News

The special summer of 2020 has arrived. Special, because everything is still "different than usual". Because of COVID-19, many compatriots choose to celebrate their holiday in their own country. In Sri Lanka there is certainly no vacation. It is purely about survival, which we will tell you about in this newsletter. Fortunately, there are also positive stories to share with you. In this newsletter you will read successively about: The current situation in Sri Lanka with regard to COVID-19 and emergency aid A new OMI Provincial as of October 2020 Father Carowf new director of the YEC State of affairs at Father Avalin (learning / working farm) The Johan Wind Prize The new pre-school in Mulankavil almost ready So much to share with you. We will get started soon and wish you a lot of reading pleasure!

The current situation in Sri Lanka regarding COVID-19 and emergency aid
It seemed to go better for a moment, because the borders in Sri Lanka were also carefully opened. Went, because at this time of writing the country is in lockdown again. There is no work and no income. People die, not from COVID-19 (officially 11 victims), but from starvation.

The emergency relief that we were able to organize in collaboration with Rockids and the doubling of Wilde Ganzen, coordinated in Sri Lanka by Father Anton from Caritas, was more than welcome. Father Harance, Father Beshman and Father Avalin determined in consultation with the village chiefs which families were in greatest need, so where the emergency packages had to be sent. Sometimes a rewarding, but often also a distressing task, because by being forced to make choices, others whom are also having difficulties, unfortunately are skipped. See more photos here.

In the meantime, communication within the country is nil, so the population does not know where they stand. Tourism has come to a complete standstill, which also means a loss of income.

Our thanks go to the sponsors, small supermarkets as well as private individuals, who have made extra donations especially for the emergency relief. At the same time, we continue - unfortunately - to call for financial support for emergency aid. It is really a matter of life upon death; of literal survival. Therefore, from the bottom of our hearts, please keep on giving. We can assure you that your donation will be 100% in the right place.

A new OMI Provincial as of September 2020 We are pleased to announce that from October 2020 our partners in Sri Lanka, the Fathers OMI, will receive a new Provincial. We hope that it will be a good cooperation and that the contacts go well. We have already become acquainted (digitally) and that contact was very positive and promising. More on this later. Father Carowf new director of the YEC Father Philip has left as director of the YEC. Since the YEC is close to our hearts, we have some concerns about progress. We don't need to have those concerns. Father Carowf is the successor of father Philip and we have good contact with this enthusiastic new director. He has taken over the activities within the YEC very energetically. He also has good plans and is supported by the new Provincial, who has listened with interest during his introductory tour of the projects. You will undoubtedly hear more about Father Carowf and his activities in a future news item.

State of affairs at Father Avalin (learning / working farm)
Whoever cannot sit still is father Avalin. He is tirelessly committed to the learning / working farm, for which we are very happy and grateful. The classrooms for the lessons are now almost ready. The highest point is reached and the finishing touch follows. The biggest job now, however, is clearing the piece of land so that it is suitable for agriculture. The latest project on the learn/work farm is the construction of a second large well, with a pump that can run on solar energy. The roof of the farm is covered with solar panels. When the well with pump is ready, Father Avalin can install an irrigation system on the reclaimed land. In this way he wants to prevent the harvest from failing again due to the extreme drought. A project to keep following. You will no doubt hear more about it in the future.

The Johan Wind Prize
We are pleased and proud that the application of former board member Mirjam van den Berg, to be eligible for the Johan Wind prize this year, has been honored. No less than € 5,000 can be shared on education for the children who receive loving care in Anna's Home. With that money, Sister Chrishani can do a lot for her children, so that they can have a good future.

The new pre-school in Mulankavil almost finished
We stick to education, because the new pre-school in Mulankavil is finally almost ready. The project suffered a lot of delay last year because the construction workers were unable to work for months after the attacks at Easter. Materials were not delivered for the same reason. But now it is almost time for the school to be put into use. A great milestone reached!

In the news of January we already inform you about the donation of TransFair. Thanks to this donation, they have access to a professional printer / copier, a beamer (multi media), a laptop and 6 computer tables. They are very grateful to the TransFair Foundation for this donation.

So much for the news item of July 2020. You read it: we are also busy in corona time. We cannot achieve anything without your interest and financial support. So our big thanks, followed by the appeal: please continue to support our work. You will soon be able to view the 2019 annual accounts at: 'about us' under management and employees, on our website. In it you will discover that all donations go to the projects. The only costs we incur are bank charges, because our accountant, Adficount in Raalte, also prepares our annual accounts for us free of charge. 

That may well be said: René van Hoogstraten, we are very grateful!

We wish you a nice summer!