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Why
Green Hope The
tsunami diary
Donate | (to
French site) . For news before sept 26th 2005, read more from the French version of the diary |
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April 28th, 2006, France - Pierre and Quentin. We write you from a small village in Cantal where we have put down our suitcases for a short time, Spring has not fully arrived, however already the fields are clothed with small timid, fragile flowers, so bright under a grey chalk-coloured sky. …..We have a desire for this peaceful calm and to drink in the pure air as one would drink from the cool source of a small river flowing down from volcanic rocks since time immemorial……. to find simple gestures, to pick some flowers for a bouquet, to listen to calm and deep works, such, as Brahms German Requiem, with its relaxed breathing, or to read avidly, things like the "Journal " by Jules Renard : " It is necessary to tame life by gentleness …..against gentleness there is no resistance. " … Further on, Jules Renard writes: " The ideal is a dream made precise " We have just gotten these new pictures from our permanent office in Hikkaduwa: the last touches for the new school in Narigama, work almost finished for the school in Katukoliya. Thus we complete the program that Green Hope had decided on, covering our zone of activity with pre-schools for children who had no possibility of getting prepared for senior school.
The work on the Training centre also advances. After putting up the surrounding wall, the reinforced door, and after the preparation of the ground, we are going to begin next week the building of the structure which will house the fishing co-operative's refrigerated truck, the accommodation for the security guard, a place for the repairing of nets, and then, on the first floor, the art classroom, while at the same time we shall construct collective toilets. Finally, we shall renovate the ancient existing building to install in it the reception, exhibition room, English and Computer Science classrooms. As we have always wished it, Green Hope will thus accompany the neediest, before the state school system and then afterwards, by giving them tools necessary to success and to fully blossom: an equality of opportunity for all. Other photographs we have received: those of the toilets on the public beach, destroyed by the Tsunami, and those of the Sunday market, which Green Hope is going to rebuild at the request of the new Mayor.
But we never forget that it is not enough to construct, it is necessary
to envisage the expense of functioning for the long term; For that
we know that we can again count on you, that you understood that
it is necessary to put in resources for the long term, that, yes,
there has been the cataclysm of the Tsunami, but before that, the
country was already in need, a suffering country in which today,
together, we are trying to bring consolation and the quality of
a gentler life … April 25th, 2006, France - Pierre and Quentin. Take the time before the times takes us … We have had a few days, far too short, to wander along, waste some time just like someone tasting lost bread, to find favoured books, to look at watercolours, to go out in the countryside just waking up from the winter, and see the miracle of the Spring arriving, nearly here…….a time to recharge batteries in the sources that give life … We shall shortly meet in Secouristes Sans Frontières to draw up the agreement for the establishment of the Mobile Health Centre, we shall visit Alliance Sri Lanka with whom we will run the Training centre, we shall pass by the town of Saint Nolff in Brittany to catch up with those who have supported us for a long time, the schoolchildren, the Town council, the inhabitants, all of whom came together to help Green Hope for more than a year…… from there we shall go on to Normandy, to meet with Thierry, Maud, from the delegation and to then assess the School Fund set up by the Community of the Communes of the Côte Fleurie… Then on to Belgium to find another dynamic delegation around Remouchamps and to discuss the reconstructions of houses together…… to meet with Myriam and Serge who plan to dedicate several months to Green Hope with us in Sri Lanka …..and everyone else with whom we want to meet before returning to Hikkaduwa …too little time to do everything … Meanwhile, in Hikkaduwa, we handed over the rebuilt houses of the edge of Gall Road The new school in Narigama also, is completed and will soon welcome two preschools, those of Narigama and of Tiranagama supported by the MJC Ste Foy lès Lyons.
After the normal disruption of the holidays at the end of the year, maritime life has gone back to normal, with already two trawlers back at sea, a third joining them in a few days … The new mayor of Hikkaduwa phoned our permanent office to ask Green Hope to rebuild the toilets on the public beach which were destroyed by the Tsunami, and we accept this task with pleasure, to erase the traces of the disaster and give back to the big public beach an image of peace and joyful days shared together Little Dinesh is walking; He is faithful to his rehabilitation , using two long bamboo poles installed for him He will go back to the hospital for an check-up on April 24th.
