Post Tsunami

Damaged Scenes

from Wasantha's Eye

Please devote your Valuable time to read this page.

I visited Tsunami affected areas from Colombo to Galle on the 12th of January 2005. Here are some scenes which I saw.

This visit was mainly, to organize and locate places and individuals where and whom we can provide help.

unfortanately it was a little rainy day.There were some scenes, which i could not beleive, but it was true. All religious Budhist, Hindu & Catholic statues were unharmed even though all big concrete buildings surrounding them were totally damaged.

Already some of my past Guests and TourLeaders who worked with me, have sent below amounts for relief work, which, still my bank has not received,(It takes more than two Weeks)When the bank receives this money, I will utilize them, in relevant projects.And inform them, about the progress.(today is 13th of January 2005).Please keep on looking for the updates of this Web Page.

Project 1

Already I am helping a project to donate used spectacles for the refugees.This is not a new project.We were doing it many years before tsunami.What we did was, to organise eye clinics on Full moon days, in very rural villages, with the help of Dr.Alawattegama, a well known Ayurveda Physician in Sri Lanka,and donated the Spectacles, which we recieved from the guests, and also gave free medicines.This was a very successfull project which benefited a lot of poor people.Spectacle Frames in Sri Lanka are very expensive which elderly poor persons cannot efford.Normaally when they want to read, they share the spectacles with somebody else.In Europe when someone dies, we hear that the used spectacles are thrown away, and when they change the fashion also, the used spectacles are thrown away.Why not we make use, of these?.This was our effort.Now from Tsunami many people lost their spectacles in the unexpected tidal wave,now, we have our project diverted from the poor villagers, for the tsunami affected refugees, and the people who need them.We are getting our first consignment of used spectacles 7000 with the kind help of Mr.and Mrs.Marga and Rens .Konning and Hans and Marianne Keijnemans,Also with the help of Mr Jos Berens.

Mr.Jos Berens earlier has been visiting with me a home for handicapped children and also a home for the aged, when he was in Sr Lanka, and he already helped us by funding Euro 14000 in a project, to develope the school for the handicapped children, through his organisation.The co incidence was there were two dutch boy and a girl, when we went their and they were already involved in training staff to do physiotherapy to the handicapped children.they were a great help to organise the funds to develop the school.

Project 2

Second project which I am involved is, to donate, playing items,to refugee children who are now in camps, after the tsunami disaster.These children are neglected, because there is no time to devote on them, as there are many essential things important, at the moment to attend to,such as removing the dead bodies from the effected areas .and removing and clearing the roads debrises.Most of these children are unaware that their parents are dead and their relations are also not interested in them.They don't know, what they can do.Some inhuman people take this oportunity and try to sell them or make use of them in underground actuivities.If we can provide books and playing items to them and arrange councelling for them, we might be able to save some of them.This is our effort.We are trying to negotiate with the government officials, to put them at one place, and look after them,untill, we can make some proper arrangements.When they are mixed with the adults, in refugee camps, their minds are spoiled by inhumane people.Children are the ownersa of this country in future,we have to protect them.Out of the total victims 1/3 are children.

Project 3

Third project is to donate 100000 cement blocks for people who have lost their houses to rebuild their houses.Just imagine when someone looses his house, all his wealth and belongings, with some of his close family members within minutes,leaving only his clothes he was wearing, some didn't have even that. What will be the mentality, if it hapens to us,and no one looks after us ? Untill we meet such a situation we cannot even imagine it.If some one doesn't help them, to get up, they have no way of coming out of the problem,because the damage is vast.This doesn't mean, whether they have money or not,now both poor and the rich, all are in one refugee camp,sharing each ones meal packet.This is life, which many people don't understand, untill they face such a problem..Why not we help them, the way we can ? That is why we started this project.Already more than 50000 cement blocks have prepared,and evryday afterwork, volunteers get to gether, to make cement blocks, to make the unfortunate people happy in their own shelter, leaving the refugee camps.

Tourists have diverted their programmes to go to other countries.this has effected mainly in my personal economy and all people who were depending on Tourism,oneway this has done some good, because being a tour guide, I have little free time, to engage in charity work,now I have more free time,which is very essential at this time to my country.I devote my free time in charity work with the help of my friends,Past Guests and well wishers, I am voluntarily helping these unfortunate victims, to overcome their problems, through Albert and Chithra Wijegunawardene Memorial Foundation ,which was formed in 1996, in memory of my dead parents, who were also well known social workers in Sri Lanka.

