Eastern Province: Signing ceremony at the start of a new project

On February 23, a signing ceremony was held to celebrate the start of the project for the construction of agricultural wells and development of community organization . We would like to thank the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and JEN’s supporters for all the assistance they had given us.
　
The signing ceremony took place solemnly at the Ambassador’s residence, in the presence of Sri Lankan journalists. The Ambassador of Japan, Chief of Economic Cooperation Division, Second Secretary, and other interested parties attended the ceremony.

The representatives from each organization  were honored to take the seats next to the Ambassador for the signing and received the Grant contract. The ceremony then proceeded with speeches from the representatives, the Ambassador’s speech, press conference, and a photograph session.

Since end of February, JEN’s project officers have been meeting with the Head of Kiran County, Head of Chenkalady County, and the District Governor, to report last year’s project achievements. The project officers received verbal compliments from each of them for constructing the wells for the communities in this rocky inland area. They greatly appreciated the large wells with substantial water yield even in the dry season.  The details of the new project for the construction of agricultural wells and development of community organization (to be implemented in 31 sites) were also explained to the Heads of Kiran County, Paddipali County, and Vellavely County. 

（The wells of the new project will be similar to the type shown in the photograph, which is an agricultural well constructed last year.）

While we reported the progress, high officials of Kiran County also gave us a feedback of the comments made by the Deputy Minister of Resettlement during his visit in mid-year 2011, when he inspected the well that had been constructed in FY 2010 with the support of MOFA. We are told that the Deputy Minister had expressed his deepest gratitude upon observing how “the well water is being used not only for agricultural purposes but also for domestic use. The well is being shared by the families of 8 committee members as well as the residents in the neighborhood and has allowed them to actively engage themselves in agriculture for sustainable livelihood improvement.”

　We are now in the third year of implementation of MOFA-funded livelihood support projects. All of the staff members of JEN Sri Lanka will continue to unite our efforts and think and work together with the Sri Lankan people to contribute to the reconstruction and development of Batticaloa District.　
　
　We thank all of you for your continuous support.

Dengue fever

It was on the 11th month after my arrival in Sri Lanka, when I came down with the disease. Dengue fever.
Dengue fever is probably an unfamiliar disease in Japan, but you may have heard of its name.

　It is one of the mosquito-borne infectious diseases for which preventive vaccine does not yet exist. Avoiding being bitten by mosquitos is the only preventive measure.

　Main symptoms include high fever and headache but severe cases may result in hemorrhages and death.   

　The number of infected persons and Dengue-related deaths are frequently reported in the local newspapers. The reality is that the number of patients and deaths are much higher than the Government’s capacity.

　As for myself, I experienced the first hospital stay in my life and was discharged a couple of days ago.
　I am filled with gratitude for the support that has been offered to me by all my friends, superiors, and colleagues in and out of Sri Lanka. I cannot thank them enough.

Northern Province: The start of a new project.

Northern Province: The start of a new project.

Our aim in Sri Lanka this year is to complete the resettlement of the people who have become internally-displaced due to the civil war.
　One of the main target areas is Puthukudiyiruppu Divisional Secretariat in Mullaitivu District and JEN has started a new project here, on January 1.
 

Resettlement in this area has only begun last June.
The people in this area had enjoyed prosperous agriculture and commercial fishing before the civil war, but today, we see piles of abandoned objects on the agricultural lands and fishing is forbidden by the Government.

　Repatriated persons are currently living on the daily wage of a project called “Emergency Northern Recovery Project” (ENREP). This is a 45-day project to clear the public spaces and surface the roads with sand and gravel.

The well in the photograph had been dug during the war. You can see that the protective wall that had once surrounded the well has disappeared, making it unsafe for children and elderly people to use.

　Furthermore, since this well can no longer be used for drinking water, the villagers have to travel at least 4 times a day to collect water from another well which is located about 1 to 1.5km away.

　In this area, 6 public wells for drinking water have been cleaned by the Sri Lanka Army; however, this is hardly enough considering the number of residents (750 households, as of January 16).

　JEN will support the resettlement of the repatriated people by repairing and cleaning the wells which had been destructed during the war.

Eastern province： Field visit with the officials from the Japanese Embassy

　Early this month, the officials from the Japanese Embassy visited Batticaloa district in the Eastern region to inspect the sites of the previous projects (completed at the end of 2011) and also to study the new project sites.

　In Sinnawattai, the officials interviewed the villagers about their lives since their repatriation and about agriculture, their major source of income.

　The farmers here cannot expect much agricultural revenue during the dry season, between April and December, as they rely on rainfall for agriculture. They cannot even draw water from the river nearby, because the water gates are closed during this period to secure the water supply for the urban areas.

It was a perfect opportunity to explain the need for agricultural wells.

　At Rajapuram village, the officials asked the villagers how the completed wells were being used and how the wells changed the lives of the villagers, and also inspected the wells and the agricultural fields.

We learned that the villagers had started to grow new crops, different from what they had been growing so far.
They are putting into practice what they had learned in the workshop “Coordinating agricultural planning in the community to achieve effective production and marketing”.

   
　The new crop is being cultivated only in a limited area and quantity to start with in order to check various issues, such as the adaptability to the soil and climate of the region or whether the insects which feed on the new crop will influence other crops grown in the vicinity.

If major problems are not found, the cultivation will be increased in the next season.

(In the photograph, the farmers are standing behind the Kurakkan beds. Kurakkan was described in the last activity report.)

Puthandu Vazthukal / Subha Aluth Awrudhak Vewa

Happy New Year!
I hope you all enjoyed your holidays.

　Here in Colombo, the New Year’ Eve was celebrated with the launching of aerial fireworks which started at about 22:00. Then at 22.57, people all over the city started to set off firecrackers and fireworks continuously to welcome the start of the New Year.

　Today’s report is about the festivities in Sri Lanka.

　What you see in the photograph is Halapa, one of the traditional Sinhalese sweets. Each family shares the joy of the New Year with the neighbors by sharing home-made Halapa. (Sri Lanka is a Buddhist nation and the traditional New Year is celebrated in April.)
　Halapa is also made for other celebrations, including birthdays.

It is quite simple to make Halapa. Just mix Kurakkan flour (flour of “finger millet”, a type of gramineous crop), grated coconuts, sugar, and salt. Spread the mixture between Kanda leaves, steam for 15 minutes, and it’s ready to eat!

But each family has its original recipe. Unfamiliar ingredients and salty flavor may taste very different to a Japanese person compared with what Japanese usually eat, but some Halapas are richly flavored with coconuts and may be quite appealing to Japanese, too.

　I wish the year 2012 will be a wonderful year for everyone.

(The title is “Happy New Year” in Tamil (left) and Sinhalese (right))

Nandri / Istuti

How time flies! Year 2011 is nearly over. For this year’s final report, I would like to review JEN Sri Lanka ’s activities in 2011.

The year started with the launching of a project for the restoration and cleaning of wells in Vavuniya  District, Northern Province. (Funded by JPF)

We managed to provide 470 clean wells, of which 406 were restored in the first six months,  allowing more people to obtain safe water.

In July 2011, the project site moved to Mullaitivu District. This was the area which remained a battleground until the end of the civil war and resettlement of refugees only started in July 2010.
One day, unexploded ordnances were  found at the project site and created tension among everyone, but apart from that incidence everything went smoothly. Fifty wells will be restored or cleaned and 188 shelters/toilets will be constructed by the end of this month. (Funded by JPF)

In the Eastern Province, we had already started a project (December 2010) consisting of construction of 29 agricultural wells, construction of 14 culverts, and community development activities. (Funded by MOFA)

However, heavy rainfall which continued from the end of 2010 aggravated the flood damage and access to the project site was hampered for a certain period of time.

During this period, we were able to distribute emergency evacuation kits to the flood victims, with the support of Kao Corporation.

In early summer, the bridge destroyed by the flood was finally reconstructed, allowing JEN to resume the project . The construction and community development project in the Eastern Province will be completed by the end of this month. 

We have been able to implement these projects not only with the grants funding and the donations from various organizations, but also with the donations from the public, and with the support from all of you who read our news-letters and activity reports. 

The staff members of JEN Sri Lanka would like to express the most sincere gratitude to all those concerned. (The title is “Thank you” in Tamil (left) and Sinhalese (right)).

We will continue to devote our energy and commitment in the next year’s activities.

