January 31st, 2006, Hikkaduwa - Pierre and Quentin

These last days were full of excitement. The divers from Plongeurs du Monde, welcomed by Green Hope, carried out an excellent piece of work, which will remain engraved in the memories of the children of Patuwatha for a long time. On Saturday evening, in the overcrowded Green Hope school, they showed slides of this week, when more than sixty children were able to go diving with all the professional equipment ….the first slideshow in the new school, all the children there….their families…just magic. The following day, we met on the big beach for a big clean-up of this coastal region, and it was so good to see the clean beach of fine sand without the rubbish harmful to the environment. We ended with a picnic given by Green Hope to all the brave participants, along with the diving team from the Poseidon Centre in Hikkaduwa…..Mission accomplished with regard to exorcizing the sea, and for the discovery and preservation of marine life in the middle and coastal region. We have decided to run it again in January and March, 2007.

A bag full of rubbish	Slide Show	Clean-up of Patuwatha Beach

During this same time, Sophie and Michel continued eyesight testing in the public School at Hikkaduwa for more than 600 children, and 30 teachers. They said to us how much they were struck by the ongoing trauma of the schoolchildren months after the Tsunami. The testing is made more difficult by anxiety, nervous children whom they had not met in the previous three screenings which took place in villages. In the afternoon, they continue with the testing of the adults and return in the evening happy and exhausted. They stay with us until next Saturday

And at the same time, Dominique continues with us the finalization of the pre-school programme. Yesterday, we acquired a new site at Narigama, on which we are quickly going to begin the building of a new school for Narigama and Tiranagama. We also visited a private school in Kumara Kanda which wishes to join the Green Hope pre-schools, and we were captivated by the creativity of the children. We are going to draw up a formal contract, which we shall sign together in a legal office, to link this school from the region of Dodanduwa, to ensure that it corresponds to the ideals of energy, artistic creation, and humanism of other pre-schools …

What more….a house was completed today, two others very soon, two others are well-advanced …the boats make good catches. The weather is always a bit strange, and rains announce a plum-coloured sky of an oppressive moistness …

Now, we are getting ready to receive the new February programmes from this week: Christelle from the Women's Workshop arrives with some wool for new creations; Jean-Christophe is going to finalize the last artistic and technical contacts for the next Festival; Valée and Domi, back one year later, with their twins, are going to carry out health check-ups in the schools, the boats, and in the Workshop…..and in the small mobile health centres in the jungle villages; finally Dominique and another friend from " Secouristes Sans Frontières ", at the same time, are going to offer First Aid training with an international certificate for every boat, for the teachers, the women…. and to examine with us how the future ambulance might work…

Because of all of this, you will understand the decision which we took in the course of meeting with François, our Colombo representative, with Michel, Sophie, and Dominique not to go ahead with the planned trip organized for the end of July the beginning of August. We are not Tours Operators and have other priorities before that one. We had tried to reserve places on airlines, unsuccessfully, as they were unwilling to take risks … we tried to negotiate the lowest prices in hotels, and restaurants We realize that all that takes a lot of time - too much - and it is better to concentrate on our activities seriously, without dispersing our energies, focusing on purposes that we have decided. It is always possible to you to organize your visit yourself for the August festival; we shall help you, and hope that you will be many who join us for this so emotional and splendid event.

To each their competency: " Who knows how to say in black and white the inexpressible grey point. " (François Cheng)!.

January 28th, 2006, Hikkaduwa - " Plongeurs du Monde "

For one year, as we were preparing our intervention in Sri Lanka, with the children of Patuwatha, we did not know absolutely how they were going to react and how they were going to act in this sea which some months before had killed thousands of people...

