Once again this year (2010) Lisa Thevarajah ran the Cardiff half marathon with a view to raising sponsorship money to support some of the children in the Nutritional Feeding Centre. She raised over £170.00. Well done Lisa
Following on from 2010 initiatives proposed by the Project Manager of St. John’s Mission in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, Shrewsbury Lions club has decided to support one of the After School Programmes for a period of one year at a total cost of roughly £1044. This is in addition to the Kiran Nutritional Feeding Centre that is being supported with your donations. The Project manager has been informed of this decisions and he should be sending us a brief on the programme sometime in the near future.
Shrewsbury Lions club is now registered as a charity, as such donations to the Sri Lankan Orphanage are eligible to claim gift aid.
In 2009/2010 some changes were made to the structure of the original organisation. Presently The Church of American Ceylon Mission is running the following programmes
Children and Youth Programs
The Church of American Ceylon Mission’s primary focus is on helping children and youth from economically marginalized and war hit communities in the North and East. Poor communities are badly affected by the lack of quality primary education for their children, as a result of which their children fall behind at an early age and that becomes a critical factor in perpetuating the poverty trap.
We build our work around a number of programmes, Early Child Care Programme (ECC), After School Programs, Children’s Homes (Orphanages), and Special Arts Programs for children and youth. As these centres take root in their communities, they become community centres around which other support programs such as community education and livelihood projects are run for the adults.
Early Child Care Centres
The ECC’s provide pre-school learning and nutritional support for children. They also enable rural women who work with a place to leave their children during the day. These centres provide the nutritional support needed and the early learning required helping these children have a good start when they enter primary schools.
Funding formula. Rs.18,000 per child per year. (approx £105) or Rs.1,500 per month (£9) per child. This amount covers all costs for the centre, from nutritional feeding, annual uniforms, staff salaries, staff training, and admin costs.
Funding Support Needed.
Batticaloa District
In the Batticaloa district the CACM supports the following centres: Koppaveli, Kithul, Karadiyanaru, Kiran, Kalkudah, Raloddai, Kirimichchai, Kunjankulam, Mathurankernikulam and Omadiyamdu.
We currently require support for 60 children.
Donors can contribute the support needed for smaller units of children such as: 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 or the full number of 60.
Wanni
The CACM currently supports the following centres: Poovarasankulam (25,x), Rajendrakulam (20,x), Maravankulam (45, x) , Kalmadukulam (15), Mallavi (45) , Kottaikattiyakulam (30,x) Jeyapuram (60), Akkarayankulam (35), Vannerikulam (30,x) , Anaivilunthanulam (40,x), Murikandy (55, x), Bharathipuram (30,x), Konavil (35,x), Murasumoddai (50,x), Mannar (15, x) and Murippu (60).
The numbers next to each centre indicate the number of children currently at each centre. The x indicates that the centre requires funding, partially or fully.
The total number of Wanni children currently needing funding is 375 and we would like to expand that number to 500 for 2011 as the need and request for support in the Wanni is very high.
Donors can contribute the support needed for smaller units of children such as: 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 or a full centre.
Donors can indicate if they would like to support a particular centre or we can allocate their contributions to a particular centre.
Jaffna District
The CACM supports the following centres: Oori – Karainagar, Kudaththanai, Malvam, Alaveddy, and Chavakachcheri.
The number of children needing support is 150.
Donors can contribute the support needed for smaller units of children such as: 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 or a full centre 60.
Donors can indicate if they would like to support a particular centre or we can allocate their contributions to a particular centre.
After School Programs.
After school programs are based in the communities where we have day care centres. They provide further support for children and youth from these communities and provide critical support to strengthen their education. Most of them go to schools with limited number of teachers and facilities and the after school supports play a key role in furthering their educational opportunities. The primary goal is to provide extra tutoring in key subjects such as Tamil, Maths, English and Science. We also seek to provide leadership development and soft skills training for youth. At one such program in Kudaththanai, in the Jaffna Peninsula (near Nagercoil), 23 students have entered university in the last several years with the help of this program.
These cost Rs.30,000 – 40,000 (£175-235) a month.
Current Programs: Jeyapuram, Mallavi, Visuvamadu – Wanni; Oori-Karainagar, Kudaththanai – Jaffna; Mathurankernikulam, Karadiyanaru – Batticaloa.
Centres Needing Support: Kudaththanai – Jaffna, Visuvamadu – Wanni. We would like to open more centres in the Wanni at the sites where we have early child care centres.
Donors who are interested in supporting such programs can specify the location where they would like to support a program.
Children’s Homes (orphanages)
These are homes for children without parents, or from homes that are not safe or healthy spaces for them. The Children’s Homes, in addition to providing a safe place to live, also provide them with access to good schools and an opportunity to lay the foundation for their adult lives. These homes are located in the Wanni and the Batticaloa District.
