The devastation caused by the tsunami that hit the shores of several Asian countries last December left many Sri Lankan fishermen homeless, their boats destroyed and their livelihood gone. A Sri Lankan friend from Exeter, Tamara, organised a fund-raising event at Rockbeare Manor at the end of June, concentrating on helping one particular village, Moratuwa, in the south west of the country, below Colombo. Our son Neil and our Sri Lankan daughter-in law, Jeevani, threw themselves into the event with enthusiasm, Jeev cooking wonderful Sri Lankan cakes and volunteering Modestine to act as a mobile canteen from where we served nearly 100 sweet coconut pancakes.
Some of you from Exeter were very supportive on the day, enjoying the Airforce band, the dog show, the bouncy castle and the hog roast. Your support enabled us to raise £220 from the sale of Jeev’s home cooking which included both Sri Lankan love cake and jaggery cake. (Jaggery is sugar made from the coconut palm.) Our stall also brought great delight to a couple of Sri Lankan medics working at the local hospital who claimed Jeev’s cooking reminded them of home! Ian and Neil wore their sarongs and Jeev’s peacock-coloured sari added a touch of Sri Lankan authenticity to a very British summer fete in the heart of the Devon countryside.
The enormous efforts of Tamara and her family ensured the fete was a complete success. The original aim was to raise sufficient funds to pay for 15 fishing boats, which had already been commissioned in Sri Lanka. The boats costs around £80 -£90 each, complete with nets. Their construction also provides local carpenters with employment. Each boat provides a livelihood for at least one fisherman and his family, helping replace those destroyed during the freak waves. In the event, nearly £5,000 was raised that afternoon and the order for boats has since been increased, plus an order for a couple of larger, motorised fishing boats, capable of going further out to sea and supporting several fisher families.
Commissioning has been arranged through the local charity AFLAC (Association for Lighting a Candle). These first boats were launched last week and are already helping the villagers of Moratuwa. Pictures of the launch can be seen below. For those of you who attended the fete, or who sponsored Ian to wear a sarong for the afternoon, this is what you have helped Tamara and her supporters to provide. Feels good doesn’t it, to have a lovely afternoon out, test your taste buds out on something different, sneak a sly glance at Ian’s sockless ankles protruding from beneath his sarong, and at the same time help people on the other side of the world to restart their lives?
AFLAC is a Sri Lankan charity working directly with the local people, independent of the government or official agencies. It can act quickly, responding directly to local need. To the right of the picture below is ALFAC's founder who was present at the launch of the fishing boats last week.
Resulting from the outstanding success of the fete, Tamara has agreed to act as AFLAC’s president in South West England. She is now turning her energies to raising funds to educate some of the orphaned children in Sri Lanka. We think it costs around £10 a month to sponsor a child’s education but for anyone interested further information can be obtained from T.A.Snell@exeter.ac.uk There is also an ongoing fund-raising project to bring help to Sri Lankan cancer victims.
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