Changing seasons

　It must already be very cold in Japan at this time. The temperature is also declining here in Colombo and it takes some courage to shower in the morning with cold water. During daytime, however, it is still warm enough to spend the day in a T-shirt.

　Agricultural season has started in the Northern region, now that the climate has shifted from dry to wet period.

　Agriculture is prosperous in northern Sri Lanka because much of the land is flat. We see many rice fields when we travel to the northern area. Brown paddy fields in which the soil is being turned over, the colors of the farmers’ clothes, healthy rice plants shining green, and the white egrets roaming around looking for something to eat.    

　The colors and the tranquility of the rural areas must be one of the most beautiful scenes in Sri Lanka.

Support for water to prevail in the fields

Many organizations are busy supporting disaster victims here in the eastern region, where much damage resulted from war, as well as floods and droughts caused from climate change. JEN, as one of such organizations, carries out support activities for recovery of sustenance in the realm of agriculture.

In order to provide water, the most essential factor, we dig wells for agricultural purpose and give out feed pumps (the yellow item in the photo) and distribution hoses (the black item in the photo, which has 100 metres length). We arrange water to be supplied to the fields of all 8 families that share one well.

Explanatory meetings are also essential to make sure the supplies are well utilized. Along with actually handing out the items, such background activities are also carried out as part of the distribution program.

(This program is operated with cooperation from our supporters and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. )

Appointments in Sri Lanka

Do you feel differences between cultures when you travel or live in foreign countries?

One characteristic practice I noticed in Sri Lanka is "visiting without appointments".

In Japan, we usually appoint the date and time of our visit in advance, especially when on business. However, there is no such practice here in Sri Lanka. At first I was unaware of this and was hurriedly rechecking my datebook - "Was there an appointment today?" - whenever our staff told me that someone came over.

The other day, I had a chance to talk with a Japanese lady whose husband is Sri Lankan, and she told me of the practice. If you make an appointment for a visit, the host is likely to to prepare things like tea and sweets for the guest. The custom to arrive without previous notice comes from consideration so the person you are visiting would not have to take such trouble.

Workers behind the scenes

In the last activity update we showed you the construction sites, where we find workers who are involved in the actual construction works, workers who provide technical support, or those who manage the construction schedule.

However, there are also other important players. Yes, that’s right. I mean the workers  who manage the construction materials. Let’s focus on those workers today.

The workers always confirm the quantity of the construction materials when they arrive from the suppliers to the warehouse or when they are transferred from the warehouse to the construction sites.

Delivering the right amount of the necessary materials according to the construction schedule is also an important part of operational management.

By the way, we are still in the dry season here in the Northern Province and it was also a very sunny day when we took this photograph.

We can see the truck driver’s ingenious idea to avoid scorching himself from the sun-heated seat.
Using the leaves from the trees seems very Sri Lankan, as the country is rich in vegetation.

What do you think the man in the third photograph is doing?
He is also one of the workers at the warehouse. He is using a newspaper to wrap the nails by the quantity required for the construction of a shelter.
There is a long list of materials which he needs to pack, such as hinges and locks.

It is these backstage works that ensure the smooth operation at the construction site.

Updates on the construction of shelters and latrines

With the financial assistance from Japan Platform and JEN’s supporters, JEN is currently repairing/cleaning wells and constructing shelters and latrines in Mullaitivu District, Northern Province, as part of the Livelihood Rehabilitation Project for the Returnees.

Let’s have a look at the construction sites of shelters and latrines. It takes about 1 week to complete one shelter or latrine.

Shelter 1: First of all, we make geometric measurements and then dig the places where we need to mount the pillars.

Shelter 2: We then position the wooden pillars, processed to protect them from insects and corrosion, and fill the spaces with concrete blocks.

Shelter 3: Here, the roof has been constructed. The next step will be to make the floor and the walls. Of course, we will put doors with locks.

Latrine 1: The photograph shows the construction of a storage tank for the latrine. It is large enough to last for 3 to 5 years. 

Latrine 2: A toilet bowl is installed in an individual cabin, which is connected to the storage tank by a pipe. This latrine will be completed once the door is installed.

A community worker's dream

Ms. Kilbarini is a 23-year-old lady living in Mullaittivu District, Udda Yakadu  village.

This district, being the last strongpoint for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), suffered heavy exchange of fire between LTTE and the government army.

She fled the region only to return in the end of June, 2011. Here, JEN is carrying out Life-Rehabilitation Assistance for the people who have just come back to their old homes.

Ms. Kilbarini is working at JEN as a community worker (CW) in order to take care of her sick mother and 12-year-old brother. The CW plays an important role as intermediary between the local people and JEN, through tasks such as necessary fieldwork and explanation for the supporting program.

Her future dream is to take an examination for allowance to enter a university. In Sri Lanka, there are exams at the end of the 13th grade, and students are allocated to universities and their desired fields of study according to the results.

We sincerely wish for soonest rehabilitation of livelihood in the region and for Ms. Kilbarini’s dream to come true.

(This program is being implemented from July 2011 with cooperation from our supporters and Japan Platform.)

-Northern Province- Visit from JPF monitoring team

During September 5th and 6th, a monitoring team from Japan Platform (JPF) visited Sri Lanka. Staff from JEN accompanied the team and exchanged views with the residents in several regions.

On the first day, we monitored the restoration and cleaning project of wells in Vavuniya district, Vavuniya County.

This photo shows us monitoring an example of the well being used not only for daily chores but also for agricultural purposes, and contributing to income generation of the local residents. You can see in the photo banana leaves vigorously growing in line behind the well.

On the second day, we monitored construction of pre-hab houses with lavatories and restoration and cleaning of wells in Mullaittivu district, Puthukkudiyiruppu County.

This area has been severely damaged, being a disputed region until the end of the civil war. Though basic detection of land mines has been completed, detection of unexploded bombs is still under way. In addition, many things such as tractors and tin sheets lay abandoned alongside the roads heading to the area.

We carefully took narrow, steep paths covered with thick bushes and finally arrived at the first house of the local residents.

The inhabitants of the house allowed us to take a look inside.

In this area, walls of the houses are temporarily covered with waste material of various sizes. Since there are places that cannot be reached without going near trenches, we are to carry necessary materials into the location only after the residents have made it possible to enter those places.

JEN Vavuniya office is carrying out the program in order to finish all the stonework in the location before the rainy season coming at the end of September.

Is there anything impossible for us?

The second phase of three stages of the workshop has been done at East Batticaloa
　
Our topic this time is “Planting, Harvest and Marketing for higher quality production”.
The voices of the participants of the workshop made all our staffs glad.

　
“Even if a lot of resources are surrounding our living, we were not aware and could not utilize it. Moreover, we spent our money for chemical fertilizers. We have never attended such a surprising training course.”

　
And we have made relationships with people who could give us advises of farming.
The workshop took place at a farmland and we learned practical methods there.
We got more knowledge which we can use hereafter. It was so fruitful workshop and motivated us.

Because the participants have basic knowledge of agriculture, they can absorb more information.
We believe the villagers will work together as a team and will make double or more harvest and profit.
We are proud to participate for community development.

(This project is receiving support from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and all of the donors.)

Encounters at Kali Amma Festival

On 10th August, Kali Amma Festival was held in Vavunlya where our branch is located.
Kali is said to be a representation of rage of Princess Parvati of Lord Shiva in the religion of Hindu, and also regarded as Female God.
Amma means “mother”, Parvati is mother of Ganeza who is known as having elephant’s head.
Mirthful music is a sign that a float and monks of Hindu religion have been coming.

　
Each family waits and sets out rice and bananas as altarages.
The central one in the picture is a coconut.
The grandfather of this home told me “Coconut is constituted by 3 parts, and represents things what human need for. The most outer shell represents human’s mind. Fructification represents foods for living, and water is the thing which is necessary for life”

The party is organized that Girls are leading and marching band, monks and a float follow in order.
Brahmin comes by each home for chanting a sutra and giving out a smoke of candles of offering to the family.  (like a ritual using thurible of temple in Japan)

After that, Brahmin gave alterages to the family, people on a float and others of the party, and head for next home.
The grandfather answered my questions and finally gave me farewell, “Thank you for interesting in our religion.”
And Brahmin recommended with smile me to get a smoke even though I’m heathendom.
Today’s Kali Amma Festival, I was so impressed by people here.

