Day 4 - Trinco

Trinco – Young boys – James
What a day. Arrived in the village greeted by all the sponsored children who shook our hands as we walked up the stairs. The welcome consisted of samba bands, songs and lots of happy faces. After the welcome we found ourselves in an open field with 40 boys aged 6-14. Let the mayhem begin. We had all sorts of team games and relay races going on, duck duck goose, hockey, football however the morning ultimately ended with a very competitive game of cricket. A brilliant morning shared with brilliant kids. They all seemed so pleased to have us there and playing games with them. A very lovely experience and one I will not forget…especially the sunburn I now have for forgetting to apply sun cream in 35 degree heat and no shade…

Shahana Ramsden
It was 6 months ago that I started thinking about the session I was due to teach to the 13 to 18 year old Muslim girls. The idea was to make “self care” boxes - a special place where they could put their precious items focused in the 5 senses - something that smelt good, nice words they could hear, pretty things to see and materials that felt good to touch. Thanks to the very generous donations from friends and some careful online purchases, I came armed with a large suit case full of resources. Even without an interpreter, it was easy to show the girls what to do. The session went exactly as I hoped. The young girls immediately  began to construct and decorate their boxes showing true creativity, their behaviour was excellent and as soon as I explained a task, they were keen to show me how well they could do it.. Once boxes were ready, I asked the girls to make personalised cards and with positive words about themselves, and again I was pleasantly surprised by how beautifully they could write in English and how many positive words they found about themselves. We headed straight from the session to meet a sponsored family and had fund showing them family photos and seeing what we had in common with each other.

So as I headed back to the mini bus with an empty resource bag I felt physically and emotionally lighter - having had the privilege of spending time with some amazing people.

Kamran
Our session with the older boy’s at the school in Trincomalee was inspiring and fun! Dan and I started with a simple exercise designed to test creativity and inventiveness - we provided the boys with dried spaghetti, string, cello tape and a soft ball and tasked them with the goal of creating a structure that could support the ball. Of course, the team that won were the ones who worked together as a team and tested their ideas constantly! We then gave the boys a MasterChef inspired challenge - create a fruit cocktail using only a handful of fruit, some teaspoons and a glass of water, then create a name and present it to the judges in just 15 minutes. The winning drink - creatively titled in English ‘New Fashion Drink’ - tasted great and was presented creatively in a hollowed out water melon. We finished the day by teaching the students two classic British schoolyard games - broken mirror and flinch ball - followed by a short tour of the school.

Ultimately, my experience of the school in ‘Trinco’ was incredibly positive, particularly considering I was completely unsure what of to expect. The students ultimately made the experience great: their confidence and enthusiasm for the future was genuinely inspiring to witness and I really hope to visit again to see their progress.

Day 3 - Trincomalee

Five members of team two had the chance to experience the beautiful sights of Sri Lanka, the elephant safari and the delicious Sri Lankan food. We had already fallen in love with the country but as soon as we arrived in Trincomalee we had the chance to see another even more inspiring aspect of the Sri Lanka community. We immediately joined the rest of the Ocean Stars team and had the chance to see first-hand how the Ocean Stars funds are used. It was great to see the joy on the faces of the local children who received bikes purchased by Ocean Stars supporters. Boxes of very cute and fluffy chickens which will support sustainable livelihoods of families were handed to families in need. However.  The most excitement was generated as the boys from the local cricket team all crowded around and peered into a huge bag which contained a full set of cricket equipment.

Finally the team walked across to the house of a local villager, where the  wide of a local fisherman and her 5 year old son happily received a boat donated by a generous sponsor. We then came together as a whole team again where we finished off the afternoon with tea and cakes, which took me right back to that first evening where excited but anxious team two participants sat in Dilanee’s front room to start the planning of this life changing experience. 

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Aidan and Chris

We arrived at Trinco to find ourselves in the middle of the various gifts donated being given out to individual children and families.

Seeing children at the gate so grateful and happy to receive a pair of shoes to wear or a bike to ride to and from school was so humbling. For each of them it meant so much and a number of them  struggled to express their feelings. However, their reaction and smiles said it all.

Being asked to give 20 chicks each, to the mothers of two families so they could have fresh eggs was both emotional and humbling. We were in the midst of people who had so very little and yet their faces and reaction meant they had received so much.

Although we had heard so much about Sri Lanka and Ocean stars whilst preparing to visit, it is only when you experience a day like today that you realise just how special and important the work  is that Ocean Stars is doing.

