A girls soccer team in Ohio raise money for relief with local RC

This is an [edited] email Tharanga got today:

"Greetings once again from the Rotary Club of Hilliard,Ohio,USA. This is to follow up on my last message to you. My daughter's soccer team, their parents, and the Rotary Club are sending you a check in the amount of US$ 840.00. The girls were pleased to hear that some of their money may go toward rebuilding and repairing schools in Sri Lanka.

I have also attached [a] photo of the girls that you may wish to share with your club. [It] is of the soccer team at our meeting. The adults in the back row are Coach Kathy Lindsey, District Gov. George Hale and President Tim Boysel.



Good Luck with with all of your relief efforts."

Marty Bretz; Past President, PHF
Rotary Club of Hilliard

Thank you to all of you from all of us.

We had CNO officials at our meeting today [revised]

We had two senior officials linked to the Centre for National Operations [CNO] at our meeting today [27 Jan]. The CNO is the organization “set up by the President of Sri Lanka for the purpose of setting up a centralized operation to manage the relief programmes launched by the Government of Sri Lanka for the victims of [the] Tsunami”. [CNO site].

According to these officials everything is “under control” except for few places in the east. They did not mention the north. They mentioned that in another 2 weeks the Government will “announce” its relocation plans and everyone will have to abide by the same [that includes us].

rest of the post deleted

Harsha de Silva

LankaFood donations comes to an end

We have now discontinued donations through LankaFood. We had a total of 363 orders amounting to USD 36,581. We thank all those who contributed. The food and medicines made a huge difference in the lives of the displaced survivors in the days soon after the disaster.

Special thanks to LankaFood for all their hard work on a voluntary basis. Please use their services!

100 mobile toilets for IDP camps

Post updated with picture

Toilet facilities have become a huge problem in the camps holding the tens of thousands of internally displaced persons [IDP].

Based on observation and several requests, we have decided to purchase and install 100 mobile toilet units in selected camps. Lanka Walltiles have agreed to supply these units at the best possible price; USD 65 per unit. As phase one, we have ordered 50 units. The first batch of 10 units are expected to be installed on 6 Februray in Matara . Thereafter we will install units in Pattuvil, Galle, Batticaloa and several other to be identified areas. Our local partners will be responsible for operation and maintanance.

Project team is Bari, Prabhu and Althaf.

Regency ACN LT project research update

President Mario and Rotarians Thilal, Prabhu and Gehan met with ACNielsen [ACN] MD Dwight Watson [himself a tsunami survivor], Crystal Nathan and Udayana Seneviratne on 26 January to finalize the way forward of the long-term project. Here is a progress report:

Objectives

• Understand the key problems/issues;
• Ellicit their current needs in the short term and long term;
  
• Assess the kind of relief activities/measures that are currently implemented;
• Evaluate their reaction to various project ideas;
  
• Model village
  
• Livelihoods project [within the model village] and
  
• Educational project [within the model village]
  

Discussion Guide

Everyone went through the discussion guide and it was agreed upon. Our Rotarians wanted the research team to probe a little more in terms of what the respondents expected from the project ideas so that they could customize the project thus making it more relevant. In order to do so, the ACN team requested the Rotarians to give some write ups for each of the project ideas. These would then serve as concept boards which could be checked out in the groups. The revised DG is attached in the Long-Term Project link. Please provide any feedback before the 5th of February.

Logistics

It was decided that the recruitment for these groups would take place at the refugee camps in that area. However a problem that remains is the identification of one village/area to make the research findings more purposeful and it was agreed by the rest of the team. We would now speak to the Batticaloa team and narrow it down to one village and a total of 4 groups will be conducted.

It was decided to have the groups scheduled during the 11^th – 13^th of February 2005. Since the rotary team is well versed with the terrain of the land, at least one of them would accompany the ACN team to Batticaloa for the groups. We offered to look after the transport and lodging of the moderator who would conduct these groups. It was also agreed that the Rotary centre in Batticaloa would serve as the venue for these groups

100 mobile toilets for IDPs

Toilet facilities have become a huge problem in the camps holding the tens of thousands of internally displaced persons [IDP].

Based on observation and several requests, we have decided to purchase and install 100 mobile toilet units in selected camps. Lanka Walltiles have agreed to supply these units at the best possible price; USD 65 per unit. As phase one, we have ordered 50 units. The first batch of 10 units are expected to be installed on 6 Februray in Matara . Thereafter we will install units in Pattuvil, Galle, Batticaloa and several other to be identified areas. Our local partners will be responsible for operation and maintanance.

Project team is Bari, Prabhu and Althaf.

Long term project sub-committees

Our long term projects committee has been broken up in to three sub committees. Below are the committees and our members responsible for the same:

1. Housing: Thilal
2. Schools: Chamila
3. Livelihood: Shantha

The Chairperson of each sub committee is also in the main Relief Committee which is chaired by President Mario. Right now each sub-comm is evaluating options and would feed the same in to the reseach that is being undertaken by ACN. This way we expect to have a through idea of the best possible structure for a "people centred" long term project. President Mario said "Our ultimate aim is to raise the quality of life of the people we help to a level higher than they had prior to Tsunami."