Ａ Ｗｅｄｄｉｎｇ Ｃｅｒｅｍｏｎｙ

Our staff in Colombo branch had a wedding ceremony.
We would like to write of the wedding ceremony which is a different style from Japanese one.

We would like to show firstly about dresses. The wedding dress is Saree (as traditional cloth in Sri Lanka) which colored stark white and spun golden, and long veil.

We felt that a wedding reception banquet had larger difference than the wedding ceremony.
Because of that there is no seating list, guests chose their favorite table on a first come first served basis. Although opening time had been set, guests came to the reception banquet whenever they want. We can see Sri Lanka’s culture in such a slow current of the times.

The bridal couple had appeared without announcement by MC and music, and proceeded to a wedding cake. A scenery that the bridal couple cut cake surrounded by family impressed us strong bond as a family
Dinner is buffet style; we are surprised the bride wearing the wedding dress was taking meals for herself..
Upon the bridal couple leaved the hall for getting a makeover, a dance party was begun.
Everyone, old and young people enjoyed it.

The wedding ceremony and the wedding reception had been held for 6 hours.

Work shop –In preparation for improvement of agriculture production-

Workshops are taking place in East Batticaloa with support from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and our supporters. The purpose of the workshop is to get more production and to make more efficient marketing, with managing a well for farming as sharable resource in the community which JEN are supporting to.

At this day, we have a lecture of organic compost. The participants gave us following playbacks,
“I have never known it has a different use between chemical fertilizer and organic compost.”
“I will sell the organic compost, not only sell the crops to improve my earning.”

Practice of making organic compost



Lecture of group work

Organic Compost at last lecture

Northern region – the end of a program and beginning of another

Thanks to cooperation from Japan Platform and our supporters, our well repair and cleaning program in Vavuniya County, Vavunia district was completed on June 30th. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to everyone.

At Vavuniya County, where the program took place, the villagers helped repairing the well, and skilled workers did stonework using traditionally made scaffolds made from wood gathered nearby.




The photo shows villagers using the brand-new well.

The other day, our program officer met the District Governor. We were highly appraised for our efforts of cleaning and repairing wells on a large scale in this district.

Our next program will be located in Mullaittivu district, which takes 33 hours by car from Vavuniya. We will continue repairing and cleaning wells, and will also construct transitional shelters and toilets targeted for 188 families. The program will start on July 1st and will last until November 1st of this year.

The first half of the year has ended, but members of JEN Vavuniya office are still on the go. We appreciate your continuous support to our activities.

(The photo above shows the program officer and a fellow organization member visiting villagers living in the transitional shelters).

Mother and the well

One day, we met an old woman with a bucket full of wet clothes gazing at the excavation site. She was Ms. Erpirai, 70 years old, living in Koduwamadu village.

“Every evening, I go to a distant place to bathe and do my laundry. But the water over there is very salty; and I am so old it is tiresome to walk 500 meters, or even a kilometer if the nearest place is dried up. I am so grateful that a freshwater well will be constructed here. I will be able to do other things with the time I had been walking to and from the old water site.”

Sure, Amma (This is how we address mothers), the well will be ready soon. But this is a well meant for agriculture. It can also be used for laundry, but please do utilize it for farming to make an even better living!

(The income generation assistance program in the eastern Batticaloa District is implemented with assistance from our supporters, as well as the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects provided by the Foreign Ministry of Japan).

The glorious festival of Vesak

May 17th and 18th were holidays called Vesak. Vesak is said to be the birthday of Buddha (the founder of Buddism), and also the day of his spiritual enlightment and death. This year, counting 2,600 years from Buddha’s enlightment, festivals were held on an especially large scale.

Two kinds of memorial coins will be issued for this anniversary. The 10 rupee coin will be issued publicly in June, while the 1,000 rupee coin will be sold for 7,500 rupees each, and only 2,000 pieces will be issued.

By the way, preparation of this festival starts from about 10 days in advance. I saw people decorating lanterns, and Buddhist monks in the back of small trucks, going around the town and gathering offerings from the people.

During the two days of Vesak, there are food and drinks given out in the town - ice cream, black tea, and sometimes even whole meals! Many people were waiting in a long line. There were also contests for original lantern designs. Together with such festival mood, I also noticed its solemn side as a Buddhist ceremony. People of all ages, dressed in white robes, kept lining up to visit the temples.

A new start back home with repaired wells

Ms. Marakasan was forced to flee from her hometown, Maragai, in 2007 August. She moved from place to place for nine times, and finally arrived at a refugee camp called Manic Farm in 2009. It was in October 2010 that she could come back home.

Before taking refuge, her husband had been a farmer working with a tractor and water pump they owned. However, she has now lost these items.

When she restarted life back home, the first problem was that her well had become unusable. The well was not only damaged but also contaminated, and human bones were found inside it. Bringing water from a far away location became her new routine.

JEN repaired and cleaned the well, so now it can be used just as before, and farming became possible again.

(This program is carried out with cooperation from Japan Platform and our supporters).

[Announcement of Leaving and Taking a post]

I, Watanabe have moved from Amman office.

I will mainly take care of general affairs and accounting jobs.

My newly post at Sri Lanka, has a lot of greenness and moisture climate, which is different from dry climate country, Jordan located in Middle East. One of my current propositions is acclimatizing this moisture climate.

The other day, I visited at Batticaloa where our former and present projects have been done.

I can see the villages at which agricultural crops are growing in abundance, and at other villages I can see soil’s color rather than green’s one. So I feel benefit of water of agriculture and wells.

And I saw the situations that each village has effectively used the wells using their own ingenuities.

While our taking with village people for a short time, I can feel their pride and self-sustainability.

I’ll try to assist Sri Lanka people with our local staffs and supports from all of our donors. Thank you for your continued help.

[Announcement of Leaving and Taking a post] ~ Leaving a post Mr. Shu Nishimaru ~

I, Nishimaru have been posted as a head of the office and concurrently serving general affairs and accounting.

I will leave Sri Lanka on 19th April since the limit of my visiting period regulated by the government of Sri Lanka, 3 years will be past in near future.

I have stayed at Sri Lanka for total 6 years including 3 years of my former job. The meantime, I have got 3 children and my family becomes 5 people.

At the time when I took my post on May 2008, a conflict at the east area had finished. Meanwhile, another conflict at the North area had been still continuing. The conflict at the North finished on May 2009.

As of now, in the sight of armed conflict, it gets peace, and has been promoting the reconstruction at North and East area, and at the other area there has not been any conflict, has been getting vitalizing tourism and economic development.

Although nobody knows the futures, I presently presume and hope that Sri Lanka is going to advance with cooperating each other as one country.

After my temporary return to Japan, I will take a new post at Sudan.

I will have been furiously working on with talking and snuggling up to the people who are suffering from harsh environment in the conflict, thank you.

Using the agricultural wells: Comments from Mr. Visuvalingam

One day in March, we passed by an area where we had constructed an agricultural well in the previous project. We decided to visit one of the participants of that project, Mr. Perenbam  Visuvalingam (37 years old), who lives in Perillaveli in Kiran county.

　“I earn my living by growing maize, potatoes, and peanuts during the rainy season, which lasts for about 3 months from November, but in other seasons I used to cut some logs in the woods and go to the town to sell them as fire-wood. But look what I do now! I feel the joy of working on my own land. I feel something I had never felt before in my life.”

　“Five months ago, when the new well was nearly finished, I spoke of my dream at JEN’s workshop. I said, “This well is the largest agricultural well I’ve ever seen. I want to use the water from this well and grow agricultural crops all year round.” Now, I am trying to save money and time and make as much profit as possible from this garden. I can think this way because I have access to plenty of water. Thank you for coming by today. Please come again to see the garden in 2 month time.”

　Finally, he asked, “We are using the well water not only for agriculture but also for domestic use. That is not a problem, is it?” So we told him, “Of course not. The well is yours so please think and decide how to use it among yourselves. The important thing is to share the water.”

（Nagarajah, field officer; Sharulatha, field assistant）

【Northern Province】One year with JEN‐Mugunthan

Although we had first set out to restore the wells in Vavuniya county (Vavuniya District, Northern Province) in January, the project*1 only fully started in early March, when we finally received the approval from the government of Sri Lanka. Today, we would like to introduce you the key person in this project. Rajaratnam Mugunthan(37 years old), our Project Officer. Mugunthan is Hindu and has a wife and a 4-year old daughter.