The Festival is getting ready with great enthusiasm, Jean Christophe gathers his team, refines his budget …..soon he will tell us about this superb adventure in this Diary…..The other evening, we were in Paris and went to a performance by Benjamin Sportes who will take part in this years Festival, very gifted and full of life, who will do wonders in his contacts with Sri Lankan artists…we are remined also of our friends Lo Jo, who promised us to come to a future Festival … The evening settles slowly on the hills….. " The night is never long enough to count all the stars and the moment of dawn too short to imagine what will happen in the day. " (Martine Laffon).
The moon is in its descendant phase, the New Year has passed….. Photos here of the celebrations organized by Green Hope, the cricket championship, the cycle racing, party and presents for the fishermen and for the women of the workshop ……another few days and the thread of normal activity will resume again …
We think the nicest pictures are those of Dinesh, after the successful operation, back with his family. He will have to keep the cast on for another two weeks and then begin physio. It will be long, but Dinesh will finally discover a normal life without disability …
April 14th, 2006, France - Pierre and Quentin. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Kumara, Jeanne and Vincent phoned us from Hikkaduwa. From Colombo, Chinta and François sent us a mail … You can, in your turn, wish them a happy New Year by using the "Visitors' book" … Green Hope invited all the fishermen, the helpers and their families to a big celebration and gave out numerous presents. In the Women's Workshop, we gave new clothes to the embroiderers and those who crochet.
And meanwhile, at this very moment there are cricket matches going on, cycle racing … We should get photos of all of this on Saturday morning … The hour changed in Sri Lanka last night. At 3 h 30, it became 3 h. This was the way that the hour had been calculated. The former President changed it when taking office. The new President changes it back in his turn. " First dream of the year Shôu
April 10th, 2006, France - Pierre and Quentin. In a few days it will be the Tamil and Sri Lankan New Year. Jeanne and Vincent spent a marathon weekend along with Kumara in the pre-schools, with the Green Hope schoolchildren: " A tremendous day because they celebrated the New Year in all the schools before starting the school holidays for fourteen days". Dinesh is going to start the year well. Having been admitted on April 5th to the Apollo Hospital, he was operated on successfully the following day. He will soon be back home after a short period under observation … In " Le Monde" Newspaper of April 10th the WHO was alarmed about the shortage of medical staff: " A Scarcity of medical staff: there is a shortage of about 4.3 million doctors, nurses and health workers in the world, according to the annual report of the WHO. It is in the developing countries that this situation is the most dramatic". But it is also necessary to create mobile health centres so that the medical profession can work very close to the people. We think of Secouristes Sans Frontières and the Health Centre in Hikkaduwa with whom we are going to accomplish the first Mobile Health Centre in a few months time …
Our friends Jean-Christophe and Alain have put online, as planned, the new Spanish translation of the site. From now on you will be able to follow the nice history of Green Hope " Hispanised", thanks to Jordi whom we wish to welcome into the big "Greenhopian "Tribe". More and more of you are reading us in the primary, secondary schools and colleges. The trilingual site will also allow you practice learning the languages. Appropriately, Fabienne has just finished a slide show with 300 photographs on March 28th during the party that she organized in her school in the Espace Rhénan de Kembs in the Alsace, and all the donations given will be forwarded to Green Hope. In Belgium, in Rémouchamps, the pupils of the fifth year in Saint Joseph's School introduced Green Hope to some 400 pupils to motivate them…. on Friday, March 31st they took part in a three-kilometre cross-country run " it was for them a way to earn the money donated and to gain the trust of the persons who had accepted….and to make a small effort for others" as Dominique and Gérard, their teachers told us in writing. We shall visit them on May the 18th, 19th and 20th of this year, during our trip of friendship to the Belgian Delegation. This evening, we shall meet up with Delphine and Marie who will
tell us of their work in Amiens …
We were welcomed by Johann, the organizer of the event and we also met Gérard Dupuy of the CCFD (Catholic Committee Against Hunger and for Development) and Marcel Jeanson of Artisanat Sel, a local association promoting equitable trade. Each of us had to present their Association and its programmes. So it was with great emotion that we spoke in front of all these
young people, already very mature in our opinion. We told them the
history of Green Hope, its past plans and those to come. We ended
up speaking about the Festival in order to show them the film made
by Jean-Christophe last summer. Then the discussion was opened to the floor. Numerous questions and a true interchange of ideas with them: " How can we help Green Hope? By what means? ", " Do you look for volunteers? What age do you have to be to help? ", " Do you like what you are doing? " … What joy for us to see them so motivated and buzzing with ideas, because it is with them that the future will be built.