Regency ACN research next week

ACNielsen Lanka has accepted our request to undertake the research study in a selected area in the east. They will organize and hold a series of focus group discussions among various target groups, analyse the data and make a presentation to us. We will link the report for all to see. Thank you ACN. We are now planning the logistics with the help of the Rotary Club of Batticaloa.

The study is to be conducted next week after we agree on the methodology and discussion guidelines. Our problem is with getting suitable land; the bureaucracy always moves slower than us. President Mario and Prabhu are working on it.

Please feel free to email us any suggestions you may have to include in the research to Rotary Regency.

ACNielsen Lanka to help Regency plan long-term project

We are in discussion with AC Nielsen Lanka to undertake a thorough needs-assessment study in the short listed areas in the east to make sure our planned long-term village reconstruction project is a success.

We have requested ACN Lanka to conduct a series of focus group studies which will become our planning base. We requested them to find out as much as possible, the “real” requirements of these devastated people and their expectations. We wanted the ACN Lanka professionals to consider the various relationships that exist in the community and how they interact; what about the surviving children and the women… what are the special needs etc. Another request was to find out how best we could help them with rebuilding their livelihoods. This way, we will have a realistic and accurate assessment of the people we all want to help. We can then build on this base and plan our project. Our thanks to Crystal and her enthusiastic team at ACN Lanka; hope we can have a go ahead soon!

We shall soon post the proposed intermediate and long term plans of Regency to rehabilitate and get these people back on their feet.

Read Write Sri Lanka donations now tax deductible in the US

The Read Write Sri Lanka program implemented jointly by a group led by Imalka Senadhira in the Bethesda, MD area and of the Rotary Club of Rotary Regency has now obtained tax deductible status though the good offices of Mr Nihal Gunewardene, president of the Sri Lanka Association of Greater Washington. Thank you.

U.S. residents can make tax deductible contributions to Rotary Regency - Read Write Sri Lanka initiative through the Sri Lanka Association of Greater Washington, a non-profit organization registered with the Internal Revenue Service. Please refer to www.slawdc.com

Please send an e-mail confirming donations to imalka2003@yahoo.com and nihalg@istiinc.com, along with any preference for how the funds should be spent, and your full name and address. This will enable us to track of your donations and keep you informed about our progress and how the money is being spent.

Contributions can be made in any of the following ways:

By cheque: Please make cheques out to SLAGW, with “Rotary Regency - Read Write Sri Lanka” in the memo line. Mail cheques to SLAGW, 1820 North Fort Myer Drive, Suite 600, Arlington, VA 22209.

By bank transfer: Please send bank transfers to account of SLAGW, Chevy Chase Bank, Chevy Chase, MD 20815. Routing Number 255 071 981, Account number 544 374 711. Please specify that the funds are intended for “Rotary Regency - Read Write Sri Lanka”.

By credit card: A credit card portal will soon be inaugurated at www.slawdc.com on January 19, 2005. Please choose the “Rotary Regency – Read Write Sri Lanka” option.

In Kind: Please contact Imalka Senadhira in the U.S. on +301-656-6919 or imalka2003@yahoo.com to discuss details and logistics of your contribution.

Direct Donations: If you want to send to Sri Lanka immediately and tax deduction is not important, you may donate through the different payment options via Rotary Regency http://www.reliefforsrilanka.blogspot.com. Please specify that the funds are intended for “Rotary Regency - Read Write Sri Lanka”.

Read Write Sri Lanka Phase 2

Read Wrire Sri Lanka [RW SL] is now moving on the second phase of the initiative after the completetion of the highly successful first phase. The phase 2 goal is to raise 5,000 backpacks by September 2005. RW SL hopes to ship a container in early June, as the first stage of supplies collected.

Each child could prepare a backpack containing school supplies appropriate for him or her to last a child for as long as you wish – six months, one year. You can put what you use in school. The backpack may include school supplies such as pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, crayons, scissors, bound notebooks [loose paper is not used in Sri Lanka]. In addition, little toys, toiletries, hair ornaments for girls, socks and shoes [Sri Lankan schools generally use all white or black shoes/sneakers and white socks], shoes/sandals for out of school wear also would be useful to be included in the backpack gift.

RW SL would like to encourage partnerships with schools/classes for this initiative. Individual contributions are most welcome too. The 5000 backpacks will be distributed to children to have new school supplies and a backpack for the new school term. Rotary Regency will directly hand over these backpacks to the most needy children of the South, East, and north of the country. At present, Rotary Regency is working with the Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka and the Center for National Operations to identify the most needy children and schools. As soon as the formalities are sorted out, we will upload the list of schools on the rotary regency supported weblog www.reliefforsrilanka.blogspot.com.