Day 2 - Kilinochchi

Kilinochchi Nurseries

The team woke up fresh with 4hrs sleep. Breakfast was served and we were on our way to our first pre-school however today was slightly different. We were having a celebration as Ocean Stars were officially opening a new building, containing a well and a kitchen for the school, that OST had funded for them.

We arrived to the sound of loud music as we met the children and teachers, who presented us each with a flower garland. After a quick meet and greet Dan got the kids warmed up with a quick clapping game and Julie then read them the story (Giraffes can’t dance) which they seemed to really engage with and love seeing the pictures of the animals. When story time was over we all did the Hokey Cokey…an Ocean Stars classic.

Now to the opening. Dilanee and trustee, Jen, cut the ribbon, revealed the plaque and declared the building open. This was then followed by thank you speeches from a number of members of the children’s home, including the vice-president. As another very special thank you they also presented each of the team with beautiful a piece of Sri Lankan fabric.

After the thank you’s and presentations, we then split the team. One stayed at the pre school and another visited one down the road. We then all completed crafts and did songs with the children, as well as giving each of them a teddy that had be bought with us. They were so overjoyed with their gift and loved having us all there. We didn’t want to leave.

A Visit to the Young Boys Home at Mahdeva

Yesterday James, Keith and I (Dan) visited the younger boys who varied from age 8-14 at the Mahdeva Children’s Home in Killinochi. As soon as we arrived we were mobbed. We were simply overjoyed to be in each other’s company. 10, 20, 30, 40…there were 55 children at this part of the multi-acre Mahdeva site.

The children were eager to do some activities, revelling in the 2 hour ‘games period’ after arriving back from school.

With the sun burning bright, the afternoon descended into a joyous sweat-fest. Relay games were followed by a hysterical hokey-cokey which descended into a raucous mosh-pit during the ‘ooooooooh hokey-cokey’ section. Understandable I guess, considering there were 55 boys in the circle!

Another highlight of the afternoon was playing duck-duck-goose. In particular watching Keith demonstrate an electric turn of pace to evade the young Sri Lankan ‘goose’ (video footage is available). Don’t think you will find a faster former Pastor!

The afternoon concluded with a short game of football, James and I demonstrating a woeful lack of fitness as we tried to get ‘stuck-in’ with the far more agile and energetic Mahdeva boys (the game ended 0-0, probably for the best).

We then gathered in the prayer room where the boys sat down in immaculate lines to receive handwritten cards and messages from Heatherside Junior School. We also provided each boy with a new toothbrush and toothpaste and grasped both items with sheer joy.

It really was a fantastic afternoon and a pleasure to share time with the boys. We all felt so at ease from the first minute to the last. It sure is true that sport is a universal language. Despite us not knowing any of the Tamil language and the boys’ having limited English language, we managed to connect, compete and laugh in harmony.

*Just as a side note, the Mahdeva Children’s Home in Killinochi is a truly remarkable project. They are currently 90% self-sufficient, growing virtually all of their own produce, serving 500 children 2-3 meals every day. The love and compassion provided by the staff to the children who have been displaced or orphaned by the Sri Lankan civil war is amazing. It was wonderful to be a part of their world for a few days, in what was my second visit to the home. 

On now to Trinco an Batti, cannot wait to see what joys await us!

Yattyanthota playgroup

Yattyanthota is a relatively new preschool for OST and is situated 2 hours east of Colombo in a region which is home to many rubber plantations. The children who attend this preschool mainly come from Tamil plantation workers who are on a daily wage of  around £3 per day and often do not get the opportunity to attend a preschool. However this pre school has only been made possible through the vision of a forward thinking young minister who saw this as an opportunity to break the poverty cycle.

On arrival we were greeted by happy smiling faces and were presented with flower garlands which made us feel like royalty! After a warmup session we then read them a story about a giraffe called Gerald who could not dance. The children loved the book and all its illustrations. Books here are very uncommon here so this was a real novelty. The children then followed this up be making giraffe hats and then parading them proudly round the room. After a sing song of English nursery rhymes which were sung fluently as English is now actively encouraged in all Sei Lanka preschools we finished our session with bubbles  and handing out of teddies ( which they all called Pinky) and toothbrush sets and lollipops. The children really loved our session as getting a visit from a westerner rarely if ever happens.