“I was about 9 years old when the Civil War started to intensify. At that time, we lived by an arterial highway leading to the anti-governmental territory so it was common for public security officers to raid our house at night or for us to stay at our friend’s house for a couple of days to avoid the combat. Finally in 1990, the war forced us to leave our house for good. Since then, we have been fleeing from one place to another. We cannot return to our old home because it is still in the security zone of the government army.

　When I was young, I wanted to become an accountant because the newly established Commerce/ Accounting Course seemed interesting. Unfortunately, since I was living in an area under the influence of the opposition army, I had to find a guarantor in order to study accounting in Colombo. I didn’t know anyone in Colombo so I couldn’t go there. Vavuniya was the only city I could come to, but it didn’t even have an accounting office at that time. Although I was studying accounting, there were not many employment opportunities so I started to work for the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society, where I was helping as a volunteer.

　Because of the Civil War, I have always been among the people who lived under harsh environment. This may be the reason why I have always liked helping those people.   Even in primary school, I participated in a group similar to Boy Scout. Now I have joined JEN, I am happy that I can continue doing humanitarian support activities. When my daughter grows up I want her to become a social worker, not an accountant.”

（＊1　The project for the restoration of wells is being implemented with the support from Japan Platform and JEN supporters.）

Greeting the inspection team from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The life rehabilitation program JEN is carrying out in the Eastern Batticaloa district is financed by our supporters, as well as Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO Projects provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. We had heavy rain in January and February, but from March, we have been able to work on preparation to start digging agricultural wells.

On March 4th, 3 members from the Foreign Ministry came to inspect our program in Batticaloa. They checked the agricultural wells finished in two villages, which were the project sites of last year, and gathered comments from the users of the wells.

In Kiran county, Iruppayadimunmari? village

Walking to the village

Listening to the villagers

Listening to the villagers in front of a well

At the end of the inspection, we received following comments from the inspection team: “We felt that there is a good relationship between JEN and the villagers, from the way they shared many comments with us in a friendly manner, although we met them for the first time.”

Though they are a little far away from sightseeing areas, please visit our project sites and see how the people are living when you have a chance to come to Sri Lanka!

In his third year working with JEN

This time, I would like to introduce David, our project officer. He is in his third year working with JEN in the Eastern region. David is a 51-year-old Christian Tamil, and has two kids － One in high school and the other in junior high. He has participated as project officer since JEN started its program in the Eastern region in September 2007. He has provided the people of psychological care and assistance to regain self-sustainability.

“When I was a student, my future dream was to become a social worker and support my neighbors. While I was young, I worked at YMCA. I became a company worker after that, but in 2005, when the conflicts were beginning to intensify, I came back to my old job to support the people again.

“The people of Batticaloa have been affected by the conflict for more than 20 years. It was impossible for them to lead a stable life, and various assistance activities to the people have led them to become reliant on others. I want to replace that reliance to a sense of independence. In order for people to feel independent, it is necessary to make an environment in which they can earn a living in their own villages, or nearby. Construction of agricultural wells, one of the activities carried out by JEN, is a good example of providing opportunities of income generation in the people’s own villages.

“The conflict ended in 2007, and the town of Batticaloa is starting to grow again. The countryside, however, has still yet to recover. I want to support the people even more so that the villages of Batticaloa will develop as well.”

(*1: The project for construction of agricultural wells, distribution of seeds and seedlings, and reinforcement of the communities are all carried out with support from the Japanese government, Chabo!, and our supporters.)

Reviewing the activities in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka in 2010

Northern Province of Sri Lanka.

Vavuniya North County had been devastated by the civil war. We saw that those who had returned to their villages were using plastic sheets as a roof.  JEN distributed galvanized sheets and timber and supported the construction of temporary housings.

Later, well-cleaning teams were formed among the returnees and we managed to clean the wells in most households. Civil wars not only cause physical damages, such as the destruction of buildings and deprivation of livelihood, but also result in intangible damages. For example, psychological trauma of the unrest or the stress from the life as evacuees may lead to domestic conflict, or the disruption of community activities may result in the loss of community organization. When they returned to the devastated village after 18 months in evacuation, well-cleaning became the first task the people undertook together as a community.

JEN will continue to provide support to improve the communication between the villagers, through well-cleaning, workshops, and other cooperative activities!

The other side of the most popular zoo animal

When we visit the project sites in Batticaloa District in the Eastern Province, we sometimes encounter a herd of wild elephants on the highway that runs through the woods. All the cars stop and people just watch the elephants from a distance. Like many Japanese people, Sri Lankan people also love elephants and elephant show is one of the favorite attractions in zoos. But such a popular animal can also be a menace to the villagers.

Ms. Sooriyakumari (38 years old), one of the returnees to the Northern Province, told us about some elephants she had encountered in the middle of the night.



That night, several elephants suddenly came to the village and ate from the banana trees planted around the wells repaired by JEN. Elephants can be fierce animals when there is more than one of them. Ms. Sooriyakumari and her children huddled together in fear. Her husband, Kandeepan, went to seek help from the neighbors and managed to chase away the elephants by making loud noises with cooking pans and buckets. But unfortunately, the banana trees were badly damaged.

This is what is happening all over Sri Lanka. When the people clear the jungles to construct houses and grow crops, the elephants who lived on that land escape deeper into the woods. But the papayas and bananas grown by the people are also the elephants’ favorite food, so they often come out to the villages.

　Elephants are losing the habitat because of development but the people need to clear the jungles to live.

　The refugees returning to the villages are struggling to rebuild their lives back together. JEN will support them but we also hope that the elephants and humans can live together in harmony.

Shantakumar and His Small Farm

Shantakumar, his wife and their two children live in the village of Matiyamadu in the Parantan region. At the age of 32, he operates a modest plantation.

He returned here eight months ago from a refugee camp. The war cost Shantakumar both of his legs and most of his assets.

Today, he lives with the aid of prosthetic legs. The war also took his mother and brother. Living with him are his widowed sister and her seven children. Although those children can now return to school in the village they were born, one has suffered hearing damage during the war.
　
Through support from JEN, Shantakumar received barbed wire, crucial for protecting his crops from animals like free-range cattle and goats. With it in place, he sowed bean seeds bought from the agricultural center.

This month, JEN plans to distribute pesticide sprayers. Shantakmar’s wife currently assists with the farm work, but in the future she’ll be able to leave it to help care for her relatives.
　
Shantakmar is deeply grateful to all of you for making it possible to earn a living with his farm.

There Will Soon Be Water for the Fields

Through the support of Chabo!, the Japanese government and all of you, JEN has set out to construct 40 agricultural wells in Eastern Sri Lanka, and that project is approaching its peak.

The site is a small encampment isolated in the jungle. Over 95% of those living here say that the grave lack of water to farm with is their greatest problem. With that soon to be solved, villagers watch the construction with earnest eyes.

The villagers here know the underground water veins better than anyone, and we follow their advice in deciding where to dig. Even those living too far away to use the well spared no support. Once, for example, a narrow farm road had brought our construction equipment to a dead standstill. A farmer with fields next to that road, who knew he wouldn’t benefit from the well directly, told us to break his fence and pass through his land. A torrent of “thank you”’s and “sorry”’s flooded from our mouths.

  　　
After JEN completes construction of these 40 wells, the residents aim to employ the resulting benefits themselves for the greater good of the region. Together with everyone there, and everyone reading this article, we hope to keep rebuilding so that this entire area can return to the livelihood it once had.

Well Repairs — One Young Woman’s Story

Eight months ago, 24 year-old Rajesuwali  returned to her village in the northern region of Waunia, which was damaged by the earthquake . She has a husband and two children, but her husband remains in custody under charges of anti-government activities. Also living with Rajesuwali is her younger sister, who has three children of her own, and whose husband has also yet to return from custody. The two sisters share a home with their mother and five children at the outskirts of the village.

When we visited her three months ago, she travelled 500 meters every day to draw heavily soiled water from a broken well. When that well was later cleaned, monkey and cow corpses were found inside it.

Now, Rajesuwali’s well is as good as new. She drinks from it, and uses its water to cook and tend to her garden. She’s deeply grateful to everyone involved in its repair and cleaning.

This activity was made possible by Japan Platform and our supporters.