These things might happen to us one day, I hope not, but who knows ?.We need not to do a lot, we can donate minimum one beer bottle amount, for a week for the fund and ancourage your friends also to do so,one by one it will grow, and it will help some one, who is unfortunate in this region.If you can organise in this way, it will be a great help, and to look and to hear, someone has benefited from your money.This will releave you mentally too.For me to see, some one is happy and enjoying, it is a great pleasure, specially to see, that I also have taken part in their joy.We all have problems, let us forget our problems for a while, and make use of our time, and little of our money, in a worthy project, which we can be happy, and feel that it is worth, that, we forget our problems for a while.We have atleast, a place to live, and we have our friends, and relations,we have atleast little money,we have our job,but these victims, don't have anything of such, except for their clothes, they are wearing.They had everything earlier like us, but not now.

All these Asian countries, which are affected by Tsunami are depending on Tourism.Many people are living on tourist bussiness.In Sri lanka it is the third largest foriegn exchange earner.Please tell your friends and relations, who were to come to Sri Lanaka, and diverted their tours to other countries because of tsunami ,not to do so, and just come and visit the interior Sri Lanka, which is also very beautifull, like the beach. Also, if they do't want to be in the effected beach area, they can find accormodation in the west coast, which has very less damages.Have confidence, we are there to help the tourists.Within three months, all the tourist hotels, will be ready, to take in tourists.Already 25 hotels out of 46 which are damaged, are in working condition.If tourists don't come, people who were depending on this bussiness, also will be tsunami victims indirectly.Fox Vacanties are doing a great job by organising tours to Sri Lanka taking the responsibility,also they do some large scale Tsunami charity programmes in colaboration with Visit Lanka (pvt)Ltd, their local representatives.This as Sri Lankans we appriciate verymuch.We all are trying to help the victims in different ways.So you have the choice to select any of these programmes you like and join hands together,and finaally enjoy the happiness.

05.04.2005

Spectacles Project was the first project I started and it was the last project to finish as sheduled.I wanted to finish all the projects by end of this month for me to find a new job, untill tourism boosts up..Still tourists are not coming as we thought, even though everything has come to normal.If you can encourage your friends and relations to visit Sri lanka at this stage It will be a good help..I am very happy with the progress of all the projects,and all were done alone myself with the help of my son and my wife and with the help of my past guests who went with me on tours other well wishers and Organisations.I am very grateful to all of them who trusted me and sent money,and equipments.As I told at the biginning, Even though it is small what we did, it calculates in a big way,and people highly regard,the efforts.The refugees are very happy with your contributions,and they thank all of you from the bottom of their heaarts for helping them at this difficult time.For them we all are like gods.When compared with mass scale projects,even though our one is small,we can be happy, that we have done a lot.That is why I said at the bigining, small is beautiful.Let us have the will power and the courage to do small things like this in future too, and to understand the reality of life.

I take this oportunity to ask you, to encourage your friends and relations to visit Sri Lanka which is known as Paradise Island and enjoy the beauty and the hospitality of ever smiling people.

Click the links below to visit the photo pages

• Photo page 1

  Photo page 2

  Photo page 3

  Photo page 4

  Photo page 5

Tsunami donations and relief work done by Wasantha Wijegunawardene(Sri Lanka)

Selected Victims

Sambodhi Childrens Home

Progress after donations

Thank you very much for inquiring whether my family and myself were effected in this Tsunami and also thank you for the guests, friends, and well wishers who helped in all the projects, which I am involved and sharing the grief with the victims of Tsunami.

If you think, you also can help, in any one of these projects, please send an E.mail to my below E.mail address.We really appreciate it.It doesn't matter your contribution whether it is big or small. In Sri Lanka lot of very small children, themselves donated their pocket money saving tills,(pigy banks) to tsunami Victims.Because they saw the disaster from their own eyes.It is difficult to estimate the damage or the feelings of people by listning to news or by watching T,V.We have to see it from own eyes to feel the difficulty.Thank you very much for devoting your Valueable time to read this page.