If anyone is interested in participating in this initiative, please contact Imalka Senadhira in the U.S. on +301-656-6919 or imalka2003@yahoo.com to discuss logistics and other formalities.

Note by Harsha: Imalka had sent me a detailed document which I am unable to load on the blog, so please email her or Chamila at chamila@blissforme.com for same.

Report from Matara

This is a report from Sagala Ratnayake [once a Regency rotarian] who is also a member of parliament from that district. His team is one of the many we have been helping besides our focus on Batticaloa. [see previous posts]

He says Matara district currently has 37 operational camps. However he adds that there are more locations since the camps are sometimes unable to cope with housing the number of families registered with these camps.

His team has been working in the Weligama, Matara, Welipitiya, Devinuvara and Dickwella divisions since the 1^st of January providing food parcels utilizing dry rations provided by you through us. Sagala says that program will continue on a weekly basis until the need is no longer there. He says "We have also helped them with kerosene cookers, cooking utensils, mattresses, pillows, clothes and toys". [Picture below shows Sagala distributng relief at one of the many make-shift distribution points.]

Laki, a team member says that some camps where they cooked meals for the displaced “there were tears in their eyes, as they had not had a home cooked meal since the day of the tragedy.” She added “They said that they appreciated the fact that we took time to come and speak with them and how grateful they were for the effort by organizations like Rotary providing them help”.

We thank Sagala and the teams for helping us distribute the food and other immediate needs among the people in Matara.

Report from Pottuvil and Arugam Bay

Interview with Rotarian Shanta who led our mission to the east coast with Rotarian Nalin [RC of Colombo] over the wkend. They visited Arugam Bay, Potuvil, Komari, Sangamankanda, Tirukkovil, Akkaraipattu and Ampara. They could not reach Kalmunai as the bridge in Oluvil [12 kms southof Kalmunai] was still under repair. This is what he had to say:

"The main objective of the mission was to asses firsthand the ground situation in the east coast for our club to plan out mid term and long term projects. We also delivered tents, water purifying filters, medicines, dry rations, fresh water, baby feeding bottles, clothes and toys. The picture shows Shanta [in blue shirt] helping distribute toys at a refugee camp.



He says "We felt there is enough of food, dry rations, clothes for the people in these areas. There is excess and some people are even trying to selling these items." But Shanta said the refugee camps need tents, flash lights, lanterns, blankets and cooking utensils.

"The people need to restart there livelyhoods butdo not have the tools required to do so. The fishermen need new boats or get their damaged boats repaired. They need nets. The farmers need sickles and mamoties. We need to supply these items soon as they are nowgetting lazy and frustrated" he asid. He also thought setting up a boat repair shops and training some people could be a project which we could tie up with foreignclubs.

Pledges pass USD 300,000

Total pledges [besides LankaFood contributions and the in-kind contributions] have now crossed USD 300,000.

Total pledges: USD 303,090

Pledges realized: USD 172,146
[Rotarians: USD 74,951]
[Non Rotarians: USD 97,195]

Thank you to every one. Contributors shall be updated asap.

Shantha and team back from Pottuvil

Shantha and the team is back from a very successful trip to Pottuvil and Arugam Bay. I will post the story as soon as we receive the pictures.

Read Write first initiative completed

We have received the following update from Imalka Senadhira from Bethesday, Maryland who with the help of Sarasali Fonseka in Atlanta, Georgia initiated the Read-Write project to help restart the lives of students of 10 damaged schools. Thank you. We look forward to working with you in taking the initiative forward.

"The Read Write Sri Lanka (RW SL) initiative in the U.S. shipped 75 boxes of children’s clothes, shoes, linen, toiletries, toys, dry rations, etc. to Sri Lanka on January 14, 2005. This package is expected to reach Sri Lanka mid February. Rotary regency will collect this package and distribute them to children in selected schools in the north, south and east.

RW SL team says a big thank you to people who contributed in kind and all who assisted in sorting and boxing them. In particular Paul and Evette Lindler, Christopher Ingraham, Chetana Senadhira for loading the 75 boxes to the truck. Special thanks to Marc Lande and Stephen Fernando for driving the truck to New Jersey and Sunil Wijehewavitharana of Colombo Express Inc., the freight forwarder for shipping for free.

Each box had pictures drawn with encouraging messages from the American and Sri Lankan children including many brownies and girl scouts living in Maryland area. Photo below shows kids drawing these pictures. [More pictures will be posted in the gallery].

Thank you friends, children and Volunteers for giving up your weekend to make a connection to the Tsunami affected children in Sri Lanka. RW SL is not only about giving, but the main idea is the connection - to keep our world a small place."

Update from Joe, Caroline and Drake

We just spoke to Caroline Upton who arrived along with Joe Dacanay and Drake Mosier from Napa Valley in California from connections made through our blog [we ran a story "welcome amarican volunteers" on 11 january]. This is an update from the mobile phone interview with her on the amazing work they are doing.