After this last week to allow them discover the depths of Hikkaduwa and point out to them the risks linked to pollution on the marine environment, we have had this evening the confirmation that our intervention was not in vain. What contentment we had when the children, after the projection of the film (a superb production by Jérémy) which retraced all that had happened in the week with them, they came to show us texts that they had written (in sinhala) in which we could read that plastic bags could kill turtles and fish, and we told ourselves that, after our intervention and despite the difficulties in communication due to the language, the message was indeed transmitted.

If it is true that the language was a barrier for us, the contact with the children was very easy to make. We had children who did not know how to swim but who had no apprehension of water or at least were very willing to participate in this action; after a (small) moment of adaptation they launched under water and there, what joy we had to see them showing us fish which they discovered for the first time.

We also had the pleasure of working with the Poseidon Diving Club, even if at the beginning they looked at us with an amused eye, " who are these French who have come to be in charge of our young people!.. " As the week went on, we could notice the involvement of the manager of the Poseidon in the programme. At the start he had put a monitor from the Club to work with us. By the end of the week, three monitors were "committed " in the action which we carried out with the children. We can say that a true collaboration came to pass. Certain members of the team of Plongeurs du Monde knew the planned program but wondered how it was actually going to take place. Today, after this week, they are convinced of the job which we can accomplish with the children of Patuwatha. This job would not have been able to be possible without the support given by Green Hope which allowed us contact with the children.

This action was the first one but it will not be the last…...

January 25th, 2006, Hikkaduwa - Pierre and Quentin

A lot of excitement in Green-Hope. Numerous friends came to carry out the plans we had worked on together.

The team from "Plongeurs du Monde" composed of Louis, Serge, Bruno, Christophe and Jeremy started the introduction to diving and the protection of environment for the children of Patuwatha. During the whole week dozens of children are going to discover this activity accompanied with a teaching which will sensitize them to the wealth of their environment so that they can become ambassadors. To know about it more check out our friend's " Plongeurs du Monde " website: http: // perso.wanadoo.fr / plongeursdumonde

The "Plongeurs du Monde"	Pattuwatha children attending a divng course	Louis, the president of Plongeurs, with a student

The construction of the houses for the fishermen are moving ahead well, some already have the roof, the others are rising up off the ground.

The Boats return full of fish: this morning, the 'Sète de Cœur' came back with 1100 kilograms of tuna.

A visit to the baby Hirushi and to her family really moved us. A ray of joy seemed to light up her face l girl when we gave her two dolls sent by her sponsors in France. Hirushi, a hydrocephalic child, is undergoing ongoing medical treatment.

Irushi and her parents	Little Dolls...

Dominique, from the Grau du Roi arrived to follow with Green-Hope the setting up establishment of 3 new pre-schools. He is going to remain the whole week to also study the realization of the plan of training centre (in Information Technology and English).

We also are waiting for Sophie and her father. They will continue the eyesight testing.

January 17th - " What we have seen", by Annick and Michel, returned from Sri Lanka

Here is a report from Annick and Michel, dated the 6th of January 2006

One year after the Tsunami where we were lucky not to die, we returned to Sri Lanka to exorcise the trauma but also to meet, at the end of this trip, the boy we have sponsored, Ishan.

Ishan: It was a splendid meeting which would not have been possible without the help of Pierre and Quentin. We had met them in Rully at the beginning of 2005. They very quickly understood that it was fundamental for us to transform our painful experience into a positive and life-giving energy.

Ishan: So many adjectives define him: discreet, full of humour, clever, altruistic, patient, generous: in short, we understood each other and developed an alliance immediately.

He is our child from the ends of the earth and we shall help him to accomplish his career plan; he wants to be doctor.
We spent a week in Hikkaduwa, which will remain for us and for Cécile our daughter, an intensely emotional and memory, which will accompany us throughout this coming year, and give sense to our lives.

