Tuesday, 25th October

10 months have now passed since the tsunami and I would just like to update all on what we have spent to date. KPMG have been looking at our books on a regular basis and will be conducting a full audited report at the year end. We hope to produce an annual report which will list in detail all that we have done, anybody wishing to be sent a copy of this report should e mail us with their full mailing address, we hope to have this report out by the end of January.

Please send you request to info@adoptsrilanka.com

Monday, 24th October

Last week the government lifted restrictions on the coastal 100 metre building regulation, this of course is good news but many people are now asking the question why was it ever imposed in the first place and that it just delayed people's miseries by 9 months while it was in place. To a large extent we ignored it anyway and repaired homes for people, there is still confusion as to whether the government will now offer the same compensation to people within the zone as those beyond the zone; this again would be good news for us as it means our money will go further. There is of course a presidential election on Nov 18 and many are saying this is just political posturing; as a result it is unlikely that anybody will do anything until after the result.

Saturday, 8th October

The people of Denuwala witnessed the emergence of 'Team Tinta'; seventeen of Britain 's finest urban youth making up the largest group Adopt Sri Lanka has had to date. Greg, our Aussie mentor, AKA 'Pimp 'n' tuk-tuk' driver, set us to work in the local village and refugee camp. A high morale and a hungry enthusiasm were fuelled, and slaked, by buffalo curd and treacle supplied by the resident monks, and we set to the task of painting the houses damaged in the tsunami. That the locals worked alongside us was proof that the sense of community had withstood the tsunami, and soon white-washed houses with jazzy blue and pink windows spread through Denuwala.

To transform the community centre in the US-AID refugee camp was our next project. The children of the camp and 'Team Tinta' liberally applied brightly coloured paint in many forms, shapes and patterns to a fifteen-metre-long piece of material that was to be the new ceiling of the centre. Inside the centre we tried to make it as welcoming a place as possible; painting the walls, providing cushions, children's chairs and painted logs to sit on, whilst also giving the children sports equipment, such as a bat and ball to occupy them. We were struck by the sheer discomfort of living in the camp, many carrying out basic tasks such as cooking for the family without a source of light and most without beds or mattresses. So before leaving we organised those essentials, as well as tables and chairs, to try and improve their basic standard of living. The project culminated in a farewell party in the community centre, and we prepared games such as 'pass-the-parcel' and plied the young, and not-so-young, with sweets. The Sri Lankan girls danced the volunteers off the floor, so the parting volleyball game encouraged the competitive spirit to continue in a slightly less embarrassing manner.