Joe, Caroline and Drake are in place called Kalmunai, in the far eastern part of Sri Lanka. This area was very very badly damaged and over 10,000 people lost their lives in the district. Caroline told us that they are running back-to-back medical camps in the Wesley College [refugee] camp in Kalmunai. They are also working with the people who lost their homes to clear debris and figuring out ways to dipose of the same. She also said they were linking up with US medical team to expand the health-realted work. She said they were very happy with the progress and felt comfortable with working with the area people.

Yesterday they had visisted Pottuvil and Ulle, two more badly affected areas in tractors [as roads are still dameged] and distributed backpacks and toys and even some books with folks from the Rotary Club of Kandy.

Rotarians around the world I am sure are proud of you all and the people in the area are so thankful. Way to go!

Blog is being reformatted

Please note that the blog is currently being restructured. We have moved most of the photos to the 'Relief Photo Gallery' link from the main page and refiled in to three groups which you will see on the left column. We plan to obtain a larger flickr account to display all the photos with descriptions. Thank you Jeremy Gantz for your hard work and dedication. [original post changed by harsha de silva]

Thank you French Riviera Clubs and the Inner Wheel Club

Dear Mrs Taranga
At a recent meeting, the Nice “French Riviera” ROTARY Clubs together with the INNER WHEEL Club Nice voted to remit you the sum of Euro 18,000 equal to US$23,500 so that you may purchase primary essential items for your people in distress. We are all very struck by the drama that you have been through together with so many people in south east Asia.

Please accept our expressions of compassion and know that our Rotary vocation to serve takes on a true meaning in helping you.

The bank transaction will take place on Friday January 14 through your account with the HSBC. Please be so kind as to acknowledge receipt and inform us how the sum is put to use.

P.ROBERT, Président 2004/2005
Rprésentant :ROTARY NICE MASSENA, ROTARY NICE, ROTARY NICE COMTE,INNER WHEEL NICE

Volunteers assisting Regency

Many volunteers from overseas have come to assist us with the relief efforts. The newest additions to our group of volunteers are:
Angelo Embuldeiya, a Sri Lankan IT student in Bahrain who wrote -" ..... I can volunteer at any of your aid agencies in Sri Lanka with regard to the skills I've mentioned above. I would appreciate you placing me as a volunteer for your organization in Sri Lanka ASAP"

Angelita Li - from Hong Kong, who wrote into say -
"..... as I mentioned via our previous phone conversation, I am
willing to do any kind of work to help and I am physically and mentally prepared. I look forward to meeting you and help rebuilding Sri Lanka as much as i can, thank you very much for letting me in!"

Jill Shirey, American Fulbright Scholar from California who is attached to the University of Peradiniya - Sri Lanka for her research, has been an enormous help to us. She will be dedicating her valuable study time to help us through.

Benjamin fuels our relief efforts

Notes of encouragement, contributions in kind and in cash continue to flow into Regency. Every now and then, there are contributions that move us. I really do not know how to thank Benjamin for his selfless gesture and being a partner of our relief efforts. Given below is an extract from his mail to us:

"I have wired $25 to help with the Rotary Club of Colombo Regency's effort to help individuals affected by the recent Tsunami. I wish that I could give more, but I am currently unemployed. I hope that the contribution is put to good use.
Benjamin Gaines."

Thank you Benjamin for giving us a reason to work around the clock.

Tharanga Gunaratne.

Generous Austrian Rotarian donates water filters, tablets

Rotary Club of Colombo Regency would like to publicly thank Rotarian Florian Demmer of Vienna Point, Austria for his continuous support of our relief effort. On January 9th we received from him a consignment of water purifiying filters and tablets - valued at 10,000 Euros! - which is currently being distributed by Regency to camps in Batticaloa, Kalmunai and Potuvil.

This is neither the first nor the last donation he has made to our club. The first donation was a consignment of medical supplies, and he has told us that a third consignment of medical supplies from him is in transit from Austria. He has been extremely helpful and generous towards our club's relief efforts. We look forward to his arrival in Colombo at the end of January with a delegation of Rotarians and friends to meet with us and discuss long term projects which they would be willing to fund.

Thank you, Rtn. Florian Demmer.

Some faces...

I thought it would be good to finally put some faces to the name of Regency. This was taken yesterday after our weekly meeting.

Seated [l to r] Rotarians Altaf, Chamila [secretary], Mario [president], Tharanga, Shantha
Standing [l to r] Jeremy [our volunteer], Rotarians Thilal, Madhu, Nayana, Dedunie, Prabhu, Baari, Niroshan, Harsha, Gehan and Bernie

On the way to Pottuwil and Arugam Bay

A group led by Rotarian Shantha and Nalin [RC of Colombo] and some doctors left this morning for Pottuwil and Arugam Bay with a truck load full of dry rations and medicines. Details when they return...