Pierre and Cecile	Ishan	Michel, Annick, Ishan, Cecile	Ishan and Cecile

The sunny days were accompanied by the noise of the waves, the beeping horns of trucks, the roar of the traffic but also by events which Pierre and Quentin were kind enough to invite us to. Thanks to them, we saw Berny and the children in the new dancing school of Hikkaduwa, we attended the last celebration of the pre-school at Narigama set up by Green Hope, we were to visit Dushyanta in the hospital at Gall. Dushyanta is a small smiling boy, who would have had to have his foot amputated because of a minor infection if it had not been for the immediate intervention of Green Hope. We also attended the laying of the foundations of a home: an emotional moment when the scalding milk overflowing in the clay pot determined the start of work. A short visit to the women of the cooperative and turning out in one day 10 cushions for the sofa in Ishan's house, devastated by the Tsunami.

So many short shared moments which plunged us in the midst of the Green Hope world and filled with wonder at the effectiveness and quality of the work being done.
However, numerous fishermen's families still live in dreadful conditions with regard to hygiene and comfort. We need to remain active and involved.

A very big thank you to Pierre and Quentin for their work.

Annick and Michel

January 17th, 2006 - Hikkaduwa - Julie

Saturday began and unfolded under the theme of dancing.

The three dance classes for children and adults in the school at Patuwata took place in good mood with unexpected presence of both Julie and of Alma who took their first lesson. From 8 am till 3 pm, Berny, the Green-Hope Dance teacher, assisted by the dancer Sathish Kumara and by the drummer Shameera, put together the steps with the participation of the teacher and of Nadeesha Nisansala.

The trawler Kind Heart set out again for sea three days ago for another one to two weeks of fishing.

On Monday, in the village of Kumarakanda, the laying of foundations began for the house of a fisherman, whose home was destroyed last year by the Tsunami. The work continues today.

Asanka, went around the Green-Hope schools of Paraliya, Katukoliha, Tiranagama, Narigama to take stock of educational needs as well as checking on how the children were getting on. All the children are doing well and the nnly request concerned the supplies for classes.

Inscriptions for the diving lessons are taking place in the schools. About 60 children of every age will be chosen for this new activity. The arrival of Les Plongeurs du Monde, on the 21st, is looked forward to with enthusiasm and impatience …

January 13th, 2006, JC

The program for the summer trip is fully drawn up. The trip starts with participation in the Green Hope Festival and continues with by a exploration of Gall, Kandy.... Discover all the details here.

January 13th, 2006, Hikkaduwa - Julie

Pierre and Quentin have gone to new lands (the South of India) for some well-deserved days of rest and relaxation and it is therefore up to me, Julie, Quentin's niece, to take up the task of giving you some news of Green Hope.

On Tuesday, the fishers of "Kind Heart" brought back an impressive catch which was sold very quickly: already by Wednesday, 3800 g of fish were sold in the market at Colombo. On Thursday, 3000 kg were sold in the morning and the Green-Hope truck set out again the same afternoon to finish the sale.

The treatment of the children continues: Asanka made the return journey on Wednesday to the Apollo in Colombo. Four children were examined and treated: Prabth, who had the arm operation, got more treatment. It is not ended yet: another check-up in two weeks. Iresha, who has some psychological difficulties, has to follow a course of treatment for six months, at the end of which there will be another check up. Kasuni now needs to wear glasses. Asanka will go and get them today.

Foundations of a new house		Julie, Julie and Alma

As for Saduni, he underwent numerous tests to discover exactly the nature of his eyesight problems. It is difficult to be precise today but it seems linked to the nervous system. Other tests will follow to come to a more accurate diagnosis.

This morning the sky finally cleared after several days of torrential rains. From tomorrow we will be able to start the roof on the fisherman's home, under Kumara's attentive eye..

More to come in a few days….

