Sponsor update from Galle

Child sponsor update from SOS Children's Village Galle, Sri Lanka, Summer 2008

Dear Friends,

It is this time of the year that we share our achievements and setback with our partners, our dear sponsors. It would be difficult for us to achieve what we have, without the support and commitment of you, our sponsors and donors. I believe that you share our joy and our concern as we share the life at the SOS Children’s Village Galle during the first half of the year 2008.

At present there are 91 children in our 12 SOS families. 8 new children found a family at SOS Children’s Village Galle during the first 6 months of the year. 6 boys and 2 girls moved to their respective Youth Facilities. Children attend to their regular activities - education, sports and recreation as usual. Since the beach is not far from the SOS Children’s Village, children take turns to go to the beach with some elders on Sundays. Children refer to this outing as their Sunday Special. The SOS Community also celebrated all the national and religious festivals in the usual manner. This time a Vesak Lantern competition was organized among the SOS Families. Though the children do make lanterns to decorate their homes, the competition makes it a family affair and every one get involved in making the most striking lanterns. Family - “Mihiri”, Family - Sahanaya: and Family “Asiri” were the winners this year.

Of the 23 boys resident at the Youth Facility, 2 boys are continuing their advanced level studies at a school in Colombo and are boarded at the school hostel. The rest attend schools in Galle. They join their SOS Families to celebrate all the main festivals. They are well integrated with the youth in the neighbouring community and very often play various sports with the youths from the neighbouring community. The boys also volunteered to clean up the “Swetha Bimbarama” Buddhist Temple and its premises prior to the Veseka festival. The chief priest of the Temple was very grateful to the youths as well as for the SOS Children’s Villages for coming forward to volunteer to do this clean up as it facilitated many devotees who visit ed the temple during the famous religious festival.

At the Youth Facility for Girls there are 9 girls residing and all of them are either employed or undergoing employment training. The girls are allowed to reside at the Youth Facility for the 1st three years of their employment. During this time they live under minimum supervision and have to do their own cooking and housekeeping. There are gradually exposed to the society and are allowed to move out into the society to live on their own.

A children's start

100 children have enrolled the SOS Nursery school. The classes are conducted in two sections - Lower Nursery and Upper Nursery. Celebrations of all the national and religious festival are organized appropriately so that the children will learn about these festivals and the importance of celebrating them. During the first half of the year, the students also participated in their annual sports meet. Though the kids are still young, their sports meets too have all the important features of an international sports festival.

At the beginning of the event, 2 young students, a girl and a boy, carry a Torch similar to the Olympic Torch and light the Big Torch that is constructed at the centre of the ground. This torch stays lit until the national anthem is sung at the end of the day. The events that these young children take part in are tiny games - like filling water into a bottle with their hands, picking up each items that are left in different places and complete the dress up and run to the finishing line, tricycle race, obstacle race and running a very short distance etc are some of the items the children take part. To end the day’s event, all the children take part in a drill display where they move their arms, legs and body in rhythm of the music which the teachers play. It is indeed very encouraging to see how these young ones pick up the rhythm and also remember order.

The main responsibility of the Medical Centre at the SOS Children’s Village Galle is the welfare of the SOS Family. Medical check ups of the children, mothers and co-workers are conducted on a regular basis. A special medical clinic was conducted for children below the age of 12. Few children admitted in the recent past were found to have iron deficiencies and due treatments were advised. The local Public Health Inspector conducted a seminar for the older children on the subject importance of maintaining personal cleanliness. The Medical Centre is utilised by the Public Health Officials of the area to provide various medical attentions such as immunisation for pregnant mothers and infants.

Supporting the community

The Family Strengthening Progamme - prevention of abandonment of children due to poverty - commenced at Narawala, a neighbouring village to the SOS Children’s Village, Galle in December 2005. We are proud to state that within the 1st two years of the programme 6 families were able to graduate from the programme. All these 6 families are engaged in self employment - bakeries, animal husbandry and sewing are some of the fields that these families are engaged in.

At present 109 child beneficiaries from 48 families are enrolled in this programme. 3 Community Houses have been set-up to cook the mid day meal for these children. Many programmes - Counselling, Nutrition and its importance for the growth of young children, self motivation - are organised for parents as well as for children from time to time. Children are also helped with their school work at the extra classes conducted in the afternoons. This programme has definitely provided the opportunity to these families to be together as a family and take responsibility of caring for their own children.

The above are some of the main activities that took place in the SOS Facility you continue to support financially. It is also our belief that all our activities at SOS Children’s Village Galle continues to remind us as to what could be achieved through co-operation of people form all over the world. Thank you for supporting the work of SOS Children’s Villages.

With best wishes;

Yours Sincerely,

Kapila Gunawardhane
Village Director