We finished this day by a little more private time with some of them, who were proud to introduce us their "Bread-Apple" initiative which will take place on April 11th: For the price of a normal meal, they eat a cheaper meal composed of some bread and an apple. A part of the funds raised by this action will be transferred to Green Hope. We set out for Paris with hope in our hope, still running into the disruption caused by the angry young people….And even now there is ever more warmth in our hearts, getting bigger. We are happy to have started the work of the Île-de-France delegation with such a nice day of sharing. Thanks to the pupils of the Providence, and to Johann. Marie & Delphine. April 5th, 2006, France - Pierre and Quentin A time of sleet and damp cold. The weather forecast says that tomorrow Spring will be here….while we are waiting for it we can send you fruit tree blossoms, a picture that our friends Elizabeth and François sent to us from Provence ……and since the sky is blue ……there … We are coming to an end to our trip around France, and tomorrow in Paris we shall meet Marion, Vincent, of AOS, as well as the Management Team, to consider a new Green Hope programme with them, after the splendid reconstruction of the Morocola Stadium in Dodanduwa … In the meantime we have been reading and have been very touched by all the messages from the Solidarity Class in Orange, in the Visitors' book. We were this morning with another class in the Collège St Dominique in Chalon where we introduced the short films made by Jean-Christophe. Every time we get a renewed pleasure and huge emotion when we watch them. The class was silent, reflective… then full of questions….. We explained to them how important it was to keep going … Yesterday, we met in the morning with Bernard, chief editor of the Journal de Saône et Loire newspaper, with whom we prepared an upcoming article on Green Hope. In the afternoon we spent some time with Annick, Cecil and Michel, from the Burgundy delegation, loving faithful friends. Of course, we spoke about Ishan, but also about new sponsorships …..and entrusted to them a part of the medication and dressings which the Collège d'Orange had collected, so that they go as quickly as possible in " wild cargo ……. If you think you are going to Sri Lanka in the next few months, do not forget to let us know so that you can take a little extra luggage with you. You may remember that we have an agreement with Srilankan Airlines, allowing us 5 kg extra luggage per head. Finally yesterday evening, we met with our friends, " the Bearers of Words and Pictures ", Jean-Christophe, Alain, for our kind of party in Jean's-Claude's house. We will surely meet up again before our next departure! At least, we shall meet in Margencel, near Thonon, on May 31st around Jean-Michel and the artists who are dedicating a day of a Festival for the benefit of Green Hope. Enrica, Karl, Rob from Switzerland, Nicole, Sophie, Michel from Savoie, Annick, Cecil and Michel from Bourgogne will be there. How about you? Thanks to Jeanne and Vincent as well as Kumara, we have news from the permanent office. They are getting ready for the New Year on the 13th with a cricket match organized by Green Hope. The young people in the villages are getting ready with enthusiasm as the photo we received shows….. During this time others are getting ready for a Bike Race, the 24, a Green Hope event also, which our representative in Colombo, François, will not want to miss as he is a former international cycle racer! The new mayor of Hikkaduwa, Vine Karyawasan has assured us of his complete support and of his agreement for the ongoing development of our work. He is from the same party as the actual president of Sri Lanka. A boat came back on Sunday with 4000 kilograms of fish, but Kumara tells us that the price for fish has gone down a lot, to around six dollars a kilo … Udaya, who replaces Asanka, drove Dinesh in the morning to the
Apollo Hospital for the difficult operation on his Achilles tendon.
It will allow this child discover a normal life, without disability.
Dinesh has found a sponsor who is none other than Dany, the Principal
of the School in Orange, the School which collected and allowed
this operation to take place…..Another nice story of love and
solidarity….
