Sith Sevana Mentally Handicapped
Children's Development Society

July 2009: After leaving Hambantota we headed to Thanamawilla to visit the Sith Sevana Handicapped Children's Home.

It was a Saturday and the plan was to arrive just before lunch as we had purchased yoghurt and chocolate for all the children and we would spend the day with them. We didn’t notify the manager that we were coming - big mistake.

When we arrived, a very large group of family and friends were on their way to Kataragama, a sacred site, for a visit and had decided to call past the Children's Home to provide and prepare lunch for all the children on that day. There were about 25 people there when we arrived. They had arranged their visit two weeks earlier with the manager.

What to do? We spoke with the manager and he advised that this group would be leaving at about 2pm and we should come back after that. Thanamawilla is a very small rural village which is on one of the main roads to Tissamaharama. There is very little in the way of cafés and accommodation. We needed to have lunch somewhere and find somewhere to stay that night as we were driving to Ampara the following day. Fortunately we stumbled across a little guest house still under construction about a 10 minute drive away from the orphanage. The lady who owned the property had one room which she could rent out and would also cook lunch and dinner for us for a reasonable price. We agreed and waited while she prepared lunch which was typical Sri Lanka curry and delicious.

At about 3pm we returned to the orphanage and participated in afternoon tea with the children. We gave the yoghurt to the children and then gave each child thongs and underwear, and presented the female carer with a lot of craft material. It’s hoped that the children can use the craft material when they’re making cards to send to donors and/or to make saleable items which can be used to raise funds for the children's activities.

I went to the girls' section with the carer and tied all the patchwork bags to the end of each child's bed. One of the girls came and helped as well and she made very positive comments about how beautiful they looked. Immediately she went and put her hairbrush and other personal items in her own. I was glad to see that because it supported my idea of making them in the first place.

The manager came with us and was eager to show me around and point out the improvements that had been made since my last visit in 2008. In the girls section, the classrooms which had been under construction last year were nearly completed and ready for use. The visitors room was also finished. This is where the children can bring their visitors and sit and have some private time with them without sitting with all the other children. The biggest building improvement was a sick room in the boys section, which was still under construction. It is being funded by the Australian Embassy in Sri Lanka. He also has the local school children coming each week to build a garden outside the sick room which will be tranquil and peaceful for those who are sick.

After spending a number of hours at the orphanage with the children, manager and staff we said our farewells and left for the little room in the half-built guest house for the night before the next leg of our journey to Ampara.

There are 18 girls and 27 boys ranging in age from 6 to 17 years old. Some have slight disabilities, and other abilities are much more limiting. The information I have on these children is that most do not have relatives, and those who do see them infrequently.

The children are lively and eager to talk with and about me. I'm sure they wonder why this woman keeps visiting them. After my last visit, Raja told me one boy about 10 years old was so excited when he saw me. "I remember this lady. She always brings us yoghurt." Yes I do do that and I make sure each child eats the yoghurt while I am there.

The staff who work at the orphanage are a very dedicated group of people. The majority of them have been there since before I started visiting in 2006. There are now two new young people since my last visit in January 2008; one young woman and a young man. I liked the idea of younger people; they have more energy and the teenage residents can readily identify with them.

The manager of the orphanage is a very good man. He is entrepenerial, gaining funds to complete the building and making the living environment better for the children. He and his staff take care of the children well and are always looking for ways to include the children in the daily running of the orphanage.

The older girls assist in preparing and cooking the meals. They also sew simple clothing and make craft items which they sell to the local people.

The children assist with the gardening and cultivation of the food grown on the property. The girls grow bananas and jackfruit, and the boys grow coconuts and chillies.

The boys and girls spend two hours each day at school. They are learning to read and write and do simple craft tasks. All tasks taught to the children are relevant to their ability.

Music plays a big part in their daily activity and of course the girls are much more demonstrative when it comes to showing dance moves. The boys are more reluctant to show me much of what they are able to do. They would just prefer to sit and watch me and what I am doing.

The first time I met these children, they made a big impact on me. They often take my hand and hold it to their faces. Of course this touches my heart and I responded to them as anyone would. Unfortunately on this trip, all the boys were affected by scabies so I was unable to get as close to them as I would have liked. This made me think, when I return I should provide simple antiseptics and medical supplies and establish first aid kits.

This orphanage has no government funding, so the manager must procure funds from where he can, and he does a great job at this. The children have food to eat every day — although, I observe, not of very high nutritional value — a good bed to sleep in and a safe and secure environment.

For these children we provide items that no–one else would provide; items that help the staff do their job, teaching tools, pencils and textas for the teaching. We took toys, enough for each child, colouring books and balls.

I have in mind for my next trip to provide the children and staff at the orphanage with high quality and nutritious food. They don't eat meat, chicken or fish as they cannot afford to buy this type of food, and local people cannot afford to donate it.

I have discussed this thought with Raja and he believes we could do this. We would buy the meat from local traders, purchase the lentils and grams from a local trader, take these items to the orphanage, help prepare the food and make sure that each child and staff member partakes in this meal. We would buy enough lentils and grams to last for some time.