The essays seen on this page are written and drawn by children who participated in the UNDP Twinning Schools Programme in Weli Oya. The children were from four schools; Sampathnuwara Maha Vidyalaya and Janakapura Maha Vidyalaya in Weli Oya and the Pariharikandal GTM and Murunkan M.V. in Mannar.

Under this programme Sinhala and Tamil schools from different parts of the country are twinned with each other. They are taken on five-day visits to the schools they have been twinned with. The project is being carried out in 33 schools around the country. Articles written in Sinhala and Tamil have been translated into English.

My friend and I

By Dinesh Lakmal (13 years), Sampathnuwara M.V.

My name is Dinesh Lakmal. I am 13 years old. My village is Weli Oya. I go to Sampathnuwara Maha Vidyalaya. I am in Grade 9. I hope to become a teacher in the future.

My friend's name is Clinton. He is 14 years old. He is from Pariharikandal in Mannar. Clinton is in Grade 10. He wants to be an art teacher.

My friend Sumudu

By B. Jaksala (11 years), Mannar

My friend's name is Sumudu. She is in Grade 9, in Sampathnuwara Maha Vidyalaya in Weli Oya. She is
14 years old. Her village is Sampathnuwara.

Sumudu wants to become a teacher when she grows up. She has two sisters. Their names are Sumithira and Thinusika. Her father's name is Sunil and her mother's name is Kusumawathi.

My best friend Sinduja

By Thushara Nilmini

All the children here are my friends but among them Sindu was the friend who became closest to me. Sindu always works together with me. Some of the special qualities I see in Sindu are that she is very helpful and always smiling.

Sindu is from the Murunkan village in Mannar. She is 11 years old. Her birthday is on October 16. She has two sisters and one brother. Her favourite subject is Maths and her favourite colour is blue. She likes to eat apples and noodles. Sindu likes dogs.

Friendship bridge

By S. Killintan, Parikarikandal

Born we were in Mannar
To meet in Weli Oya
The bridge of friendship
Built up fraternity
And build up the country.

Born far away
Brought up somewhere
Together were we
Brought up by UNDP
To foster unity races
regardless
Via the friendship bridge

Dreams come true

By Thebora Rutheeytha (Grade 10), Parikarikandal GTM School, Mannar

Our friendship isn't snow
To vanish in a second
It isn't sunrays to burn us

It isn't a mirage
To appear and disappear
Nor a blowing
To speed away
Could our friendship
Ever change on earth

Stars and moon
Will appear and disappear
Your face seen
On friendship bridge
Shall never disappear.

My friend

By Kavindya (11 years), Weli Oya

My friend is Shashini. She is from Mannar. She is in Grade 9. She is 14 years old. Her mothers' name is Pulida Seeli and her father's name is Alme Raja.

My best friend

By Nuha Hakeem (Grade 2), St. Paul's Milagiriya

My best friend's name is Amilah. She is 7 years old. She is in Grade 1 and goes to Minaret Girls' School. Her favourite food is sausage. She likes to drink Sprite. Her favourite colour is yellow. Her hobby is reading books. She likes to play with me very much.

She has an elder sister and two twin brothers. I like to spend the day with her.

My trip to Nuwara Eliya

By Joshua Perera (Grade 2), St. Peter's College, Colombo 4

On the 8th of April I went to Nuwara Eliya with my father, mother, grandparents and my cousins. We went by van.

We rented out a house in Nuwara Eliya. We had fun in the park. I played cricket and badminton with my cousins in the park. I saw beautiful flowers. I had a pony ride and a boat ride in the lake.

In the evening it was very cold so we played indoor games. I was very sad when I came back home because it was the end of our trip.

Wonders of Science

By Sarah Seresinghe (11 years), Lyceum International School, Nugegoda

This is the age of science. Science has changed the entire world. It is not the same in which our ancestors lived. If they were to return now to the earth, they would not recognize it.

Science has made our life more comfortable, beautiful and trouble-free. The blessings of science are too many to count. Science has conquered time and distance. Very fast means of communication and transport have made the world smaller.

The telephone, radio, television and aeroplane are some of them. Electricity is another wonderful gift of science. Its uses are unlimited.

It lights our houses, shops and streets. It runs our factories and trains. It runs our coolers and air-conditioners.

Science had given us wonderful medicines. It has conquered epidemics. Now even the brain can be operated upon and many vital organs transplanted.

Now we can live a long and healthy life. Travelling is now so safe, comfortable and fast. In the fields of agriculture, education and entertainment, science has proved to be a great blessing. It has given us many wonderful inventions.

Pool Party

By Khalid Awad (8 years), Belvoir College International

On Sunday the 25th of April, my cousins and I went to the pool party at Cartoon Kids, which is at Colombo 6. We had a whale of a time there.

The media sponsors were Art TV, Daily Mirror and Real Radio. They had many games and we had them all while we were in the pools. First they threw many marbles into the pools and the children who collected the most were the winners.

My cousin came 1st in this game. Next was balloon bursting and later the best dancers were given gifts. We had to build sand-castles too.

There was also a play-gym and a salon and a few boutiques. We played on the bouncer. We watched Barney and posed for photos. We bought toys from Wood-4-Kids. My mother bought T-shirts for my brother and me. My cousins and I had loads of fun and I hope to go to the party next time too.

Colombo the bustling city

By Maya Weerasinghe (Year 5), British School in Colombo

Colombo is situated in the west of Sri Lanka and it is the best place to go for shopping as they have everything you need. The hotels are marvellous and they are the finest in the whole of Sri Lanka or most probably the whole continent of Asia.