April 1st, 2006, France - Pierre and Quentin At the foot of Gordes, up a dirt track with loose stones, a noble bastide, worthy of a Cistercian beauty, encircled by grapevines, with fields and wild flowers, young precious shoots…. there waiting for us are Elizabeth and François, longstanding friends, so dear to our hearts. It was the day before yesterday, we were still warmed by the party we had with Françoise and Roland in Chalon, where we ate with Philippe and Monica. It is with old friends that we meet, and let ourselves go, curl up in communion, such a lively and confident source … so pleasant. The haven of Elizabeth and François is a residence for four souls, they enjoying playing a piano piece for four hands. We recalled our missing friends, and present ones, drank good wines, and savoured a transparent life A small drive together on the roads of the Lubéron, stopping for one moment in a bookshop of Apt, finding an atypical record dealer, and returning full of the pleasure to come from the reading, and from listening …..a timeless period to recharge batteries, then finish the day in contemplation listening to Mahler's " Das Leid von der Erde", an unpublished recording, among the last by Kathleen Ferrier, a moving concert from May 17th, 1952 …
We took to the road the following day, a nice youthful Spring morning, under a sky of Tuscan blue, happy to meet with our friends in the Collège Barbara Hendricks. A big celebration was being prepared for the benefit of Green Hope. At the beginning of afternoon we met the pupils of the Solidarity Class, finishing the preparations, and gave them news of the children of Patuwatha, with whom they have been corresponding for nearly a year, and introduced the photographs of Dinesh whom we had decided, along with the team in the Collège, to dedicate this party so that the funds collected will allow us to fund his operation without delay, in the best possible conditions. We shall not forget this party, the pupils, the teachers, assistants and the public who came…..Everything was remarkably well organized. The Lycée Aristide Briand in Orange was supporting the celebration, around Christophe from Cap Cuisine, helped by Nadine and Laurence, who served up a Sri Lankan dinner, sweet and sour in the tastes of Asia … The whole thing kicked off with a presentation by the Principal Dany, then the handing over of a donation in a package bigger than us, wrapped in a ribbon: the pupils had collected in the chemist's shops things to supplement our health centre by referring to the list that we had put on the website. We gave a speech, stuttering somewhat, very full of emotion from all this incredible attention. We announced that Green Hope would inaugurate, during the 2007 Festival, an outdoor theatre to which we will give the name of the Barbara Hendricks School. It is not impossible that the singer herself may make the trip, as well as some famous musician friends, who are associated with the school … The Choir " La Clé des Champs " then sang Edith Piaf's " l'Hymne à l'Amour " - " I would go around the world, I would go to the deep seas, if you asked me to do it " - as well as singing also from Mozart to Polnareff … Then, the " Word group " recounted stories of Asia…… a group with a lot of talent, from different nationalities, from the 5th and 4th Class…..How our country is nice when it is made up of different ethnic origins, and, even more than others, this moment had a real significance, in this city of Orange….. and we were proud to be their guests … Finally, the pupils of the Solidarity Class recited a text from Alagiyavanna, the Sri Lankan author of "Subhashitaya", around the year 1600: " Whatever their own misfortunes are, We cannot forget Josette Roy, who had come to show her soft watercolours for the benefit of Green Hope …..nor the model bikes made by the schoolchildren…..all sold….. nor the young chilli plants from Sri Lanka, thanks to the Nature Class …
Nothing was missing in this party, and, with the force of all these energies, the Collège Barbara Hendricks can pride itself on having reached its objective: this celebration is going to allow Dinesh to be operated on. We were in contact with Kumara in the permanent office; he will accompany the child next Tuesday to the Apollo Hospital. We joined with all the team to celebrate this success until late into the night … During this time, in Hikkaduwa, Jeanne and Vincent keep the fort
along with Kumara. They send us of pictures, and good news from
over there. A new Mayor was elected and was quick to call our office
to say to us how much he wanted to continue the nice story along
with Green Hope. Two boats came back to the harbour with about seven
tonnes of fish. The Tamil and Sri Lankan New Year is being prepared
…
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