up a drum that they have brought along and joins in the fun.

"Are you afraid of the tsunami? Are you afraid of the sea?" "No" shout the children, some giggling and laughing. These three volunteers from the Multi-Diverse Community (MDC) group are performing a playact of the tsunami and getting their message across through song, dance, music, education and chat.
The group, temporarily based in a nearby town, has been working with tsunami-affected children and their families in the south since last January. "We launched our campaign five days after the tsunami hit Sri Lanka. We want the children to be children. We want to show them the positive things in life," notes MDC founder Wasantha Moragoda who doubles up as a driver, taking the group around to camps for displaced people.

The volunteers are able singers, dancers and actors, and not only build a rapport with children but also with the parents. The secret of their success: Turning serious issues into playful activity and quietly breaking down barriers like resistance to the sea, fear of the tsunami in addition to providing lessons on where to go in case there is another disaster.

The playact series, a wonderful combination of song, music, awareness and education, has impressed UNICEF so much that Protection Officer Sarah Graham is keen to bring them under the UNICEF umbrella for a few projects.
"They have a wonderful programme," says Graham, who has been in Galle handling protection issues for UNICEF since January, while watching their performance and laughing along with the kids. UNICEF has similar programmes undertaken by other groups in the north and east but finds the MDC project the most effective and exciting.

"I think it is effective because of the way they do it. They enjoy what they do and have good acting and communication skills," she said as Dilantha "weeps on losing a loved one and is comforted by Nilanka who says this it is an act of nature and no one can be blamed for it."

At the end of the skit in the compound of one of the houses, Nilanka asks the audience that has grown since the playact began: "Do you want to go back to your homes?" "Yes," the crowd chortles. "Shouldn't you start rebuilding your lives instead of waiting for help?" "Yes," they say.

The MDC has received funding support from USAID, UNDP and UK Save the Child for post-tsunami work but insists they wouldn't change or alter their teaching methods to suit donor needs. Moragoda, who has won awards for acting in stage and theatre, says they are passionate about their work and would continue it as long as possible.

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