A Milestone of Renewal

“We realized that we weren’t alone.”

So says Vasansa,  who lives in the village of Pannaichadar  in Sri Lanka’s eastern Batticaloa region. Thanks to the financial backing of all our supporters, the Japanese government and “Chabo!”, JEN is able to work to restore the livelihoods of returnees who, like Vasansa, were driven from their homes by regional conflicts.

“My hopes stand on this rock, the one I’m sitting on now. This was a milestone in my life, dug out of a hole fifteen feet deep. That’s right—this is a stone that came up when JEN dug our village a well, to provide us the water we needed during the drought. That well brought stability to our lives.”

Vasansa continues.
“ First of all, JEN’s support allowed us to rebuild our lives, bringing us confidence. We know there must be challenges waiting ahead, but now we can prepare ourselves for them. Living a normal, hopeful existence gives you greater hope, and makes you grow as a person. Confidence spreads not just to those who use the agricultural wells we constructed with JEN, but to other members of the village, who are raising livestock like goats or cows, running small shops and working hard at various other domestic industries. We now work not just with nearby villagers, but with our village leaders and government officials. We are truly happy, but we’ve only just begun to leave peacefully. We hope to use the ‘PLAN, DO and SEE’ methods we learned from JEN to work, and make our capabilities, our determination and our hopes even stronger.”

Avoid the Rock Meet the Needs

    One of the activities JEN provides, through support from Japanese Government and all of you, is construction of agricultural wells. The other day, we ran a soil survey for those wells in eastern Sri Lanka’s rocky Batticaloa region.

    Working with engineers from the Bureau of Irrigation and Water Supply, we begin by picking out a location suitable for excavation, then using a ground probing radar system called SYSCAL RIPLUS to investigate the condition of the soil.

    Next comes electrical resistivity* testing: we make a reference point, and draw lines out straight to either side using a tape measure.

 

    We then follow that line, driving in stakes every 50 cm on either side, and run an electrical current through the soil to test its quality.

    This process is repeated at 1m, 1.5 m, 2m and 3m from the reference point.

    Using the figures from the survey, the engineers draw a line graph. Each reading allows them to tell if there are rocks or water veins at that location, and analyzing them provides soil, water and other geological information.

    *Electric resistivity: a substance's resistance to electricity. The more water there is in underground sediment, the easier it is for an electrical current to pass through.

Well cleaning is underway!

At the beginning of July, as the residents looked on, we began cleaning wells in Northern Waunia. With helmets and boots on rope firmly grasped, the members doing the cleaning lower themselves to the bottom of the well.

At the same time, members at ground level make the work easier by pumping water out of the well to a set level.

The members in the well brush the walls clean, and load broken bottles and containers, dry leaves, mud, sludge and other sediment into buckets before members above pull them back up. Wells are cleaned by repeating this process.
 
Finally, we snap a picture of the members after a job well done. Nice work, everyone!

"HOW BIG THE WELL IS!!"

    This photo shows a well under  construction  by JEN out of 40 agro well construction project which is being carried out in resettled areas in the Batticaloa District , Eastern province of Sri Lanka.   

  At a pocket meeting with people  held at the village called Vadamunai, while our team member explaining about maintenance of this particular  well ,  the Beneficiaries surprisingly said  “  what a so big well for us “ which we have not seen in our life. 

  They also said that this is a ever big well constructed in not only in their village but also in the entire district.   A longstanding water problem would solve by this great well.    Size of the agro well is 6m in depthx3m in width. 

  As a JEN team member I told the  people , to say big well is easy but you should imagine why big well provided by JEN for many people and not many wells to many people.  This is how JEN working. 

  JEN want to see the people talk together, work together, co-operate each other make effort to change living standard thereby  live together.  Thank you people for the moment but I am coming back to you on another day, said by JEN FO. 

P. Nagarajah
JEN Batti Field Officer

The Future Created by Agricultural Wells

The other day, a JEN staff member spoke with a returned refugee who had participated in the construction of agricultural wells and JEN’s community-building workshops. He said that having water, a necessity for life, had also brought hope for the future. Through JEN’s support, he has gained an understanding of new agricultural techniques, cooperative methods and ways to share resources within the community. He said that he is now able to continue producing crops, and in a better way.
　Right now, he is focusing on the workshops’ lessons in maximizing harvests with minimal resources. This means vegetable gardening during the rainy season, when one can expect large harvests, in order to use his time effectively. He said he is waiting eagerly for more agricultural wells to be completed, since among other things they will allow him to continue farming.

The pictures are from a workshop held a few days earlier, through the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all of our supporters. You can see the organic pesticide he labored to make himself, the vegetables (eggplants) grown by other participants, and a test crop of bananas, which are difficult to grow here due to difficulties with water supply and wild elephants.

　
There will be a presentation on our support for Sri Lanka on June 18th.
We hope you’ll be there!
Find out more about the presentation here.

To Recover the Life We Once Had

It will soon be one year since the conclusion of the 26-year conflict, the longest in Asia.

The Tamil people live in the northern regions of Sri Lanka. Virtually all of them were caught up in the war and taken as “human shields” for the anti-government movement, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). They became refugees, running from the government forces that pursued them, and finally fled here through harsh gunfire.

At present, these people are ending nearly two years of refugee existence to finally return to their ruined homes. Though anxious, they are fighting to re-establish their former lives. Today, we will introduce one of those returnees.

Nawam (47 years old)
When we returned to our own homes in March, all we received from the UN was sugar, oil and grain such as rice and wheat. In April, we received food such as curry powder and coconuts from JEN. We’re a family of seven, so that helped a great deal. The day the cooking supplies from JEN arrived was like a festival day; we had four different types of delicious, flavored curries which we hadn’t eaten in a long time.
I’m a car repairman, and plan to look for work soon. We lost my wife in the war, so my children seem nervous about me going far away for work. I still have no idea what I should do from here on.

Vasantha Kalam - New Year’s in Sri Lanka

The New Year starts on April 14th in Sri Lanka. April is the happiest month for the Sinahala and Hindu community. In Tamil, this period is called Vasantha Kalam (the season when things starts), and it is also the season when there is a festival. As the picture shows, many children and young people participate in the marathon event held at various places.

Marathon outside Batticaloa in the early morning of April 15th

There are customs unique to Sri Lanka for celebrating the New Year. They celebrate by giving money wishing for prosperity, receiving blessing from the elderly, and applying herbal oil on their heads.

On April 15th, the project leader at JEN’s Batticaloa office gave blessings to the staff members. As you may see in the picture, he is holding the money note in his left hand.

Through these customs, people refresh their mind and look forward to a fruitful year.

Prepared by Miss. Sharulatha Field Assistant. JEN Batticaloa Team

[Northern Vavuniya] A Word from a Villager, After the Distribution of Shelters

“My name is Rasaroshini. I and six other members of my family live in Matiyamabu Village.
　
　

We evacuated this area around the middle of 2008, but two months ago we returned and settled in this village again.

We had farming tools and a large house when we left, but we lost everything in the conflict, including those tools we once used. The conflict also restricts my husband's ability to travel.
　 　
We came back here empty-handed, having lost everything. The government gave us tents, but it was difficult and restricting to live in those. That’s when we received lumber and metal siding from JEN, allowing us to reinforce and expand our tents. It rained today, but we made it.
　
　
And  best of all, we didn't  need to take our children with asthma to the doctor.”

Through the support of JPF and individual supporters like all of you, JEN distributes boards and metal siding to assist people reinforce their homes. This has other benefits as well, as it did for Rasaroshini. Our support to improve the lives of returnees will continue.

JEN staff members handing over shelters to villagers at the project site.

Will the long standing water need to come to an end?

Water need in the resettled villages in Batticaloa was a long-standing problem. Many attempts in the past two decades by various organizations were taken to solve the water shortage problem; however, we can say that none of them was ever successful. War is over, peace is restored, and many other livelihood supports is provided, but provision of the very basic need: water source is still to be found.

The main cause of the water source is rock. Even if you dig 20 feet in the ground, you will run into a rock that prevents further digging.

At this point, JEN, with the support of people in Japan has taken up this very difficult task of finding water from 30 feet below ground level. Out of 10 points that were dug initially, at 8 points, we hit the rocks. We first use drill to break them, and if this does not work, we must either change the digging point or use a small amount of dynamite to explode the rocks.