Donation Acknowledgements

As promised, we are finally able to acknowledge your generous wired, cheque, money order and cash donations to our Relief Fund. Below are all depositor names; the names are up-to-date through January 11th. Note: these figures do not include credit card donations. We will soon acknowledge those donations as well.

As of January 11th, we have received an equivalent of USD 229,400 in total pledges, of which USD 123,300 has been received thus far. This does not include the approximately USD 37,000 donations received through LankFood. [The exact amount as at 9 January is USD 35,493. Revision by Harsha]

In total, we have received an equivalent of USD 53,900 in donations from the following Rotary Clubs:

Anthony, Bellevue, Chilliwac-Frafer, Chittenango, Clinton, Mowbray, Donaghade, Farmington, FT Smith, Hamble Valley, Izmar Goztepe, Matsusaka, Mont Tremblant, Montpelier Rabelais, Pendleton, Pinner, Inner Wheel of Pinner, Raton, Ronneby, Settle, Skegness, Stuart Sunrise, Uxbridge, Winona, Zagreb Centar.

We have received a total of USD equivalent 69,400 from all other donors. These donors include Rotarians, private individuals, and organizations:

Roberto & Betty Agustoni, Edirisinghe Amitirigal, Anonymous, Anonymous, Anonymous, R.R. Antony, Karen Beyer, Robert Bozyk, Ann Brodie, Brus de Heer, Eva Cremon, David, Rosalie Von Lochhem, Loma Dies, K. Dissanayake, Division St. Hotel, Ricardo Dominguez, Earlsmead Charitable Trust, Ecolab Export GMBH, Louise Falck, H. Kent & Linda Falk, Michael Fernando, Robert & Roseanne Hardenbrook, William Jacobs, Jackie James, R.G. Jayatilleke, George & Shields LLP, Law Kwok Keung, Anne & Tom Kreutzer, Lamma Cricket Club of Hong Kong, P.I.M Alumni Association, Jim & Marcia Rintoul, Pamela Morris, Reza Samahin, Swarna & Cheri Samahin, Sasakawa, Ronald Scott, Wachmeister Hans Slottsallen, Sunrise Textile Access Trading Co.,Rosalie Von Lochhem, Winnitex Investment Co.

If your club or name does not appear in these lists, our bank has yet to receive your funds (cheques and money orders take time to arrive; wired funds can also take up to ten days to be received). However, please email Rotary Regency with bank transfer or cheque and money order details at rotaryregency@yahoo.com if you believe we should have your donation by now. We will be expanding these lists as pledged donations arrive. Additionally, if you wish to confirm the specific amount you or your organization donated, please email us rotaryregency@yahoo.com and we'll respond as soon as possible with your donation details.

We apologize for the delay in acknowledging the many contributions to our Relief Fund. It has been incredibly time-consuming designing and managing a relief effort while still working our day jobs. If you are outside of Sri Lanka, we hope our blog has given you a window into our work and that you feel your money has been well donated.

American Fulbright scholars becomes our temp help

This is to officially acknowledge the tremendous help we are receiving from Jeremy. Jeremy Gantz is a junior Fulbright scholar from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. For the past three months he had been studying the history of Sri Lankan education and its connection to colonial and post-colonial political and economic developments! He had been on holiday in Thailand when the tsunami struck and he says “I felt fairly hedonistic on holiday in Thailand after learning of the tsunami… so flew back to Sri Lanka to help with the relief effort; my research feels very unimportant now”.

After working with Sarvodaya's web team for a few days, a friend had put him in touch with Chamila, and within one day he suddenly found himself as our temporary secretariat manager; among others updating our blog and going through hundreds of mail we get everyday; working 10 hours a day minimum! He and Tharanga along with some helping hands from Madu’s team at Virtusa have now finally completed the enormous task of reconciling the pledges with the emails and we will be posting the same very soon. Another Fulbright scholar Jill Shirey has also just joined the team and contributing to the effort

Thank you Jeremy and also Jill for all your help, you have surely made a difference!

More Rotary goods distributed; Pottuvil medical trip planned for weekend

The following places received goods distributed on our behalf from our Colombo 'warehouse' during the last two days:

Matara [south]: rice, dhal, sugar, chillie powder, noodles, sprats, tumeric powder, potatoes, onions, salmon, salt, chick peas. Mattresses and pillows dispatched previously.
Batticaloa [east] and Hambantota [south]: rice, noodles, dhal, sugar, sprats, potatoes, onions, salmon, chillie powder, chick peas.
Aluthgama [south]: mattresses, pillows, clothes and dry rations
Bentota [south]: mattresses, pillows, sanitary napkins, feeding bottles, clothes an dry rations
Akkarapattu [east]: mattresses and pillows.
Pottuvil [east] mattresses, pillows, towels, feeding bottles, sanitary napkins
Kalmunai [east]: large volumes of rice, dhal, sugar, chick peas, noodles, sprats, salt, chillies powder, tumeric powder, salmon, potatoes, onions, milk powder.
Vallachennai [east]: mats, mattresses, pillows and dry rations.
Hendala-Wattala [west] foodstuffs, mattresses and clothing goods also delivered to the Prithipura home for differently abled children.