The homes we currently run are: Boys Home (60) –Batticaloa, Girls Home (30) – Periyaneelavanai, Boys Home (30) – Periyaneelavanai, and a Girls Home (30) – Vavuniya.
Costs: Rs.6,000(£35) per child per month. The costs cover meals, clothing, studies, home materials, staff salaries.
Sponsorship Needs: We are currently looking for sponsors for all 150 children and we would like if possible to increase the number of children supported in Vavuniya as it is a centre for children from the Wanni
Donors can support a ranger of children from 1, to units of 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 or the full number of one home.
Special Arts Program for Children an children Youth
Creativity is central to all learning processes, particularly to that of children.
Part of the diminishment in the quality of life and learning of poor children is the lack of access to the creative arts as a part of their school experience. Their schools often do not have such programs and their parents lack the finances to support them participating in such programs where they are available. Most teaching methods also follow rote learning and do not enhance the creative capacity of the children.
In order to provide poor children with access to the creative arts, and to stimulate their learning, we provide regular programs for children in rural communities that integrate theatre, music, painting and creative writing. The programs are run by university trained instructors and merge modern methods with traditional art forms. A particular emphasis is on valuing and stimulating the traditional art forms of the children’s communities, and to help strengthen their sense of self-respect and pride in their community.
Support Needed: The projected cost for this program which will be run in the Batticaloa region is Rs.50,000 a month or (£290).
We are currently seeking donors who can support the full cost of the program or at least a significant part of it.
Centre for Handicapped Children
The CACM currently supports a centre for 18 mentally disabled children at Periyaneelavanai. They are provided transport to and from the centre. They are taught basic academic skills, and are also helped to develop their social skills. The families are also supported as they do not have to provide care for the children during the day.
Support Needed: The centre costs Rs.50,000 a month to run. (£290). We are looking for donors who can help to meet the full cost of the program or at least a significant part of it.
Cost of Buildings/infrastructure
In the Wanni all our infrastructure was destroyed or severely damaged. As a result early child care programs and after school programs are run from temporary sheds. There is a need to rebuild permanent buildings for these programs.
Day care centre and after school centre. £5,000 – 10,000
has taken over from Rev. Jeyanesan as the new Project Manager of the under the Church of the American Ceylon Mission. These projects are in various parts of the island, Nuwara Eliya to Jaffna, Mannar to Batticaloa, ranging from relief to rehabilitation, vocational training to farming, children’s programs to elders homes.Prior to this he was in Toronto as a settlement worker assisting new immigrant families to settle and find work in Toronto. A large part of his time was devoted to youth related programmes.
From 1991 to 2006 he gained various educational qualifications from Princeton Theological Seminary to a Doctorate with Harvard University. His original degree was gained from the University of Reading in the UK. He authored a number of publications during this period. Over the years he has gained much experience which he will find valuable working with the projects he is involved with now.
E-mail: darshan.ambalavanar@gmail.com
Please consider contributing to one of these projects. How to donate
Lisa Thevarajah, my Daughter-in-Law (the one in the middle) recently completed the Bath Half Marathon. She was sponsored to raise money for the Widows Empowerment Project. She managed to raise £165, this money has already been sent to Sri Lanka where it will be used to buy two sewing machines . This would help to sustain two families by enabling them to earn a living.
A big thanks & well done to Lisa.
9th August 2009
Two families have now been given sewing machies. Well done Lisa.
Photogrpahs of the children in the Nutritional Feeding Centre we support
Latest email received from Rev. Jeyanesan
From: Rev.Dr. S. Jeyanesan [mailto:jnesan@sltnet.lk]
Sent: 24 June 2009 12:33
To: ‘Trevor Thevarajah’
Subject: RE: IDPs
My dearest Trevor,
Greetings from St. Johns Center, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka
Thank you for your mail.
We are really happy that you have recovered from your operation and back in action. We thank God for same.
Herewith I give you some updates of our relief activities and Kiran NFC.
Kiran NFC :
At present there are 36 Children in the Nutritional Feeding Center. Two teachers and a cook are looking after the children. Children who are under the age of 5 years are fed with nutritious food along with play and education.
As you are aware most of our Children are from war affected and very poor families, so they all were under- nourished. After they have joined our NFC they are healthy and very active. Our medical team visits them twice a month and assesses their health condition and provide needed medicines and vitamins. By leaving the Children in the NFC the mothers get some free time to do some work and earn money to look after their families.
We thank you and all who supports to these poor families and their Children. Few pictures of the NFC is attached for your information.
Other Relief Work:
We are happy that the war is over. But the tragedies of the IDPs are continuing. We are very busy with the relief activities to the IDPs.
For the last 3 weeks we have been moving to Vavunia and Batticaloa to obtain permission to send our medical team to work in Manik farm camp in Zone 4 where there is no any assistance provided to IDPs. We have obtained permission from the GA and the camp in-charge authorities for our medical team to conduct clinic for Children and pregnant mothers. This decision was taken after our team visited the camp and analyzed the needs.