The above photograph shows the construction of an agro well in the village called Vahanery in Batticaloa. In Batticaloa, JEN plans to dig 40 agro-wells.

By JEN- Battialoa team

After the resettlement

The Sri Lanka Presidential Election has finished on 26th January without any major troubles and the present President was re-elected. Due to this event, the Return process were affected and getting delay but going gradually.

In the end of January, JEN survey team visited the people who have returned to their origin in the northern part of Vavuniya District, where heavy battle had once occured. Since the Water Board has requested us to clean the wells, JEN sent the team to check the situation.

We visited Ayladi Village and met Mr. Asokan (age 40) who came back from an IDP camp with his wife and two children. His well is dirty because nobody maintained it while their absense. In order to use it again, all water has to be taken up and cleaned. His house was destroyed as well, so that he started to rebuild it as shown in the photo. The roof material (tin sheets) will be distributed from the government. However, they cannot live in this house yet.

So, after Mr. Asokan rebuilds his house and clean the conpound in the daytime, he goes to the transition camp in Nainamadu Village, 3 km away from his village in the night foe catching sleep. In this camp, around 50 families live together because there are cleaned wells and people can sleep without fear in the night.

This is the reality that people could come back near their village but cannot settle down yet. So that the distribution of tin sheets, cleaning of wells, and agriculture assistance are the highly needed assistance to restart their life.

How can JEN support the people for their self-reliance? JEN keeps talking with people. 

Thai Pongal

Thai Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamils. Thai means “January” and Pongal means “boiling over”.
1st of January is the first day of the year for Western people, but for Tamil people, Thai Pongal day is their first day of the year. On this day, traditionally, they cook ‘milk rice’ with the harvest.
Traditionally, people harvest their first rice and cook milk rice, the pongal, with it to thank the Sun God.

The above photo shows a boy carrying firewood to sell and buy clothes to celebrate Pongal. When we asked him about Thai Pongal, he simply replied　’you buy rice and milk from a shop and make milk rice, and thank God saying that it is your harvest. In the past years we celebrated Thai Pongal by collecting harvest from our own paddy field. But, after resettlement, we still could not harvest our paddy. We need money to buy rice so we do this kind of temporary jobs and celebrate Thai Pongal.
They cannot harvest their own rice due to many reasons including climate change. We realize that climate change not only affects livelihood of these people, but also their religious customs.

Expression of the hygiene program

   The hygiene education workshop was held in Sallitivu on 5th November, 2009. I would like to share some concentration which was looked in the event.

  The program was combining with a discussion and sharing the hygiene knowledge each other. The PHI is presented as a resource person for the program.

  I could observed that there were more female participants. And they attended in the workshop with their children. I asked a beneficiary named Sabapathy Pushpakumar, "why did you participate here with your children?" She said "I don't have anybody to look after my child when I come here yet, I don’t want to miss this meeting."

  After that, I got to know the reason why she tried to attend the program. Then, I discussed with her about that participation. She told us "the hygiene promotion is very important to us. We are facing the difficulties especially during the rainy session. If we get the hygiene knowledge prorperly, we can always be in a better environment.

  The participants were very helpful in the group and very active to discuss with the resource person as well.

L.Jayenthini - Social Mobilizer, JEN - Valaichchenai Office.

[Northern Province] Living in Refugee Camp

We met a woman of 57 years old when visiting a refugee camp for monitoring the progress of water supply activities. She was a mother of seven children, and told us about how their lives had been before evacuation and how is now in the camp.

“It was 19th April 2009 when I evacuated from LTTE, anti-governmental armed forces, to the government control area.

Our life before entering the government control area was extremely tough. We had to leave our own village because of the war, and moreoverthere was very few assistance even where we evacuated as it was surrounded by the war zone. We were also very worried about land mines. We had to go through the war zone in order to reach the government control area.

After we moved to the government control area, we were then put in in this refugee camp of Vavunia District. Here, we have various assistance such as food, drinking water, and clothing.

Despite the availability of assistane, this place is like a bird cage. We are surrounded by barbed wires, constantly under harsh surveillance , and there is no freedom to go out of the camp. We cannot meet our relatives from outside.

We have peace without land mines, but we have no freedom.”

(Field Officer in Vavunia)

Reaction of a House Holder

  The hygiene education and toilet construction is changing the health activities in the people’s life at Sallitivu. A house holder named Markandu Sivakumar has shared his happiness with us that how to support the toilet for the family.

  We are four members in our family; father, wife, child and myself. We have faced some difficulties that had to go forest to defecate. The forest is very far from our place. Also, we can’t go in nights in case of emergency. In addition, we had difficulty to take our child for defecate to the middle of nowhere. So, in this reasons, we had to use our living land to defecate.

  Now, we have a toilet JEN has provided. Everything became easy and very helpfull to us. We can use the toilet anytime when we want and we don't have any difficulty for defecate anymore. We can always keep our environment clean and we are often cleaning the toilets, too. We will maintain the health as well.

  We thank to JEN for giving the greater opportunity for us and we are very happy.

My observation is that they are with happiness and satisfaction.

V.Sujitharan, Field Coordinator - Valaichnai Office. 

[Eastern Province] Handing Over of Community Center

JEN has been constructing a community center in Kiran DS Division in Batticaloa District using the Chabo! Donations. JEN has recently handed over the community center to the community

Thanks to JEN’s project, local organizations were becoming more and more active in this community. However, they were facing various challenges with lack of  space  they needed for their activities. They  had to conduct community  activities outside under trees as there was no public facility available in neighborhood. The harsh weather such as unendurable heat, strong wind and heavy rain, and sometimes even poisonous snakes  would fall from the tree braches above, it was evident that did not allow them to conduct community activities safely.

“We are very happy because we have long wanted to have a public facility like this. This center will let us hold more meetings and invite mobile clinics,” said the representative of the community organization.

JEN is looking forward to conducting monitoring activities to see further progress in sustainable development of this community. "

When children will grow up

  While I was walking inside the Camp, I happened to notice two girls tried to play one ball. However, they were unable to play. I believe that they are age around 7-9 years old. Both are handicapped. One of them  lost her one leg and the other lost fingers of her right hand.

  When I reached near them, they stopped playing and looked at me. I'm noticed face of the people around me. Some IDP’s were taking water from bowser and collected fire wood from road site. Others were walking around that area. I wonder if they feel happy or sad. I could not figure out by their behaviour. Then, I spoked to these girls, Thenuja and Priya.

  Thenuja lost her one leg. She is extremely quite and shy. What had happened was that she lost her leg end of last year. However, she did not like to remember the incidents. She hates war, so as  her injured arms. She remembers her hometown and sweet home, which she has lost now. She talks about her pets, too. And she has nither memories nor intention to remember the life after that.  She had lost not only her one leg, but also happy future ahead.

  Priya, who had lost her right fingers is younger than Thenuja. She lost them at the begining of this year. She believes that her fingers will grow again. She does not understand her problem, and she didn’t feel like to spend a time with me. So, she starts playing by herself again.   

  We meet many people like them in the camp. We would like them to overcome the sad memories they had encountered the past.

Life is back

  I am Sellan Mailvaganam, a longstanding member of Fisherman Co-operative Society in the village call Mulliwadduvan.  I lost all my belongings including fishing gears due to the war and not in a position to restart my livelihood, affected both mentally and economically.

  JEN supported our Fisherman Society by way of providing Canoes and fish net sets and got opportunity to be a Canoe user.  I am utilizing this Canoe for fishing in the Tank and I earn a considerable amount of money.  I cover my family needs from this money and also contribute some money to our Fisherman Society enabling the Society to help the others who need assistance for livelihood.   

  While nearing to the landing centre after fishing, I saw one of the JEN staffs standing at the center asked me “ Aiya”,   Do you engage in only fishing or you have some other source of income.  I told him, NO, I am making dry fish also, as I can not depend only on selling fish because I can earn more money when I sell Dry fish and I can double my income. 

From: E. Komeswaran- JEN Field Officer
Batticaloa, Sri lanka.

Home garden - Working together

  We are often visiting out beneficiaries houses for follow up, to make sure that beneficiaries’ lives are getting better.

  While visiting house one by one, I dropped by the house of Mrs. Retnasingam.  She is an active beneficiary in our project. As far as I know, her family is consisting of 4 members.  But I was surprised to see such a big crowed gathering in her home garden.