Also, a relief trip from Jan. 14 to 16 is planned to help needy villages in the Pottuvil area [on the east coast]. Rotary Regency members have learned that villages in this area far from main roads have not been receiving adequate relief supplies. The affected people from these villages, who have not been able to enter relief camps, are in great need of assistance. Regency members plan on addressing this problem by visiting the villages of Komari [north of Pottuvil] and Panama [south of Pottuvil] with medical supplies and five local doctors to provide whatever medical attention is needed. Regency Rotarians will also deliver foods and general supplies to these villages.

Next week we'll post details from the trip.

Welcome American Volunteers!

The international powers of blogging were highlighted last night at Rotary Club of Colombo Regency's Long-Term Relief Project meeting with the attendance of three Californian volunteers - including one Rotarian. Joe Dacanay, Caroline Upton and Drake Mosier arrived in Colombo yesterday afternoon after nearly 24 hours of travel from their homes in Napa Valley, CA and Halfmoon Bay, CA. Successfully battling jet-lag, they managed to attend RCCR's evening meeting at our Colombo relief goods "warehouse"

Although Caroline was planning on traveling to Sri Lanka to work with an international relief organization, after Joe (a 12-year veteran of his Rotary Club in CA) contacted Chamila Wickramasinghe, RCCR's secretary, through this blog and was invited to help Rotary's efforts, she decided to join him. "It was a more concrete connection to the relief effort," she said. Both she and Joe are Emergency Medical Technicians for Napa Country Sheriff's Search and Rescue Team and long-time volunteers. Caroline's medical experience has taken her to Nepal, Belize and Africa. Drake, a friend of Joe and Caroline who had been raising funds for the relief effort here, decided to join them and provide logistical support in camps.

Tomorrow, January 11th, they will be traveling to Kalmunai, in the Eastern Province, and meeting with that town's Rotary Club, with which RCCR put them into contact. The Kalmunai Rotary Club will be placing them in nearby villages in need of medical assistance and logistical help. The three of them may spend their entire ten days volunteering in this area.

They also hope to also help install at camps the water purification systems which RCCR received last week from Switzerland through a Rotary donation but has not yet been able to distribute. These Rotary connections continue to astound us...

Thank you and welcome Joe, Caroline and Drake!

In Valchchanai

This is Rtn Prabhu dressing Vanathi, a six year old girl who was trapped in a barbed wire fence and was saved by her parents at Nawaladi, in the eastern province.

Rotary Regency Visits Camps in Northeast Province

Our medical relief team left Colombo for Valachchenai (in the Northeastern Province) at 2 p.m. on Friday, January 7th. This team included four Indian doctors, our partner in medical camps, Dr. Weerasinhe, three Colombo Regency members, and two additional volunteers. The four visiting doctors included two physicians, one gynecologist, and one general surgeon.

The team began treating patients on Saturday morning. The first camp, led by Dr. Weerasinhe at the Hindu College shelter in Valachchenai, treated 1,700 people affected by the tsunami. The second camp, at the Pentecostal Church shelter in Valachchenai, was conducted by the four doctors and Regency's team. By 4 p.m. they managed to treat all 1,400 people at the shelter. In addition to the medical screening and dressing for the injuries sustained during the waves they received, the children at this camp were de-wormed and given dry rations from Regency supplies.

Since there was one van load of medicines left, our team decided to search for another location. They found a group of people in an interior village called Alankulam. There was no shelter there, but makeshift tents them. The camp went on until 7 p.m. Our team was able to screen all 450 people who were there, dress injuries, de-worm all children, and hand over the remaining dry food items. Our Health Camp promotor Prabhu even dressed some of the patients!

Before leaving the area for Colombo Sunday, our team gave the remaining medical supplies to the Batticaloa Rotary Club for their relief efforts.

in valachchanai

Dedunie, one of our newest members along with a dispenser handing out medicine.

Rotary shelters in Batticaloa

These are tents we put up at the Hindu College in Batticaloa; temporary homes of many displaced people... As you are already aware this is a part of the donation we got from Rotary clubs in the UK. Our story on 4 January has pictures of the first one being set up by us.

Rotary International highlights Regency!

Rotary International has highlighted us in a feature story titled "Technology to the rescue: A young Rotary club uses the Internet to aid tsunami survivors". The story written by Tiffany Woods of The Rotarian is now on the RI website. You could read it at http://www.rotary.org/newsroom/main/news04.html

Shelter boxes [correction]

We have been informed that the shelter boxes we received [story and pictures in the blog below] had been donated by Rotary Club of Teddington and the Hamptons and forwarded to us by the Rotary Club of Helston who are the administrators of the Shelterbox Trust; all in the UK. Thank you very much to all. We regret the error in identification.

