Moment to cherish

Setting up of pre-school:

Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

MORAWEWA is a desolate and threadbare village located 22 kilometres from the Trincomalee town on the Anuradhapura road; a border village that earlier came under sporadic LTTE attack. We felt the emptiness of life in that part of the country. But one thing we felt immensely was the unforgiving sun.

A few years ago marauding terrorists hacked to death the innocent villagers and left behind a trail of pillage and destruction.

Even last month several service personnel and civilians travelling in a tractor were seriously wounded when their tractor was caught up in a land mine explosion.

However, with the liberation of Morawewa by the Security Forces, the re-settlement program of displaced families became a top priority of the government.

It was at this juncture that the Seva Vanitha Unit of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) decided to step in to give a helping hand to the government’s effort of re-settling displaced persons.

We visited the Morawewa village a fortnight ago with the Seva Vanitha personnel of the Sri Lanka Air Force led by its Chairperson Nelum Goonetilleke. The occasion marked the opening of a pre-school named Nipuna Kekula and the commissioning of four tube wells to provide safe drinking water to the inhabitants of Morawewa.

We travelled by coach to Gunawardenapura where the pre-school was located. A number of pre-school kids, dressed in multi-coloured clothing, were awaiting our arrival.

They had thronged the school premises when we reached there. They clung to the bodies of their mothers.

These kids had been traumatised by brutal, savage attacks and mayhem caused by terrorists in the past. The signs were visible on their little faces.

But thanks to the Security Forces, they are now quite safe, being provided security by the Sri Lanka Air Force and the Security Forces.

On our way to the pre-school, we witnessed several bunkers alongside the road. The soldiers manning them were steady and alert and saluted our convoy as we passed by.

On our arrival at the Nipuna Kekula School, a tiny tot garlanded the Chairperson Mrs. Nelum Goonetilleke with a bouquet of flowers. It was a small gesture made by a poor girl. But it left an indelible impression in our minds realising how innocent these kids were.

Impoverished kids

These impoverished kids, waited anxiously till the ceremony began. It was a big, proud moment in their lives. A pre-school was going to be started in their village after several years.

The kids had been deprived of pre-school education due to the civil conflict in the past. But now they have an opportunity to learn basic things at the pre-school before they enter mainstream school. In fact, the kids were eyeing the goodies on display they were going to receive.

They included books, plastic water bottles, shoes, socks etc. The items had been gifted by members of the Seva Vanitha Unit.

Incidentally, the event coincided with the International Women’s Day. The ceremony commenced with the hoisting of the national flag by the Chairperson and the Morawewa Base Commander.

A shy tiny tot welcomed the guests as she mumbled a few followed by an applause by parents. A glass of milk was provided for each kid by members of the Seva Vinitha Unit before the ceremony commenced.

Squadron Leader Sureka Dias then read out the Seva Vinitha Chairperson’s message. She said that a mother plays a big role in bringing up a family and the aim of Seva Vanitha was to strengthen the role of women and uplift their living standards.

The pre-school was refurbished by the Seva Vanitha to provide a sound education for kids affected by the civil war. She urged parents to send their children above three years to the Pre-School.

Assistant teacher

The Seva Vanitha was ready to enlist the services of an assistant teacher with A/Level qualifications to serve at the pre school. Funds had been allocated for this purpose and the SLAF is planing to provide medical treatment to inhabitants of the area, she said.

Meanwhile, chairs, tables, racks, blackboards, sports goods, books and other utensils were provided for Nipuna-Kekula pre school. The kids were provided with flasks, shoes, socks and school bags, by the Seva Vanitha.

To provide nourishment to malnourished kids, every parent was provided with 10 kilos of rice with dry rations. Meanwhile, a tube well was also commissioned to provide safe drinking water to the school kids.

We spoke to Nillanka Dilhani, a native of Moragaswewa who was born and bred in the village. She was happy that her daughter Chamudhaya Probodaya was admitted to the pre-school. We then spoke to Chandani Amarasinghe, the Secretary of the Mothers’ Association of Moragaswewa. She was proud that the pre-school was renovated by the Sri Lanka Air Force.

“Earlier the pre-school was in a state of neglect. The area was surrounded by shrub jungle and the kids could not walk safely to school. The whole area had been cleared up now. Our children can now walk safely to school”, she marvelled.

The pre-school garden was neatly kept. For the recreation of kids four sea-saws and four swings had been installed in the garden. The kids received prizes from the Chairperson Nelum Goonetilleke.

Distributed

They were Bhagya Sandaruwani, Mithun Methsara, M. Chamudhya and Danandaya Jayaratne. The remaining prizes were distributed among other kids by Group Captain Leonard Rodrigo of the Morawewa camp and Morawewa’s Divisional Secretary N. Wijeyatileke and ASP, M. Dissanayake.

The recipients were Udesha Lakmali, Ayesha Weragoda and M. Puimantha. The Chairman of the Morawewa Pradeshiya Sabha, L. Banda said the Sri Lanka Air Force had even provided farmers in the area with seed paddy for harvesting their fields. He was happy the Gunawardenapura pre-school had been renovated, he said.

We then visited the Pankulama Village at Morawewa to commission the tube wells provided by the Seva Vanitha Unit. Hundreds of re-settled families were awaiting the arrival of the Chairperson of the Seva Vanitha Unit.

Re-settled families in Pankulama village, were provided four tube wells by the Seva Vanitha Unit of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF). The tube wells were commissioned by Chairperson Nelum Goonetilleke following the unveiling of the plaque. On earlier occasions villagers had to trudge long distances to find drinking water.

Providing safe drinking water would alleviate the sufferings of the inhabitants. The ceremony concluded with the distribution of 10 kg of rice packs, dry rations, clothing, aluminium pots, rubber slippers among 75 families.

Five wheelchairs were also distributed among five disabled persons in the area. Chairperson Mrs. Goonetilleke and Morawewa Camp’s Group Captain Leonard Rodrigo, distributed the goods among the villagers.

Pix: Samantha Weerasiri