On the 18th we have transported a lorry load of medicines, clothes and dresses to the IDPs. 3200 packs of Clothes and dresses were distributed on the same day to the IDPs.
Our Trauma counseling unit and the medical team will work jointly in the camps and provide assistance. Rev. Anukoolan and the other pastors who were in the camp have directly experienced the suffering of the IDPs so they are working tirelessly in the IDP camps in providing assistance to the suffering and needy.
Thank you for all your prayers and guidance to continue our work.
May God bless you and all the members of Shrewsbury Lions Club for their support and assistance.
Thanks
With kind regards
Rev. Dr. S. Jeyanesan
Chairman/ Director Project
The response to the latest appeal to help the Internally Displaced People in the Vanni area has been extremely positive. So fare we have received £1745, this is over and above the usual donations towards the Nutritional Feeding Centre project. The Treasurer of the Shrewsbury Lions club is arranging to send the donations to the Lions club in Batticaloa who will ensure that the money is handed over to St. John’s mission.
Extract from the latest email from Rev. Jeyanesan September 2008
My dear Trevor,
Greetings from St. Johns Centre, Batticaloa
Thank you for your mail. We have received the original copy up the audited statement. I am posting it today by surface mail.
I am so busy in organizing relief to Vanni IDPs. After the recent attack of LTTE, Government has asked all the humanitarian organizations to vacate Vanni. All of them have left Vanni, Only UN organizations are talking with government to continue their activities. But, there is no hope in obtaining permission.
We are doing relief in two ways, we organize relief from Colombo and transport same or we send money to our pastors and ask them to do the relief work.
I thank you for all your efforts to support our affected community. We also thank the members of Thamil Association, Shrewsbury Lions club and other donors for their generous support and assistance.
I will send you a report on our relief activities as early as possible.
Thanks,
With peace and prayers,
Rev. Dr. S. Jeyanesan
My dear Trevor,
Greetings from St. Johns Center CACM, Batticaloa
I am very happy to inform you that this morning the treasurer Lions Club of Batticaloa handed over us a cheque for Rs. 430565/=. Here with I am enclosing the official receipt (scanned copy) for the same.
I take this opportunity to thank you and the Lions Club of Shrewsbury.
We have asked our official auditors to give us a separate audited statement for the money we received from you in the year 2007. I am sure we will receive the statement this week. As soon as we receive it we will forward the same to you.
Here with I am enclosing some pictures of the Day Care/nutritional feeding Center Kiran. Last week they had their annual sports meet and parents and community get together. At present we have 74 children. We do provide breakfast and lunch. Periodical medical test are conducted by our medical team.We also give the children nutrition’s and vitamins. Earlier they have detected vitamin “D” deficiency among few children. We are happy that has improved satisfactorily after treatment.
I am sure you are aware the army offensive in Vanni area. At present there are about 200,000 IDP’s staying under very hard conditions. We are doing our very best to support at least few of them with emergency food and medicine. (Please see latest appeal)
I am also attaching a copy of the acknowledgement given to Lions Club Batticaloa
Thank you and your club for your continuous tireless support.
May God bless you, bless your family and bless your Lions Club
Thank you
Yours very sincerely
Rev. Jeyanesan
Please find an attachment to an email recently from Rev. Jeyanesan which is self explanatory. This has been sent to all the regular donors with the hope that it would be brought to the attention of relatives, friends and acquaintances with a view to collecting as much as we can to help Rev. Jeyanesan with his humanitarian efforts. To date, 2nd of September 2008, we have had pledges for about £1500 which is quite heartening. Please donate generously and persuade others to do so. Thank you.
Email Sent Trevor Thevarajah from Dr. Rev. Jeynesan
My Dearest Trevor,
Greetings from St. Johns Center Batticaloa Sri Lanka. I am happy to inform you that I have been elected as the Chairman of the Church of the American Ceylon Mission. 93% of the congregation and 95% of the Pastors voted and insisted that I should accept this position.
After much thought and prayers I have accepted this position. I need all of your support and prayers to perform duties to the lord and the humanity. I will be stationed in Batticaloa and operate from there.We also have accepted to have congregational form of administration. That means the Chairman can continue for 2 years and he can be elected for 1 more term. Then he will get back to a parish.We are planning to have a celebration on the 16th Sunday in Batticaloa. Read the rest of this entry »
Correspodance from Dr. Rev. Jeynesan Nov. 2006
St. John’s Mission, Batticaloa, Sri Lanka
Love and greetings from St. Johns centre Batticaloa from me and other friends. Thank you for sending me the mail regarding the changes of your addresses. I have taken note of those.
Situation in Batticaloa is not very good. War effected Internally Displaced Persons have become a major issue in the North and East of Sri Lanka today. Daily shelling and fighting is going on in many places in the East and more and more refugees are coming out of the battle areas. Read the rest of this entry »