Corrected Credit Card Donation Link

We have been having trouble linking this site to our Sampath Bank credit card donations page. If you wish to donate to our relief fund via credit card, please do so using this address: http://www.empriseit.com/relieffund/.

If you experience any technical difficulties, please email rotaryregency@yahoo.com detailing the problem.

Thank you.

Mapping the destruction

BBC map of the destruction. BBC Map

Regency Relief Fund to be audited, trust to be created

Rotary Club of Colombo Regency is currently preparing comprehensive accounts of funds received and disbursed for its tsunami releif effort. A reputable Colombo-based accounting firm has agreed to audit the Club's fast-growing relief fund and a Colombo-based law firm has agreed to draw up a trust agreement for the fund. Two of the five people monitoring this trust will be non-Rotarians to insure that all funds received by donors for Colombo Regency's relief effort are only used for that purpose.

Fishing livelihood project

In planning stage.

Housing Project

Friday, March 11, 2005

Housing Project Update
The ground work on the Housing Project is being completed, and so far we have:
1. Registered with the relevant authorities as a donor for providing housing for tsunami victims
2. Identified a community that needs their lives and livelihoods rebuilt
3. Conducted a needs assessment on the identified community group, to formulate effective programmes to benefit them in the long term
4. Formed liaisons with project partners (so far with the Rotary Club of Batticaloa, and the local governing bodies such as the Provincial Urban Development Authority)
5. Got land allocated to construct houses for the community identified

At present, we are liaising with the relevant authorities to enter into a formal agreement to obtain the land for construction.
Download the Sahana Housing Project Proposal

Posted by Relief for Sri Lanka at 10:33 PM 0 comments

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Friday, March 11, 2005

Need Assessment Research by ACNeilsen - Results are in!
The results of the Need Assessment study conducted to identify the real needs of the people displaced by the tsunami in the Dutchbar area in Batticaloa reveals that, among other needs, shelter is a prime need. The research findings are instrumental in fine tuning our long term project plans, and to deliver an effective rebuilding programme. The study was conducted by ACNeilsen, a premier international research company in Sri Lanka, and was done free of charge as a part of their contribution towards the Regency relief efforts, and as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility Programme.
The research team lead by Crystal and Niranjan Boniface worked tirelessly to conduct this comprehensive research, and Regency thanks them for their invaluable inputs.The research findings revealed that:
1. of the three areas of needs tested - Housing, Livelihoods and Education, Housing was the most urgently felt need. Majority of the community had brick houses with two bedrooms, living room, kitchen, toilet (detached from the house) and their own well for water.
2. The group prefer to be relocated from their current location into a safe area, and wish that the entire community will be relocated together.
3. Prior to tsunami, the people had a relaxed lifestyle, and took pride in being independent. They do not like to be dependent on others now, and want to start livelihoods soon.
4. Occupations varied from carpentry, tailoring, mechanics, blacksmith and fishing. Some considered to be retrained in a new livelihood as well.
5. Education is considered a necessity, but they are confident that the facilities would be provided by the state.
6. Two months after tsunami, and after several shifts from and to temporary shelters, they are beginning to lose hope for a better tomorrow.

Regency intends to bring back the element of hope into their lives, and plan to expedite the relief programmes.

Read more on the Research Approach and Methodology, and the Research Findings

Posted by Relief for Sri Lanka at 10:19 PM 0 comments

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Thursday, March 03, 2005

Housing Project Update
Construction of houses will be the major project undertaken by Regency. We have selected one of the hardest hit villages for this. With the help of the Rotary Club of Batticaloa - the Club closest to the affected area, we have selected a village located in the eastern coast near the city of Batticaloa. This village known as Dutchbar, consists of 263 families, and is of a mixed ethnicity. We have committed to build 100 houses in this village, and plan to start reconstruction using a part of the funds received.

The cost of constructing a house which is at least 500 square feet in size with basic facilities such as electricity and water, and community facilities for the village is estimated to cost SLR 500,000 (USD 5,000).

The community in this village is closely knit, and have requested that they be housed together as far as possible when they are relocated. We have started dialogues with local and foreign Rotary Clubs and other donors, and are hopeful that we will be able to raise funds to finance houses for all these families.

Posted by Relief for Sri Lanka at 11:34 AM 0 comments

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21 January 2005

ACNielsen Lanka to help Regency plan long-term project

We are in discussion with AC Nielsen Lanka to undertake a thorough needs-assessment study in the short listed areas in the east to make sure our planned long-term village reconstruction project is a success.

We have requested ACN Lanka to conduct a series of focus group studies which will become our planning base. We requested them to find out as much as possible, the “real” requirements of these devastated people and their expectations. We wanted the ACN Lanka professionals to consider the various relationships that exist in the community and how they interact; what about the surviving children and the women… what are the special needs etc. Another request was to find out how best we could help them with rebuilding their livelihoods. This way, we will have a realistic and accurate assessment of the people we all want to help. We can then build on this base and plan our project. Our thanks to Crystal and her enthusiastic team at ACN Lanka; hope we can have a go ahead soon!

