Soon after the monstrous waves of the tsunami ripped the coasts of Sri Lanka, several organisations stepped up to provide assistance to the multitude of victims left in its wake. One such dedicated entity that continues to extend its support, five years after the unprecedented natural disaster struck the island is the Tsunami Relief Task Force of the Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association (SLGGA), later known as Disaster Relief.
Appointed on January 4, 2005 to provide immediate relief, the group concentrated on Hambantota. The guides distribute dry rations, water, medicines, family starter packs, are among some of the essential items they had collected at the Headquarters of the SLGGA. They also provided the victims with counseling. Realizing that the extent of the damage caused by the tsunami was vast and deep, the guides drew up a plan for long term assistance.
These are some of the projects they have undertaken, which either have been completed successfully or are being continued today. In 2006 they launched one of their largest projects which is still carried out and costs a total of Rs.3.5 million to date.
The massive project is the ‘Nana Piyasa’ (House of Wisdom) library project. Involving renovating, furnishing and stocking of libraries in the tsunami affected areas, the SLGGA also saw to the expansion of the Kudawella Child Development Centre and the opening of another such centre at Mawella, Tangalle, the launch of the Tsunami Education Support Scheme stage II and the sponsoring of children in the affected areas.
The following year the SLGGA took on more projects which focused on education. A shramadana to paint the Tangalle/ Markakolliya Vidyakaya was successfully carried out, at which the Rotary Club participated as well. Under the Nana Piyasa project stage II, Athgalamulla Vidyalaya was presented with a fresh stock of books for their library complete with a computer was gifted to the Hambantota Polonnanaruwa Vidyalaya and nine Scholars from Kudawella and the Mawella Child Development Centre who had excelled academically were awarded scholarships.
Last year most of their efforts were focused into ensuring the smooth running of projects launched in the previous years. Last year saw the 10th Nana Piyasa library declared open at a school in Negombo and two other libraries opened under the same project. Taking on more projects this year, so far the SLGGA Disaster Relief arm awarded 11 high achieving students with scholarships. They have also distributed 1000 health and hygiene packs, valued at Rs. 650,000 among women and girls at a campus in Vavuniya. Currently, plans are under way by the SLGGA to involve the Health Ministry in providing urgently needed medical supplies necessary for cataract surgery.
Having renamed the committee ‘Disaster Relief’ in 2005, the committee is no longer exclusively for tsunami victims. During the floods in September 2009, flood relief packages containing clothing and dry rations were distributed among those affected in the Ratnapura and Kalutara district. However, the damage caused by the tsunami being vast, the SLGGA is intensely involved in the tsunami recovery projects. The committee recently received a request from three tsunami affected schools in Jaffna, for libraries.
The Disaster Relief arm of the SLGGA has set itself a hefty goal to allocate classrooms, furnish and supply books and a computer each to all the three schools by the end of this year.
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