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| Sunday, 20 February 2005 |
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Reaching out for the bereaved by Indunil Thenuwara All of us were, in one way or the other, affected by the tsunami. Our friends and relations may not have perished and our properties may not have been destroyed, but the massive death toll and trail of destruction touched our hearts to the core. We felt the victims' pain and grief at their losses which were simply beyond our imagination. But some of us, without just sitting and grieving over the losses, went that extra mile to bring some sort of hope and consolation to the men, women and children whose lives were destroyed by the tsunami. Dr. Jayantha Rodrigo, Consultant Radiologist at the Hambantota Base Hospital was one such woman. Without confining herself to shedding tears, she launched a programme to support those, especially children, affected by the tsunami. As a person who travels almost daily from Colombo to Hambantota, Dr. Rodrigo was an eye witness to the devastation the tsunami had wreaked along the coastal line. Although the Hambantota Base Hospital did not suffer losses in terms of property, the waves had snatched the lives of nine staffers, leaving over 20 children destitute. Four of these kids had lost both parents. "My heart wept for them. The project themed 'I have lit a lamp. Hundreds and thousands more lamps will be lit' was launched by me from the hospital with the initial intention of bringing relief to these children of our staffers. The idea is to find people who will sponsor these children. The UNICEF also joined in, and I can happily say we managed to find sponsors for all these children. It was heartening to see the sponsor parents opening bank accounts and depositing money on behalf of these children almost immediately", Dr. Rodrigo said. The second phase of the project got under way recently at the Mirijjavila Vidyalaya in Hambantota, where 22 children were selected for sponsorship. At this event, a Year-4 child of this school, Sashika Sandarenu was selected for a full sponsorship until she completes her university education, by Ven. Ananda Thera of Ananda Children's Home, Pahala Kadugannawa (which comes under the International Buddhist Centre). The Centre has provided scholarships to over 20 tsunami-affected children in the area. Dr. Rodrigo said: "I have become a mother to these children. They know that someone will be there for them. The cards that I have distributed among them with contact details are very safely kept by them. Through this programme, I, with the help of UNICEF, religious organisations, sponsor parents and international NGOs, have managed to bring back smiles to the faces that had been streaked with tears". She said similar projects can be carried out at organisational level to bring solace to children of employees who have lost their lives. "We have witnessed human kindness coming to the fore in the aftermath of this disaster. What is required is institutional leadership and proper data management. If I could find the means to link these children with sponsors and ensure that they are being cared for, others will also not find it difficult. With proper guidance, our children can once again rise from the rubble", she said. "Also, without always pointing our fingers at the government or other organisations and complaining that they are not doing enough, why don't we do something on behalf of our brethren who are affected by this natural disaster?" Dr. Rodrigo finally asked.
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