We shall soon post the proposed intermediate and long term plans of Regency to rehabilitate and get these people back on their feet.

posted by harsha at 2:28 PM

21 January 2005

Regency ACN research next week

ACNielsen Lanka has accepted our request to undertake the research study in a selected area in the east. They will organize and hold a series of focus group discussions among various target groups, analyse the data and make a presentation to us. We will link the report for all to see. Thank you ACN. We are now planning the logistics with the help of the Rotary Club of Batticaloa.

The study is to be conducted next week after we agree on the methodology and discussion guidelines. Our problem is with getting suitable land; the bureaucracy always moves slower than us. President Mario and Prabhu are working on it.

Please feel free to email us any suggestions you may have to include in the research to Rotary Regency.

Regency ACN LT project research update

President Mario and Rotarians Thilal, Prabhu and Gehan met with ACNielsen [ACN] MD Dwight Watson [himself a tsunami survivor], Crystal Nathan and Udayana Seneviratne on 26 January to finalize the way forward of the long-term project. Here is a progress report:

Objectives

• Understand the key problems/issues;
• Ellicit their current needs in the short term and long term;
  
• Assess the kind of relief activities/measures that are currently implemented;
• Evaluate their reaction to various project ideas;
  
• Model village
  
• Livelihoods project [within the model village] and
  
• Educational project [within the model village]
  

Discussion Guide

Everyone went through the discussion guide and it was agreed upon. Our Rotarians wanted the research team to probe a little more in terms of what the respondents expected from the project ideas so that they could customize the project thus making it more relevant. In order to do so, the ACN team requested the Rotarians to give some write ups for each of the project ideas. These would then serve as concept boards which could be checked out in the groups. The revised DG is attached in the Long-Term Project link. Please provide any feedback before the 5th of February.

Logistics

It was decided that the recruitment for these groups would take place at the refugee camps in that area. However a problem that remains is the identification of one village/area to make the research findings more purposeful and it was agreed by the rest of the team. We would now speak to the Batticaloa team and narrow it down to one village and a total of 4 groups will be conducted.

It was decided to have the groups scheduled during the 11^th – 13^th of February 2005. Since the rotary team is well versed with the terrain of the land, at least one of them would accompany the ACN team to Batticaloa for the groups. We offered to look after the transport and lodging of the moderator who would conduct these groups. It was also agreed that the Rotary centre in Batticaloa would serve as the venue for these groups

posted by harsha at 11:58 AM

27 January 2005

Focus Group Discuission Guide

1. INTRODUCTION

ü Introduce Self, ACN

ü No right or wrong answers

ü Importance of each and everybody’s presence and participation

ü Confidentiality and anonymity

ü Tape Recorder, one to speak at a time

2.. WARM UP

a. Let us start by introducing ourselves…what is your name….how old are you?

I want to understand a little about your lives pre tsunami and post tsunami

b. Can you tell me before the tsunami happened, what was life like…

o Family…number of members

o Village…how was it, how many people lived there, what was the key occupation

o Livelihood…nature of job, income received, number of people in that job

( Moderator to encourage the group to share/recreate as much as possible their life before Tsunami )

3. POST TSUNAMI

a. Can you describe your life to me now…what is the level of impact…how/why

o On Self

o Family

o Village

o Livelihood

b. Tell me , according to you what are the key issues that you are facing today ….why

o Damaged houses

o Loss of income/livelihood

o Lack of clean drinking water

o Lack of food

o Loss of educational facilities

c. In the short term (from now to the next three months), what would you say are the key things that you would need…why

o Food

o Clean drinking water

o Medicines

o Shelter

( Moderator to elicit more short term needs and ask them to arrange in order of priority )

d. In the long term (6 months +), what would you say are the key things that you would need…why

o Source of income ….what would you like to do

o School for children

o Playground for children

o Hospitals

o Shops

(Moderator can refer to the village pre tsunami discussion - Moderator to elicit more long term needs and ask them to arrange in order of priority)

4. RELIEF MEASURES

a. I understand that lots of people have come forward to help you in this time of grief…can you describe to me as to the kind of help that you have been receiving…

o Food packets

o School books

o Warm clothes

o Medicines

o Monetary funds…how much…what is the nature of these funds

o Funds for buildings…how long will they take to give the funds…how long will it take to finish the building

o Employment opportunities…what kind of jobs/where

5. RELIEF IDEAS

I now have some relief ideas with me which I would like to share with you. I want you to be honest and let me know what you think of them

o Fishing project

o School packs

o Model village

a. What do you think of this idea….why

b. Has it been done before…when/where/who

c. What do you think are the benefits that we can receive…why

d. What do you think are the weakness…why

e. How can we improve this idea…what would you need…can you describe them to me in detail …why

6. Comparative Evaluation

a. Let us now arrange these ideas in the order of importance…why have you done so…

THANK YOU