British couple conduct guessing game

To raise funds for tsunami displaced at Kosgoda

Jan and her husband Ian Linch survivors of tsunami while holidaying in Maldives, successfully completed a housing project for tsunami displaced at Kosgoda named 'Aurora Village'. Jan and her husband Ian Linch were interviewed by W. T. J. S. Kaviratne - Ambalangoda Special Correspondent.

Jan Linch and her husband Ian Linch raised funds for 'Aurora Village' a housing scheme for the tsunami displaced at Kosgoda through numerous ways including a guessing game of the weight of huge pumpkins grown in their 20 acre farm in Sutton Valence, Kent, in England.

All the participants had to pay an entrance fee of five pounds to guess the weight of the pumpkins. One of the huge pumpkins kept for the guessing game was around 150 pounds. Only one of the participants could exactly guess its weight and he won the pumpkin. The money collected as the entrance fee from the participants of the guessing game were used to construct houses for the tsunami affected at Kosgoda.

Jan and Ian Linch continued fund raising for the construction of houses for tsunami victims of Kosgoda launching 'Aurora Fund Raising Walks'. Mostly the young school children of Kent walked miles and miles, conducted swimming contests and school fairs in raising funds for the 'Aurora Village'. For instance, in order to raise funds 'An Eva Cassidy Concert' with Singer Georgie Grassom was held at St. Mary the Virgin Church, Asford, England.

Two years back, on the tsunami day morning, both Jan and Ian, their daughter and her husband were walking on a popular beach stretch in an Islet of Vilamandou in Maldives.

Recollecting the strange phenomenon which occurred in the sea on this fateful morning they said that to their utter surprise suddenly the sea receded for an unbelievable distance completely exposing the seabed and coral reefs.

Just after 15 minutes, the surging waves engulfed the whole of the beach stretch by a huge wall of water. There was nowhere to run for safety and they remained in a depth of about 4 feet water for several hours. Receding of the sea repeated several times exposing even the struggling fish among the corals they said.

Immediately after reaching England Jan and Ian Linch had determined to extend their helping hand for the victims in a tsunami devastated Asian country.

Jan and Ian together with some of their friends in Kent formed an Organisation called 'Aurora Orphanage Appeal'. Their aim was to bring Light to the Lives which were made dark by the tsunami. At the first stage they were able to raise funds amounting to 100,000 pounds.

At this juncture, Dr. Sam de Zoysa a Sri Lankan doctor living in Kent, England revealed to them the impact of the tsunami on the lives of the people who lived on the coastal belt of Kosgoda. Jan and her husband had visited Kosgoda Triton Hotel about six years back they said to attend their daughters' wedding ceremony.

Jan and Ian met Mr. Wijitha Jayatilleke a well known philanthropist of Kosgoda and with his assistance and guidance a five acre land was purchased for the proposed tsunami housing scheme.

Just after two years the five acre stretch of shrub jungle was transformed into a model village comprising 33 beautiful houses with all the facilities, known as "Aurora Village", packets of Sri Lankan Tea and Cinnamon were sold to raise funds.

Aurora Village comprises a Community Centre, a Shopping Complex, a Playgroud, a Pre School and a Medical Centre. Unlike other tsunami housing schemes, every recipient of a house in Aurora Village have been provided with deeds and a considerable extent of land. Home Garden Competition had been launched and by now well maintained home gardens could be seen in Aurora Village.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Musical shows and food fiestas were held in Germany as fund raising campaigns.

Bernd Schafer and Thomas Eikmeier are two repeater German nationals visiting Hikkaduwa on the South Coast in Sri Lanka for more than 15 years mostly due to friendly villagers on the coastal belt in and around Hikkaduwa.

Both of them on hearing the massive devastation caused by the tsunami, in order to gather firsthand information on the impact of tsunami on the villages of Telwatta, Seenigama, Peraliya and Hikkaduwa came to Sri Lanka a week after the tsunami. They said they were shocked to see the situation of the villages which were very familiar to them.

They said they also joined in searching and removing the bodies of the dead. Both Bernd Schafer and Thomas Eikmeier run a Coffee Cafe in a Museum of Modern Arts in the City of Bielefled in Germany.

They embarked on a fund raising campaign in helping the affected villagers at Hikkaduwa. They successfully launched a fund raising campaign by conducting Sri Lankan musical Shows and Food Fiestas of Sri Lankan Food for the visitors to the Museum. All the money collected out of these programmes had been used for the tsunami rehabilitation projects undertaken by them.

They have rehabilitated the Playground of Barnassoriya Childrens Home and provided the sports items and the necessary equipment for its proper maintenance.

During their recent visit to Hikkaduwa they handed over a newly built house with all the facilities of electricity and pipeborne water supply to a young fisherman who lost his wife and the only child on tsunami day at Seenigama. In addition, they conducted programmes for the villagers to overcome trauma.

Bernd Schafer and Thomas said they will continue to help the affected communities in the villages around Hikkaduwa.