  When I asked Mrs. Retnasingam about others,   she replied 

"They are my  neighbors." 

  She further said,

"Support from neighbors and working together is a strength to me, as well as to develop our community”.                              

  This is what we did not observe 10months ago, when we started our support in this village. It’s a great pleasure to see this kind of positive change.

Subojini – Field Officer JEN

JEN’s Support

JEN started the water supply project for the IDP in the Vavuniya District last June, with financial support from the Japan Platform and kind assistance from individual supporters.
The District Water Supply Department with which JEN is in partnership is always struggling to secure enough water for supply at the height of this dry season.

In order to prepare drinking water, we filter water from rivers or disinfect water from agricultural wells and newly set up wells. . JEN carries the water from the Water Department, and transports it to the supply spots inside of the refugee camp.

The first picture shows a well exclusively for water intake. The Water Dept develops wells like this one at nearby ponds around the camp. They pump up the well water by electric pumps to fill up the water supply vehicle.

The second picture displays a lady, who is the operator of this electric pump. Even at the age of 70, she works from 6AM until 8PM to put operate the pump. She lives nearby this well and the Water Dept pays her a small wage.

JEN’s emergency and humanitarian support is made possible thanks to the many people who lend their time and effort, like the Water Dept staff and the old lady.

Only 10 minutes.

  In the IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) camp, I saw many sad stories, but I am going to focus on one of them. 

  I met one pregnant woman there. She was walking on the road in side of the camp. When I started to talk with her, she was crying. She said that by this war so many people were injured by shelling and bombing also there was no medical facilities. Even though there is not such a problem in this IDP camp, I am desperate to go back home seeing my parents. Since they give Special Food and mental support, it will be very helpful to me and my child. They are waiting for me in front of the camp with their tears. When they come to see me, police allow them to talk with me only for 10 minutes, which is not enough to share our feelings. Any how, I want to live with my parents at our home. I am waiting for the day with lot of wishes and expects.

(Sureshkumar, Field Officer, Vavuniya Office)

The cooperation and leader ship amongst the beneficiaries

The project of “Toilet Construction and Hygiene Education” is implementing by JEN at Sallithivu in Vaharai. The 50 beneficiaries are involving in the project. The project is moving with beneficiaries’ participation. They should do the dig work for latrine construction.

  Who is the woman standing on the picture Tharmalingam Nirojini living along with a child. She is a widow nobody to support her. Also, she is one of beneficiary for the construction project. In the circumstances she has contacted JEN staff and expressed her situation. The JEN PTT staff have contacted the team which formed already by JEN staff before commence the construction work. (We have formed ten groups five member are involving in a group for support like those activities in the site). In order to they have come to her place and given support to the beneficiary.

We could look around the situation there. After that, she was happy and served (given water to the peoples) them who were working at the place.This was a great movement in the site and we could felt that “if motivate the village peoples, they can make solution for any problems.

The event store has written by V.Sujitharan, Field Coodinator support with PTT staff.

Community participation

“ Great job done at  the appropriate time”   

This picture shows, villagers got together and cleaning an abandoned Well in a village called Kudamunaikkal in the JEN  project site.  This well seems to be a drinking water well which was not used by anyone for more than two years.

JEN organized and conducted   Capacity building workshops of Community based Organizations on different topics.  Through meetings, project staff support for these Organizations to commune and help them to improve skills of leadership, communication, administration, management, planning, marketing and reporting.  Psychosocial support/activities also carried out at the same time. 
As a result of this, we are now able to see big changes in their day to day life. 

By way of express their change of mind they did the above mentioned great job.  They got together and cleaned the well with their own expenses. 

I consider the above “Job” done by the community is a good example to everyone.

(Nagarajah – JEN Field Officer)

[BREAKING NEWS] Water Supply Program Start Tomorrow

- JEN’s Humanitarian Support in Northern Sri Lanka -

  JEN's emergency mission in the Manic Farm located in Northern Sri Lanka, for the people evacuated in the camp, to supply water starts tomorrow, June 19th Friday.

  Eighteen water supply vehicles with 7,000 litter tanks are ready for the operation in the North, two will go on duty tomorrow.

[Photo: JEN’s water supply program uses this vehicle model]

  JEN’s ultimate goal is to support a safe living environment for the people in the IDP camps of Vavuniya District by delivering water when they face serious water shortages. 

  Your warm assistance will surely add value and make a difference in JEN’s assistance. 

BREAKING NEWS: Humanitarian and Emergency Aid Start in Vavuniya

  JEN has started its operation in Vavuniya District in the Northern Province.

  The civil war that lasted a quarter century finally came to an end last month. National flags flapped at every part of Colombo which showed the people’s delight. There were several large-scale commemoration parades also seen on the major streets in the city the other day.

  There still are, on the other hand, approximately 260,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) in Vavuniya District of the Northern Province who evacuated from the battle field in the same province as JEN reported in the previous flash report. JEN didn’t miss a moment to start its assistance to supply water for the IDPs in the refugee camps. JEN would like to express its gratitude to huge contributions from individual supporters and backups of the Japan Platform.

  JEN’s rapid assessments have so far found IDPs are overflowing in every camp. They are having severe shortages in water, food and other goods for their day-to-day lives. JEN will keep providing them with access to water, that is one of the basic requirements to improve the hygienic condition in the camp. While the refugee camp is a bridging place for them before they return home, JEN believes that securing a good life quality in the camp including proper water supply helps remove their anxieties.

  Your contribution is always welcome to save their lives.

  Click here to use your credit card for contribution.

Sri Lanka in New Year 2009

  Greetings from Sri Lanka new year 2009. JEN in Sri Lanka wishes all the best for a happy and prosperous year. There was a massive operation by the Sri Lankan Army that brought Kilinochchi back to the government’s rule. Kilinochchi is located in the Northern Sri Lanka where anti-government armed force placed its headquarters. We will continue watching the security situation and remain prepared for any immediate assistance required  by the local people.

  The IDPs in the Eastern part of Sri Lanka, for whom JEN has supported since last year, still face tough times. Food supply from international organizations ended six months after their return. The Government’s capacity to feed them will not  last long. Many of them eat only once a day. They are presently having a  hard time getting food until they harvest their crops,.This will happen at the end of this month,  when they can gather food from the seeds they planted  at the beginning of rainy season.

  JEN now works on the second round of agriculture recovery assistance in which we distribute plant seeds when they harvest corn.

  JEN will keep helping those people left behind with lasting assistance, andcontinue to remain ready for possible future needs at any time that require an immediate move.

Practice! Practice!

  JEN conducts various surveys when designing its assistance projects. This is through a Needs Assessment Survey in which JEN identifies local people’s requirements and prioritizes among them, a preliminary survey for fact finding before the project implementation, and post-evaluation survey etc. Qualitative data collection is not an easy job as such information is not measurable, and it depends on the enumerators’ skills to what extent useful information is collected.

  JEN recently organized an internal training to improve the survey quality just before starting one. Experienced staff members played the villagers’ roles, to who young staff asked questions to those who were going to work as enumerators in the survey. Others observed how both of them worked and reflected on what they found good and identified areas for improvement.

  Young staffs were impressed by the demonstrations the experienced staff showed acting as villagers. They acted as if they he was real villagers, which helped us feel how the survey interview would be in reality,’ they said. Through this JEN’s field staff members, with various different backgrounds, got close to those people in the villages in need, and their good performance was the key to a successful project implementation. JEN will keep supporting them to meet their needs for their best field work from every aspect.

Rain and Planting - Climate change affects here, too

  Rain has finally come last week to moisten the entire district of Batticaloa. It should have come at the end of September, and people have been waiting in this dry climate to start planting.

Villagers, who had waited for the planting time by preparing their land, immediately started planting after the rain. They looked glad and relieved that the long awaited rain drops finally reached them.

All they can do is to pray for more rain in the same way every year. However, in recent years, people   can’t rely on regular weather seasons, and this further threatens returnees’ unstable lives. As villagers totally depend  on the natural condition for their livelihood, and assistant partners like JEN face challenges in directing when to prepare and send resources to assist them.
　
Picture 1: Villagers preparing their lands using tools distributed by JEN (BEFORE RAIN)

Picture 2: Villagers planting seeds distributed by JEN (AFTER RAIN)

Tools and Seeds for Life

JEN provided 10 kinds of farming tools such as hoes and axes, and seeds of maize, peanuts and long-beans for 360 farmers in six villages in Kiran DS Divisions. The majority of local people in this area made their living by cultivating land that used to be jungles  and organizing their small-scale farms in a traditional manner, and they lost their farming tools and seeds while they were evacuating during the civil war, which made it hard for them to get back to their farming activities.