There are tons of beaches and they are blue as sapphire and you can go snorkelling, surfing and swimming in the fabulous paradise beaches. In the evening you can watch the amazing, beautiful sunset.
The food in Colombo is outstanding. You can eat curries and rice and you should try it when you come to Colombo.

The sports are fascinating and anyone can swim, run, play cricket and do many more sports. The weather is perfect to go to the beach and the beach is very lively with lots of traditional dances like Kandyan dances and you can hear the incredible Kandyan drum beat whilst you drink a hot cup of tea or a soft drink. So get going before the crowds arrive and come join the fun.

My ambition

By R. Raj Prabu (Grade 4), Royal Institute, Havelock Town

My ambition is to be a doctor. My mother says that "doctors are visible gods." That is because when you are sick, only the doctor can cure you.

If I am a qualified doctor, I could cure many people's sickness and then my name will be famous in this country. When I go abroad, I will cure those people and my name will be famous there too. Then I can show the world how much Sri Lankans are educated. My parents would be very proud of me.

And there is another reason why I like to be a doctor. That is because my father's parents wanted him to become a doctor but he became a chef, because he did not study to become a doctor.

I love my grandmother and grandfather even though they have died. So, I want their wish to come true. I think that doctors are great and they get the greatest salary. So let us all be 'visible gods'.

Myself

Amani Almeida (Grade 1), Lindsay Girls' School, Colombo 3

My name is Amani. I am five years old. I have short hair. I live in Pannipitiya. I am in Grade 1.

A night I spent without sleep

By Harshani Kumarasinghe (12 years), Vision International School, Kandy

It was Thursday March 25, 2010. When I came back home from school my mother wasn't there and I knew that she had been admitted to the hospital for her varicose vein on her leg to be operated.

In the night, when I went to bed, I couldn't sleep because I was scared about her operation and also it was the first night that I was alone in bed without my mother.

The following day after school, I went to the hospital with my father and elder sister, to see my mother. She was on the bed, after the operation. We were very happy when the doctors told us that she could be discharged. So, we could come home with her in the evening. Since then I can have a sound sleep as my mother is with me in bed every night.

My home garden

By Imansa Mahathanthila (Grade 2), Kalutara Balika National School

My home is in Kalutara, Nagoda. It is a fine place. I have a garden. I have a swing in my garden. I ride my bicycle in my garden. Beautiful birds come to my garden. My garden is full of flowers. Butterflies are flying to my garden. They are beautiful. I like my home garden.

My favourite newspaper

By Savindu Herat (Grade 4), Royal International School, Kurunegala

My favourite newspaper is the Funday Times. Reading the Funday Times every Sunday gives me great pleasure and makes me happy. It has essays, poems, stories, club members gallery and lots of competitions like Handwriting, Art and creative writing for children to win prizes.

I find games, competitions and puzzles in this paper and I really enjoy them. They are very interesting and amusing.

I have won lots of prizes in these competitions. The Funday Times is not only for children. There are lots of things for the whole family to learn. The history page provides me articles for my school assessments.

I will never forget the Christmas party that was given to us at Excel World by the Funday Times. It is the most popular English newspaper among juniors. I love "Funday Times" and wish it long life.

Red Rose

By Samoshi Seenadhira (13 years), Hemamali Girls' College, Kandy

I go to my garden, in the morning,
The sunlight dawns on my face
It can console the world

I walk to the garden
With the sunlight
I heard the birds sing
It can console the people

I sit in the garden
I saw the red rose
I took the red rose
And it can console my heart.

My fish tank

By Janindu Jayawardana (Grade 2), Trinity College, Kandy

sThere are many beautiful fish in my fish tank. They are red, gold and yellow. There are stones, sand and plants in my tank. Everyday I give food to the fish. I like to watch my fish tank every day.

From our overseas readers...

Storms and other natural disasters

By Mihan Rathninde (8 years), Eastern Elementary School, Greentown, Australia

Storms happen everywhere in the world. A tornado is hot and cold air chasing each other around and around and around. When there is a tornado, you have to hide in a room where there are no windows.

After a meteor wiped out the dinosaurs a long time ago, a tsunami washed away the
animals that were still alive. That had been the tallest tsunami ever. Tsunamis are huge waves that hit the ground and make a big flood.

Dust devils can be seen in dry places like Arizona in the United States. A dust devil is like a dust tornado.
A hurricane is when it there is rain and wind at the same time. People name the monster hurricanes Ben, Bob, Andrew and Katrina. There were only four major hurricanes that have happened in the United States. The most dangerous hurricane was Katrina. The weakest was Bob which killed 3 people.

The most common storm everyone knows is the rainstorm. You may think that rain does not harm you, but if it rains for many days it will make a flood. Heavy rainfall can create landslides too. All the storms in the world can be dangerous so you had better watch out!

Earthquakes can happen anywhere in the world. The earth trembles and building collapse. Earthquakes happen when a rock underground breaks along a crack. That makes the ground shake. The recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile were scary.

The best Art teacher I ever had

By Nuha Zulfi (Grade 4), Sri Lankan International School, Riyadh

She joined the school in 2007, when we did not have an Art teacher. I was only in Grade 2 then. From that day onwards, Art became an enjoyable subject for me.

She was so charming and beautiful. The drawings she drew were like real images. She guided us and helped us to draw many wonderful pictures and sceneries. She was one of my favourite teachers and I think I was one of her favourite students.

Suddenly she left us and made us all very sad. The day she said goodbye, February 5, 2010, will remain one of the saddest days of my life. That was the day my dearest Art teacher Mrs. Saranga returned to Sri Lanka.

Her beautiful drawings will never fade away and her sweet smile will remain in our hearts forever.