Octobre 18th, 2006, Pierre & Quentin

For all those and those who are going to accompany us these next months, it is much more than just a trip …

In this new cruel time through which Sri Lanka is going, it is a question of being even more present to our fellow human beings at the other ends of the earth, sharing their anxiety, their suffering, their courage and their respectability …

With an exemplary tenacity, the permanent office of Green Hope in Sri Lanka continues its work. The Ministry of Education has asked Green Hope to set up training for the teachers of the Communities of Hikkaduwa. Training period took place in the Green Hope preschool in Katukoliya. The teachers will learn instructive methods close to the Montessori method, involving singing, dancing, gestures.

Teaching the teachers

Soon, Caroline, a French teacher from the Normandy delegation, trained in the methods of Maria Montessori, will come to exchange her knowledge for more than a month in the pre-schools …

We were, just yesterday in Trouville with all our friends, gathered together by Thierry and Maud who have animated for almost two years the Côte Fleurie, , with a tender, and unassuming, exemplary fidelity.

François confirmed us the desire of the villages to continue their actions in favour of the people of Sri Lanka, following on from the School Fund, the reconstructions, among which that of Irushi's home - thanks to the Club of Deauville-Trouville, - it will be the future Fire Truck with the support of General Council in Calvados and many other plans as part of an ongoing " Charter of Friendship " …

Katukoliya

François told us how the volunteer fire-fighters mobilized around Tony, from Cabourg …

Stephane has confirmed to us the donation of a dozen wheelchairs, every year …

We spent a good while talking with Louis, president of "Plongeurs du Monde". Louis outlined their next mission for Green Hope which will take place next January 20th till February 4th. A New Year of collaboration with the " Poséidon" Diving Centre in Hikkaduwa …..ongoing training for those already begun, diving and the protection of the environment, with the objective of a first certificate of "Divemaster" for the majority of the participants. This certificate is synonymous with a job. In Hikkaduwa, for example, there are five diving centres. Therefore the 40 children, girls and boys, who participated in the training period last year, will be able to continue this underwater sensitization and the discovery of its environment. Twenty other young persons - from another secondary school, most likely the one in Hikkaduwa, for which we organized the last eyesight testing - are going to begin training during this prolonged trip of the " Plongeurs du Monde ".

There will also be the "Green Hope Clean Up" on Saturday, February 3rd - cleaning, together with all participants, the public beach of Hikkaduwa, followed by a meal on the beach at the end of training period, given by Green Hope.

We send heartfelt congratulations to our friend Dominique who has just been named Managing director of International Business of " Secouristes Sans Frontières". A well deserved nomination for this unassuming, generous man, of great nobility of heart.

The first mission of SSF with the new Mobile Health Centre will have place at the end of November along with a SSF doctor and nurse.

At the same time, Thierry, "the Green Hope Doctor", will come to perform check-ups in the Green Hope preschools. At the end of January or the start of February, Elsa, a new "Greenhopienne", a nurse will come to the Green Hope site at Kogala to carry out check-ups, and a plan for a Health Centre in the camp where we have planned with Delphine and Marie to construct a Cultural and Community Centre. Shortly afterwards, some time in February, the fourth Eyesight testing will take place with Michel, an ophthalmologist, a nurse and, hopefully, Sophie!... And, from October 25th, Myriam and Serge, along with their children, are going to come to back us up for several months. On the 27th, Delphine will join them for …….an exciting and passionate year … Nicolas is also going to dedicate one year to Green Hope, with the intention of setting up an information campaign on the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, and settting up a family planning service in villages …
	Narigama pre school

At the same time Dominique, from " Urgence Sri Lanka " will come to find some land north of Hikkaduwa, towards Peraliya, Telwatha, to construct a new Green Hope school with two classes.

As these Journal entries have already indicated, we are going to intensify our actions in this particularly badly affected zone in the course of the next program.

As of now, we have ended ongoing reconstructions in the south, of the fishermen's' houses in Dodanduwa, the house of the family of Ishan, destroyed also by the Tsunami, the public toilets in Hikkaduwa, and the home of Narigama …

Ishan's house almost finished

House in Dodanduwa	Public lavatories

We got back to Paris on October 5th after numerous meetings in the East of France.

The children and their families left last week to spend the day at the zoo of Colombo, then in an amusement park, and finally visiting temples. Everything was remarkably organized by the permanent team and the volunteers of the Green Hope villages, including special staff of First Aid volunteers who were not needed …

We continued on the road to visit Orange where the teachers and the pupils were waiting for us. We set up a new "solidarity", class, the sixth, which promises to be particularly dynamic, and met again with the fifth, which have been with us this last scholastic year.
With the fifth, we set up an exchange between the pupils and 27children of the same ages living in the villages of Patuwatha and Kumarakanda. We brought them photograph, a name, and their village. These children all participated in the Festival, in the workshops of dances, circus, music … When we shall leave again for Sri Lanka we shall take so many letters for each of them, prepared by young pupils of the Barbara Hendrix school. It will be the first contact hopefully of many such stories exchanged across the world …

We have secured a loyalty agreement with Qatar Airways, thanks to Carine and Céline who have already helped us a lot in the organization of trips for the Green Hope Festival, allowing us to bring the additional kilograms which we really need …
Hereafter, with this news " Greenhopiennes ", we shall be able to find the best solution for groups which will come as part of Green Hope work. A sincere thank you to Carine and Céline! and to Qatar Airways!

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