Mirror Magazine

Mirror Magazine

A better life
By Randima Attygalle
A year after the deadly tsunami, Sri Lankans are still picking up pieces of their lives, shedding tears for loved ones they lost to the sea. Among many who came forward to wipe a tear and add a ray of hope to those lives is Samantha Tennakoon, a young volunteer who took time off to work in Sri Lanka – an experience which has brought her that much closer to home.

“Although I was born and raised in England, this is very much my country. Ever since my brother and I were toddlers, our parents always made it a point to make an annual visit to Sri Lanka, where we spent most of our time in Kandy, where both my parents hail from. My involvement in AdoptSriLanka is a turning point in my life, because I saw this land from a truly a different angle,” says Samantha with a smile.

Among many long-term human development schemes, the TWINS project is yet another refreshing venture of AdoptSriLanka – the main purpose of which is to link local schools of tsunami-affected areas with those overseas. “This is a project where a local school is ‘twinned’ with an overseas school, in order to build long lasting friendships, so that better understanding of each other is possible at both ends,” explains Samantha Tennakoon, who works as a volunteer cum regional field officers of AdoptSriLanka.

Born to Sri Lankan parents in England, Samantha is a graduate of French and History from the University of Nottingham. Possessing a wealth of experience in volunteer work in the UK and France, where she spent one of her university academic years, Samantha is delighted to share her skills and time with her people, especially at a time of need.

As to how she became an integral part of AdoptSriLanka, Samantha says, “After my graduation in September last year, I was offered a very demanding post at the Department of Inland Revenue in the UK. It’s a kind of a job, which involves a lot of commitment so the chances of returning to volunteer work seemed too remote for me, and I decided to take one year off and come to Sri Lanka to work.” At a time she was exploring her possibilities in various streams of volunteer work, the tsunami hit and fate decided her future. “When the tsunami hit I was more determined to be of service to my country and I discovered AdoptSriLanka through an active participant of the TWINS project.”

Talking about the operations of the project, Samantha says that in addition to schools in the UK, many institutions in Australia, Belgium, New Zealand and Singapore have come forward to establish links with local schools from devastated areas. “Each school has different needs and my duty as the regional field officer, in charge of the Kalutara to Koggala area, is to visit the schools, identify their needs and to establish a link with the schools overseas.” Although the TWINS project is modelled on the concept of twinning a school with another overseas, any other corporate body, institution, individual or groups and registered charities are welcome to sponsor local schools.

Talking about the activities the TWINS project has carried so far, Samantha says, “The response has been very satisfactory. We had a group of secondary school children from Sydney visiting Siddhartha College in Weligama recently, where a cricket match was arranged between the teams of two schools. In addition there was a group from New Zealand and teachers from Singapore, who visited schools and made recommendations to uplift the standards of teaching.” According to Samantha, TWINS are at their best when they meet face-to-face. “This way they can relate to the needs of the local twin school better, when they have first hand experiences,” says Samantha adding that these overseas schools are engaged in an array of fund raising activities, such as dramatic productions, jumble sales, PTA events, etc. in order to channel the funds to the respective local ‘twin school.’

Emphasising the need for more and more volunteers, Samantha says, “To avoid the breakdown of continuity of work we need more local volunteers, who are motivated to work independently.”

Samantha, who is scheduled to return to the UK in April next year, has a lot to take back with her on a number of levels. “From a working point of view, I have learnt a lot working closely with a lot of local and international professionals from various expertise fields, and from a personal point of view, I learnt to cope with difficult circumstances, and most importantly I gained a better understanding of the people of my country.”

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