January 6th, 2006, Hikkaduwa - Pierre and Quentin

This morning, we went to Peraliya for the last one of the Green Hope pre-school openings. As with all the others, we gave the educational supplies and uniforms. A lot of new children, some anxious….very serious…. some proud ….like this little girl in a yellow dress carrying her red school bag, ready to begin the year …

Immediately afterwards, we went to Singer buy a refrigerator, thanks to the fishing cooperative, as a gift for the new rebuilt home of the captain of the catamaran " Cuffies / Val de Noye ". Because the town of Cuffies asked us for a photograph of this wallam for its local newspaper, we crossed to the harbour of Dodanduwa to take a photograph of it …

Also today we went to check on the progress of the work. Everything goes very quickly: Bricklaying at the stadium is finished, a two-storied building, soon to furnished with changing rooms, offices, a reception area, which will be inaugurated on February 25th of this year. They are already talking of a big community celebration…. we will tell you all about it…..Both houses begun last week, as you can see, are also well advanced, the wife of the Green Hope fisherman wished to pose in front of the walls in construction …

The stadium		Standing in frontof her home

A lot of you are asking us for information on the future trip organized to discover Sri Lanka and the work of Green Hope. Know that we are working on it and we shall offer you a costed itinerary by the end of the month. We are waiting for the last quotes and are bargaining hard to ensure that you can come to visit us at the most competitive prices. A first hint - the departure from Paris will take place on July 29th or 30th of this year; the return will be twelve days later …

Jean-Christophe, organiser of the Green Hope Festival has arranged the dates so that you can take part in it; you will meet also the fishermen of the Co-operative, the women from the Workshop along with Christelle, you will visit everything we have set up, the boats, the schools, the future Training Centre, the houses... with Kumara and Asanka... Of course you will continue the tour through the tea plantations, the mountains, the archaeological sites, Kandy, and Colombo... without forgetting the elephants! Please note that the number is limited to a hundred people, and we have already reservations, among whom are our delegation from Normandy...

January 5th, 2006, Hikkaduwa - Pierre and Quentin

First of all, a very big thank you to one and all who sent us such nice messages, your faithfulness carries us along, reassures us, each of your mails, your pictures, keeps us going ever higher. Undoubtedly, Green Hope is a lovely story which you write with us each day …

Among all the messages we received, we noted a very nice sentiment from our friends Alain and Rosa from the association " La Croix du Sud " which we make our own:

"The big challenge each day is to be able to share a dream and to accomplish it, to try together to attain a common ideal, with hope, in solidarity, with generosity and so to arrive at the better world where we shall be able to live in freedom and in respectability. ". This association located in: Le Bourg/ 71390-Sassangy accompany the indigenous communities of Argentina and South America, in an unassuming and determined manner. See their website: www.lacroixdusud.org

Katlukoliya	Emotion...	and very big emotione	Narigama playground

After the holidays at the end of the year, the return to school started.

For two mornings, thanks to Nathalie, we brought with Asanka all the educational equipment and uniforms to be given to the children, to which we added a toothbrush and toothpaste. Just to let you know, each child receives a schoolbag from Green Hope, a beaker, a box for the breakfast prepared at home, two handkerchiefs, notebooks, books, ball-point pens, pencils, drawing notebooks and paints for the art classes, an eraser, a pencil sharpener, two complete uniforms. The classes receive educational materials, from scissors to rulers, posters, big sheets of colnur paper, cardboard to cut up. Finally, each child is given a subscription to an educational magazine orientated towards learning through enjoying oneself, based on writing and reading in Sinhala and English …All of this would be impossible without the School Fund created by the Communauté de Communes de Cabourg et la Cote Fleurie, and continuously topped up by all of you, not mentioning the wages of the teachers and helpers which Green Hope distributes every month …

We have known, for the first time also, the departure of "seniors ", those who received the official Green Hope certificate and went to join the public, "big" School. We are honoured also that the Green Hope schoolchildren are fully recognised by the educational authorities in Sri Lanka, and accepted without question into the mainline school system.

