A haven of peace for orphans

By Shanika SRIYANANDA

She smiles. The girl who was dark complexioned was trying to say something, her eyes were brimming with hope but this typical Tamil girl didn't have words to express her sorrow. Later we came to know that she was sexually abused and virtually kept for 'sale'.

As soon as she realised she could talk to us she began relating her story in one breath, while the rest of her friends - little girls- were playing hide and seek in the playground which had turned dry due to the prevailing drought. What had happened to her while she was in the custody of her aunt, had affected her more than her experiences in the deadly battle field, where the teenager had to face a life and death situation.

She held my hand tight. Her hand was got cold. "It is not a secure place for me. My aunt goes to work and I was alone in the house. One day a man came home and sexually abused me. I cried and tried to run away, but couldn't as he held me tight", she burst into tears and her voice was trembling.

Let's call her Rani. Her father is suffering from a serious mental illness due to an injury caused when they were on the move while LTTE terrorists chased them from Mullaitivu town to Puthumathalan. Rani's mother too frequently falls sick as she was injured when they were escaping the terrorists. She spend most of her time in hospital with them. Her sister had to look after her sick parents and Rani was left with her aunt, who had exchanged her to 'customers' for a few thousand rupees.

Living in a small temporary shelter, with no other means to feed the family, her aunt had to 'sell' her to keep the homefires burning. With no means to escape the traumatic experience, she silently tolerated until she was taken to the newly opened orphanage for war-affected children.

Today, Rani is among 30 girls in 'Anbu Illam' - Abode of Love - begun to protect and shelter children who have lost both parents or a single parent.

Ten-year-old Siritharan Thulsika is the youngest at Anbu Illam. The Grade Five student is attending extra class for the forthcoming scholarship examination.

Her older sister - Sulakshana (12), who stays with her in the orphanage helps her in her homework.

"Amma Illei. Appa illei", Thulsika murmured when somebody asked her about her parents. With no memory about them, the little girl was saved by a soldier.

"Anna sollith thandaru arumei ana amma, pena pensil puththakam wangith thandar appa", (Letters were taught by my good mother and books and pencils were given by my father) when Thulsika sang the song others who were playing in the grounds stood still for a moment.

Sulakshana said they as a family ran for life when the LTTE terrorists chased them from their homes as the soldiers were advancing but at first they lost their father who protected them and finally they lost their mother who filled the void.

"We four children cried while the others were running to survive. Later we realised there was no option other than joining the crowd. My older sister carried Thulsika and we managed to cross the bridge with the help of a neighbour to go to the soldiers", Sulakshana recalling their escape bid to Mulliwellivaikkal.

Seventeen-year-old Jesmila who sang a song from a popular Tamil film has no parents. " We didn't have rice and we ate mangoes which were in abundance in Mullaitivu. I was there in Pokkanai until the last days of the end battle. I thought I would die. Lots of children died in hunger and people started fighting for food as the LTTE took the food stocks from them. Some days we only had kanji", Jesmila recalls.

The first Anbu Illam which was opened at Muthaiyankattu was funded and managed by the North-East Rehabilitation and Development Organisation (NERDO), the former LTTE Chief Selvarasa Pathmanathan alias 'KP' was the General-Secretary.

The orphanage - Punniya Bhoomi, which was run by the LTTE, was renamed Anbu Illam and the same property was leased to NERDO on a request made to Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

The orphanage can accommodate 100 school-going war-affected children and sends them from grade 1 to GCE (OL) to continue their studies.With the capacity to accommodate over 500 children and is maintained through donations generated by NERDO from the Tamil Diaspora. It aims to improve and uplift the living standard of underprivileged children in Sri Lanka.

Shanmugam Sarathchandran who lives in Canada is the 'big dad' and lives in a separate orphanage. "I am working in Canada for the last 22-years and came to Sri Lanka in 2004 during the peace talks. My second visit to the country was in 2011. I saw many orphans. I joined KP to go to all the camps taking an account of children with no parents. The former orphanage at Muthaiyankattu was damaged", he said. Shanmugam popularly known as Sara Master had five grown-up children who attended universities in Canada. Hailing from Jaffna he was a Physics master and left the country when the Indian Peace Keeping Force was controlling Jaffna.

"There were 15 foreigners from Canada, UK, Norway and Switzerland who were visiting camps with us. KP, requested them to fund to renovate the orphanage to look after orphans. Everyone unanimously agreed. They and other sections of the Tamil diaspora provided financial assistance to repair the buildings and get the required furniture for the Home", Sara Master said.

Each child in the Home has a cupboard and a bed and all the facilities to study. " Tamils living abroad who wish to support these children instead of spending money on birthday parties and other events send them here to provide facilities for these children", he said.

When asked about the support NERDO gets from the Tamil diaspora he said only 20 percent of them support this noble cause, but others avoid investing money in these projects.

"All these children want to study but their main problem is security", citing Rani's story as an example, Sara Master said there were many such girls in the Mullaitivu district who were living in insecure conditions.

"There are some girls here whose 'uncles' were wanting to take these girls but they were refusing to go with them. Most single parents face the same situation as they have to leave their daughters at home alone. Those mothers are the breadwinners and have to work to earn, but the environment they live is not secure for girls as they are vulnerable to abuse", he said.

Sara Master who is loved by all his 'daughters' brings them toys, books, clothes and chocolates - to make these innocent orphans happy. Every month he sends Rs. 40,000 out of his pocket for extra tuition classes conducted by teachers everyday from 6 pm to 8.30 pm at the orphanage.

He said as a Physics teacher he knew the value of education and it was only through education that they could have a better future. The public and the Tamil diaspora can help more in this endeavour. When I return to Canada I hope to write more letters seeking donations for these two Homes", he said.

According to Sara Master the boys want good food, clothing, education and protection, but the girls first want to ensure security and the rest for them came later. "The girl who was abused was crying all the time. She was ill and was treated. After I assured her that we will look after her and help her in her studies, she returned to normal. Now she is doing well in school. Earlier the small children were crying asking for their parents. We had to show kindness and concern.

I always encourage them to study well and those who are able to secure ranks above five in the class were given special gifts", he said.The lives that are torn apart are slowly picking up in the peaceful environment in the orphanage and also kind words soothe them.

As security is guaranteed they happily continue their studies. The meals at the Home are provided according to a menu.

At 'Anbu Illam', over 75 percent of the children don't have both parents and the rest have a single parent. Sara Master said when the single parent re-marries, the child was ill-treated by the 'new comer' and in such cases the child is entitled to be sheltered in the orphanage, which was regularly visited by officers of the Probation and Childcare.

He said they would not stop helping these children when they finish their schooling, but would look after them until they get married and become stable to fend for themselves. As the management can't wait for donations to these children they are drawing plans to sustain it by starting a farm to get the necessary vegetables, fruits, eggs and chicken for the Home.

These innocent victims are children who were caught up in a war. It is sad to note that their own community abuse these girls who can't turn to anyone.According to sources, the environs that these children were living were not safe for them as they were prone to physical and mental abuse. Though it is a daunting task for NERDO to look after these children with the funding they receive, they are ready to accommodate orphans in the Mullaitivu district to give them a safer place to live.

The sun was about to set and the matron was asking the girls to return to their rooms. Girls clad in colourful skirts, blouses and frocks, donated by some of those who said 'we love you', were running to their rooms to get the books to attend extra classes conducted each evening to catch up on missed lessons. Thulsika who was slowly walking towards the hostel holding my hand gently whispered: I felt as if my Amma had returned. I know that anyone can't fill the void left by her mother, but one can be happy that at least these girls are away from evil eyes that might prey on them.