We then were asked back for lunch at one on the children’s home on the plantation where we got a chance to meet their families, enjoy the food they had prepared for us and to appreciate their living conditions. They may not have had much but they all had warm hearts and beautiful smiles.

Day 1 – The journey begins

The team had an early start, meeting at Calthorpe park school at 7am, where we met with the teachers and pupils to take the coach over to Gatwick. There was a constant flow of baggage coming into one small music room with most bags being larger than a lot of the pupils. At 7.30 the mammoth task of packing the coach began but amazingly we managed to hit the road to Gatwick by 8.

We arrived at Gatwick at 9.30…the M3 and M25 rush hour was kind to us. Check in was relatively simple and no queues as we had arrived 6hours before the flight… We killed time in duty free, restaurants and catching up with each other before the long flight to Dubai (7hrs).

We arrived in Dubai with no delays following a comfortable flight – everyone seemed to love the new Emirates A380. We then had a short wait at Dubai (2hrs) which was mostly taken up by security and walking to the connection. At 2.30am local time we sleepily boarded our flight to Colombo (4hrs). Again, another lovely Emirates flight, with a choice of Curry or Omelette for breakfast. Most opted for Omelette.

After landing we had a very easy time through immigration (nobody questioned the 500 toothbrushes and 750 teddies) where we then waited and waited and waited for our bags to arrive. We eventually got all our bags so proceeded to find our driver. We were then greeted with beautiful flower garlands that smelt divine. After approx. 40min drive to Negombo we arrived in a beachfront hotel where we had enough time to grab some food and have a much-needed freshen up before the group split. One group went off on a tourist trip while the other began a 10hr journey up to Killinochchi… A sleepless 27hrs and counting...

Week 4 - Meeting friends from afar

Today's meeting was when the whole group came together for the first time. People had traveled from all over the UK to be a part of the meeting and to get to know the team. The group immediately bonded and there was a real sense of unity among the group. After introductions took place, the team got straight down to business and split off into groups to begin planning various activities for the trip.

With a helping hand from Sandra, an Ocean Stars volunteer with trip experience, the ladies planned the teacher training session we will all be involved in. The lads got together to plan sports day style activities that they will be doing with the boys in Trinco and Jen and Emma planned some crafts and bracelet-making to do with the girls.

Team's thoughts after week 4

Christine: It was good to meet the team and to get a clearer picture of what we will be doing. Also to get a feel what some of the groups will be like regarding their locations. I am really excited about the trip. I will receive so much from the children, and I hope will be able to give in experience of working with children. Thank you for a very helpful day.

Keith: Really good to meet the rest of the team and to see how it is all getting together. Good team atmosphere, lots of enthusiasm and expectation. Being approached to undertake D.I.Y. tasks at the preschools (following general conversation with Maureen last night) was unexpected but welcomed. I am looking forward to offering this service and to be able to help in this way. Roll on October.

Heather: So good to meet the rest of the team for the first time and to discuss in detail what we are going to do in Sri Lanka. We have lots to plan and to look forward to.

Shona: It was great to finally meet the group and to bond with the team members. It is good to get an expectation of the different environments we will be facing and how best to prepare. I was grateful for the time and inside knowledge provided by Sandra.

Chris: It was nice to meet the other members of the team. After only 2 meetings there is a lovely team spirit, good inter co-operation and support for each other and sharing of humour. Organization is becoming clearer and it was good today to work on practicalities. With every meeting I have a little more understanding of what life is like for the children and families. I have a growing excitement and today was particularly good in seeing how the things I want to achieve with my Heatherside children fits with what we are going to be doing in Sri Lanka.

Kamran: It was a great session. Really made me think about what activities to run and the implications of what we are doing.

Emma: It has been great to meet everyone and plan activities together. I am now very excited for the trip in October.

Aidan: It was a wonderful session. Full of good ideas and thoughtful suggestions as to how we can make the days in Sri Lanka memorable for the children and families. Everyone is contributing and it feels like one family pulling together and supporting each other.

Jen: It was really great to have the whole team together and get planning our activities in more detail, although James and I definitely need to practice our Scottish dancing.

James: It was great to meet the rest of the group. Trip is becoming very real now and the activities have started to be planned. There is lots to prepare and lots to look forward to.

Julie: It has been really good to meet the whole team. Plans are coming together well. Collecting resources and starting to cut out templates makes it feel very real! It gets more exciting every time we meet.