We have also seen the welcome of the new entrants by the second years, a very touching moment as in their uniforms they gave a bunch of flowers to the new pupils and wished them a good year…. the girls from the second year danced in lovely dresses to welcome them. So many traditions to discover every day, so many presents given, so much shared joy …

In every different class we were thinking of you:

Patuwatha	Katulkoliya	Narigama	Tiranagama

In Patuwatha, we remembered Enfance et Partage, help for children in need from Ferte-Mace, Alençon, Argentan, and the Comune Saint Nolff, and also our friends in Cazouls.

In Narigama, we thought of Dominique, Carole, Dylan and their friends who wanted this class and who have promised us to accompany us for at least five years …

In Katukoliya, we honour the Ville de Rully as they will support also for two years and perhaps even more …

For Tiranagama, we learnt at the last moment that it would be sponsored by the MJC of Sainte Foy les Lyon. We are sure that they will not leave us at the end of one year….. they are colleagues of our friend Mark C., former manager of MJC of Lyons…and therefore, good people!...

We shall go to Peraliya tomorrow, where once again we shall think of our friends of the Grau du Roi, and of the l'Ecole de professeurs des Deux Sèvres…

And all of you, by your donations and your presence - the people in the villages, and Green Hope, do not forget you …

Much remains to be done: construct a new school in the very poor quarter of the Dhobis, who for generations have washed clothes, and are cnnsidered a caste of untouchables, to open a class in Dodanduwa, the small harbour for catamarans, and of course, the setting up the Training centre in English, Information Technology and art on the Gall Road. Still have definite need of you!!...

" The world rests on the breath of small children in schools. " The Talmud..

January 2nd, 2006, towards Kandy - Pierre and Quentin

The "Tree of Life" is an environmental hotel at 6 km from Kandy, in the mountains, a haven for flowers, birds, trees, rivers and peace: a natural jewel of the Island. Out of time, in communion with wild Nature, intact …

It is that we chose to leave 2005 and to live the first hours of the first day of the New Year, with François and Shinta.

Primitive impressions…autumn… this grey sky, a fine rain, the coverage of clouds, in the distance fog the colour of deep grey wool, a terrace under the big acacias, the unreal echo of fervent prayers from a Temple in the village nearby, mid-way up the valley This morning, we went down to the foot of our retreat, by the forest road to meet Shinta at this Temple.

Mountain flower	On our table	Tamil restaurant in Kandy

Lower down, we crossed the rice fields with young shoots of a lively green colour where the children punctuated the low sky with low-flying kites. We stopped at Werallagama to drink tea in a dark booth in the village, tea with scalding milk, a strong taste, of moss and the humus of the earth. Then in a tuktuk we reached Kandy, with its crowds of pilgrims, its swarming streets, its emblematic Temple. There we had lunch in a Tamil canteen, a vegetarian meal: nan, posa, vegetable curry….

Now, the night descends on this first day. Purple, greeny-grey, milky lines slowly rub out the outline of the mountains on the horizon, and small flickering lights show themselves in the dense forest, obscure, small unassuming lives lit by the flame of oil lamps …

At dinner, we met Odette, from the International Red Cross, also taking a rest day from her difficult mission in Colombo…..Yes we spoke about the Tsunami and of the aftermath …and we recognised that magic, which we often feel with you: the same values, the same hopes, the same passion. Odette bought "our" book, "Journal du tsunami ", and promised to see us again very soon to share experiences, and maybe to draw up some plans together …

In Sri Lanka, Shinta told us, they say that what marks the first day of the year will be how the rest of the year will go……..So, all this day was marked by landmarks which we want to keep, pictures to contemplate: live close to nature, discover what it teaches with humility, keep innocence, take the time to offer to the most simplest the thrill of life, not to reject one's instincts without also losing one's reason, to be faithful to oneself, to recharge one's batteries continuously in order to be faithful to one another, be they friend or unknown……to be an inhabitant of this Earth, strong in one's own weaknesses……. just a grain of sand, a determined footprint leading to a better future of all…… a tree of life …

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