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AIM International Aid has done some great things this year from partnering with an international NGO, Global Action, starting a sponsorship program, a wine tasting night and the installation of electricity for a children’s village in Galle Sri Lanka. With every passing day we are learning more and more about the need for aid in Sri Lanka and the rest of the developing world. Thank you for your support and financial gifts over the past year as AIM remains dependant on your generosity to continue its goal of supplying aid to the survivors of war and natural disaster.
This year has been a tumultuous time for the people of Sri Lanka. An up rise of violence has been brought to the door step of many homes within the metropolis of Colombo as well as the rural areas of the North and East. This has stalled the completion of many relief projects initiated by International Non Governmental Organizations (INGO). Peace negotiations between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government have been cancelled many times and it seems that they will not happen anytime soon. The Sri Lankan civilians are the target of many of the attacks and have been consistently used as pawns by the two groups.
Many people on the East and North coasts are with out food and resources as the check points along the roads stop much of the aid attempting to reach these people. Small grassroots INGO’s such as AIM International Aid have an advantage over larger organizations as we are able to hire locals and slip through the cracks while bringing supplies to the people with the greatest need.
For more information please follow this link: www.lankapage.com
On Eden MacDonald’s ( AIM’s founder and executive director) trip to Sri Lanka in the Winter and Spring of 2006 she met Mr. Lal Withanage the National Director of Global Action. After visiting all of Global Actions projects throughout the island she was thoroughly impressed by their innovative ideas and strong work ethic. Lal Withanage offered AIM International Aid the opportunity to partner with Global Action. The benefit to AIM International Aid is that we will be able to complete projects more efficiently and also have the Global Action staff to assist with any documentation and updates on our projects. Due to the strict regulations of the Sri Lankan Government it is extremely expensive and complicated process to become a registered INGO with in the country. By accepting the partnership agreement we will by pass the registration process and will be able to continue our work without hassle.
The Unnichchai centre is running with much success. In September we hired Mrs. Doris Thambyrajah to work as our AIM representative in Sri Lanka. She has been working hard at sending us monthly reports and has made the treacherous journey to the centre 4 times since September. Each time Doris visits the centre she has called us to report how much AIM has been able to improve the quality of life for these children and heir families who have been devastated by the current violence. Below are a few excerpts from her reports that I’m sure will tug at your heart strings…
“Even though it was a hectic day, I managed to just catch the train and reach the destination. As I reached Chenkalady at 3am I was picked up by a friend…”
“Unichchai Nutrition Feeding Centre is about 23 km away Chenkalady…. There are no roads and hence the journey by a 3 wheeler was immensely uncomfortable. It was my first experience going into a LTTE controlled (uncleared) area. We had to go through several army check points and we were not allowed to take our cameras. Luckily, we had a camera phone which came in handy to capture the children and the environment.
Having passed the cleared areas, all what I saw was just a dry stretch of land where people were dwelling in small huts. Their mode of transport was to walk and a few had the luxury of bicycles. Only the LTTE personnel had motorcycles. We were told that buses run on the route only 3 times a day.”
“It was around 9am when we reached the centre. The centre looked cute and inviting. I was pleased to see that the surroundings were kept impeccable and there were a few trees too. We were welcomed by the staff – 2 teachers and the cook with a broad smile on their faces. To my amazement, the children who were seated on the ground were aloof to our arrival.”
“This troubled me much as generally when I visit centres like this, children are pleased to see visitors. When I questioned the teachers about this behaviour, they told me that they had been trained previously by the LTTE that they shouldn’t get close to people as it would put them in a vulnerable position to divulge secret information. However, I persisted and sat on the floor with them, played games and had conversations regarding their books etc. As time passed during the course of the day, my interaction enabled them to get past their apprehensions and become friendly.”
“The teachers face many difficulties to come into the centre everyday. They have to take the first bus that leaves Chenkalady town at 7 am. One of the teachers has to take 2 buses as she lives far away from the Centre. Sometimes when there are rumours of trouble or actual commotions, everything comes to a standstill including the bus services. By the time the teachers arrive at the centre, most of the parents would have taken their children away. Approximately 5 - 11 children would remain at the centre. The cook, who is from the local vicinity, would then take care of the children and ensure that they are fed. It was joyful to see that both teachers and the cook working alongside with each other with much dedication to what they do, in spite of all the obstacles.
I had a long chat with them regarding the centre’s needs and also suggestions for improvement of the Centre especially in the area of education.
Whilst we were there, we could hear the sounds of artillery as well as bomb shells being exchanged….when we finally did leave, the situation broke out. We were worried about the staff as they had decided to stay back and we had no means of contacting them. The shelling continued throughout the night. Even at the mission house where I was staying, the vibrations were very strong shaking the house and we were unable to sleep peacefully.
The next day morning, we were greatly relieved to see both the teachers who had faced an ordeal to get through this volatile situation. They had been running to save their lives and their saris had even got caught in the barbed wires from the bus stand and managed to get back to the centre where they stayed overnight.
This is the kind of situation that the staff risk for the success of the project.”
Got back safely this morning...I have no words to express my joy of being with the kids and the whole community celebrating the Christmas party. The standed of all the activites [songs, dance, poems, welcome speech etc] was excellent. The welcome speech, poems and songs in English was unbelievable. They did it with confidence and there was no fear or anxiety. I enjoyed every item in spite all the shelling noise going across one end to the other; hats off to the teachers who had done a great job with the children. I am sure if you were there you would have enjoyed every moment.
I again managed to take the phone camera and took quite a number of pictures, I shall send them soon to you…feeling very tired and I want to rest.
We kicked off 2006 with a “Feed the Babies” night at Crush Champagne Lounge in Vancouver. The evening was quite a success for a rainy Thursday night! Thank you again for those of you who came out to enjoy a night with …
Make Poverty History – Along with many other NGO’s we had a booth at the Make Poverty History walk and NGO fair. It was a great opportunity to mingle and network with people working in the non-profit sector and other humanitarians. Thanks to everyone who stopped by the booth to ask questions and subscribe to our mailing list!
After months and months of planning we held our Annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction Night in Coal Harbour. It was a major success and a fun time was had by all. A special thank you to Taylorwood Wines who did a fabulous job of supplying a wine expert and all the wine for our event and to all of the businesses who donated items for our silent auction.
We have a lot to look forward to in 2007 another year of growing, learning and taking on new challenges. We are excited to be part of the Children’s Village in Galle, Sri Lanka in association with Global Action. As of November 2006 AIM International Aid had supplied the village with electricity and will now continue to build onto the village towards its goal of being a resource for surrounding villages and the home to many children orphaned by the tsunami and the war.
Our sponsorship program is in full swing. If you would like to ensure that the Unnichchai center keeps supplying food and education to the children of Unnichchai please consider sponsoring a child for $15 per month.
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