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It seemed a dismal place. A small room lit by a solitary bulb, roof and walls that leaked. In the corner was a small locked cupboard, containing 40 books. These books, carefully hoarded had already passed through about 50 hands, their pages fraying but beloved to the small fingers that turned them.

It took Premila Gamage of the Sri Lanka Library Association (SLLA), less than a day to realise the importance of this little room. For the students of the Andaragasayaya Primary Vidyalaya, these books were a delight – a source of learning, humour and hope; all things they desperately needed.

For some time now, life here had been hard. The tsunami had come and gone, and in its wake families still struggled to get back on their feet. Some of the children attending the primary school had lost a parent or a member of the family. Money was scarce and security far beyond their reach. It did not help that the village was isolated and hard to access.

The school had also been going through a tough time. At the helm new principal Kithsiri Jayaratne fought to keep the school going for his 20 odd students. His dogged determination had only just begun to pay off, and even as the school kept its gates open, the numbers swelled until there were around 50. Still they were woefully understaffed and ill-equipped.

One day, quite by chance, a group from the SLLA stopped by the school. Premila was part of the group and with a few inquiries quickly ascertained that the library, small though it was, was being run well and was much in demand among the student population. When the school authorities appealed for more books, the SLLA group knew there was nothing more they would like to do than oblige. Unfortunately, funds were tight. It was then that Professor Jody Miller came in. An Associate Professor of Criminology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Jody was also the coordinator for the UM-St. Louis Tsunami Reconstruction Project. The plight of the little library at Andaragasayaya touched her and she decided to channel some funds into the project.

The responsibility of rebuilding the library into a 'model library' was assigned to a three member committee – consisting of Premila, Jody and Nilu Abeyratne, an Assistant Lecturer at the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology. For the committee, the task was not just to provide books and furniture for the library but instead to have it function as an information centre, complete with periodicals, audio-visual materials and trained librarians.

The project began in early August 2005, and the first phase completed within 2 ½ months, saw the library expanded, repaired and repainted and arrangements made to supply it with electricity. Colourful furniture, especially designed with children in mind was placed inside as were a considerable number of children's books.

Ladybird books, dictionaries, atlases and all manner of interesting and engaging literature were placed in the library.

The audio-visual equipment was also installed and the children could now watch entertaining educational programmes.

The SLLA’s involvement did not end there though. Their aim was to provide the students of Andaragasayaya Primary Vidyalaya with a range of educational experiences. Various artists have already conducted workshops for the children in art and music. Some of their works have even found their way to the U.S.A as part of an exhibition organised by Jody.

Today, the school stands proud as a centre of learning in the community. The student ranks have swelled to 61, and the new library seems to be at the centre of it all. Mr. Jayaratne and his staff have thrown themselves wholeheartedly into the work. Jody says that this – the enthusiasm and support of those actually there - is the crucial component that continues to make the project successful.