They expressed their gratitude when they saw examples of JEN’s assistance ‘JEN gave us seeds and farming tools at the right time that supported us a lot.’

We haven’t had enough rain for cultivation because of the delay of rainy season this year. But returnees have already started to cultivate their lands with hope for peace in their new lives. JEN sincerely wants to have rain, which brings not only water for their crops, but fortune for their lives.

New Project in a New Resettlement Area

JEN Sri Lanka just launched a new project to support returnees in the Kiran DS Division in Batticaloa District, where IDPs had returned recently. The project is financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and JEN's supporters.

At the project launch, JEN organized a kick-off meeting to explain the project to the District Secretary of Batticaloa, Divisional Secretary of Kiran, and other local officers relevant to the project.

"We are grateful to the Japanese people for their support. And we are glad to have a meeting where all of us can state our own opinions. We would like JEN to keep supporting the needy people in collaboration with local relevant officers," said the District Secretary of Batticaloa.

JEN would like to support IDPs by making most use of local resources. We will listen to people in the project site, and collaborate with the officers of Batticaloa District and Kiran DS Division.

Move Forward With Their Skills

JEN has supported the Fishery Cooperative Societies(FCS) in Vakarai DS Division following the returnee support project completed this April. JEN has provided materials twice to make fish-net for the FCSs. In the previous project, fish-net making was organized as a skill development training course. This time, the participants were seen to be active in transferring their skills to other FCS members.

In addition, JEN once conducted a workshop for the FCS leaders to learn the structure of microfinance programs, and this time some FCSs were found to be making use of the knowledge they acquired.

Their enthusiastic attitude to learn and share skills among them brought big joy for us, as we had an impression that the FCS members were so used to being assisted from outside and they took it  for granted.

Psychosocial Care through Reading Picture Books

JEN’s activities encourage children to draw, play games, read books and listen to stories being read to them.
The photo shows a box with 30 picture books.
This area is away from town, and children do not have many chances to see picture books as schools and libraries nearby have ordinary books and newspapers, but not picture books.

Children enjoy reading books and picture books on their own, yet they often ask JEN’s staff to read books for them, and recite poems in the evening time.
Local people drop in on their way back from their work, enjoy a peaceful moment watching the happy children.

JEN bought these picture books and boxes from a Sri Lankan NGO, “Surangani Voluntary Services.
” SVS’s representative is a Japanese woman who supports pre-school education. JEN will keep making use of these local resources to create programs that make local people happy.

Caring the Heart

  There are numerous people in Vakarai Division who have experienced a number of evacuations during the long-term effects of conflict and aftermath of the tsunami. JEN sends a psychologist to conduct counseling to help through the pain and distress you have studied.

JEN first identifies the people who are most in need of counseling. Group work was conducted, among various methods, and they were asked to draw whatever is on their mind.

Take this person (see the photo), for instance, who draws villagers running away from an air attack. Others draw the devastation of the tsunami, palm trees and houses that collapsed. They could not describe them in conversation, but drawing can help them to express what is deep in their mind and too hard and painful for them to express verbally.

Through the group work, some participants are identified as requiring mental care. In those cases, JEN’s psychologist conducts counseling for these people.

A Sign of Changes

JEN sends a psychologist and social workers to conduct a psycho-social care as well as to improve the nutrition and health status of returned people in Vakarai DS Division. JEN provides counseling for adults; and psycho-social care for children through different activities.

Children from 6 to 13 years old get together every evening to play traditional games, sports, do drawings and read books. At first they are seen breaking into groups and arguing with each other, but they gradually understand each other and now respect others when they do activities.

The education system is well developed in Sri Lanka and children generally study hard. But there are many children in Vakarai DS Division who do not attend schools. Vakarai was for a long time under the control of the anti-government force, and the effects of the tsunami and prolonged conflict extended their evacuation. Nowadays, basic infrastructures like housing are being improved through international and domestic assistance, and they are gradually returning to school.

JEN, not only helps people improve their living environment, but repeatedly tells parents about the importance of children’s education through counseling and emphasizes the importance of the children going back to school. There still are various issues ahead regarding the lives of children but JEN has made positive changes in providing a brighter future for the children.

Community: Happiness or Pain

Occasionally, a participant of the home gardening project visits other participants’. He/she is then trained through helping them. However, in one village, a participant had refused to visit a particular garden.

Vakarai DS Division has been affected by a prolonged conflict situation. Therefore, distrust is occasionally found even amongst the neighbours of the same village. Thus, a JEN social worker and a professional psychologist have organised an opportunity for members of the village to talk to each other. As a consequence, distrust amongst the community has decreased to the level in which the participants can mutually visit each others’ residence.

Now, the locals are enjoying working together. Through sharing happiness or pain, the community’s mutual trust and sense of unity is strengthened.   

The JEN’s home garden project does not only improve the nutritional condition of the local people through cultivating vegetables or support the household’s financial conditions, but does also contributes to ameliorate the strained social conditions of the people and strengthen the mutual trust amongst the local communities.

Germ of Change

JEN had a meeting in a fisherman's village where JEN conducts activities, in order to decide participants for the next term, in the activities of home gardenings and sanitary education which started last month.

JEN explained that JEN offers minimum supplies. Trainings and the leading part is conducted by the current participants of the activity. Many people turned up in every village and the each session was successful.

This time, over 50 people gathered in the local fisheries association. Only 4 or 5 people gathered
when JEN had a meeting for the previous operation in September last year.

There is a tendency that emergency aid conducts “Giving aid”, and sometimes JEN's “Supporting aid” is hardly accepted by people who are accustomed to be given.

We sometimes feel that the dependence on aid is still strong, however we also felt that the residents' mind are changing little by little at the meeting this time.

We, staff members, were encouraged by the event to having achieved our supports in close relation to the local sites in the last 6 months.
　

Caring for the Heart

In Batticaloa province, we are providing psychological counseling to victims of conflict.

Local social workers observe our fishnet-making sessions, and by talking to some of the participants, they identify people that show signs of trauma or bearing family problems. After these individuals have been identified, psychology professionals listen to their stories individually and create opportunities for families to discuss their issues together. These are the ways we can support psychological stress and problems.

In January, the social workers conducted music therapy with instruments in their hands. Music calms the soul, and alleviates psychological stress.

Psychological counseling does not yield immediate effects; the results are something that will become apparent only over time. However, for these individuals that have suffered long years of conflict or the trauma of the tsunami, it is an essential component of aid. The JEN staff are doing our very best to cover the wide variety of needs experienced by those facing ongoing conflict or disaster.

Caring for the Heart

In Batticaloa province, we are providing psychological counseling to victims of conflict.

Local social workers observe our fishnet-making sessions, and by talking to some of the participants, they identify people that show signs of trauma or bearing family problems. After these individuals have been identified, psychology professionals listen to their stories individually and create opportunities for families to discuss their issues together. These are the ways we can support psychological stress and problems.

In January, the social workers conducted music therapy with instruments in their hands. Music calms the soul, and alleviates psychological stress.

Psychological counseling does not yield immediate effects; the results are something that will become apparent only over time. However, for these individuals that have suffered long years of conflict or the trauma of the tsunami, it is an essential component of aid. The JEN staff are doing our very best to cover the wide variety of needs experienced by those facing ongoing conflict or disaster.

A New Year, New Challenges

First, I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

In addition, I would like to express gratitude for all of support of JEN’s activity over the last year.

With your support in 2007, we were able to conclude our tsunami relief projects in Hambantota in Southern Sri Lanka. Moreover, we were able to begin our new project, which aims to improve living conditions for victims of conflict in Batticaloa in Eastern Sri Lanka.

Unfortunately, early into the New Year, we received the concerning news that the government of Sri Lanka will revoke the mutual ceasefire agreement signed with the Tamil anti-government organization, the LTTE, back in 2002.

It seems uncertain when this country can reach peace and during periods of conflict, people suffer from both physical loss and psychological damage.

We, at JEN, are striving to extend a helping hand to those people who are not covered by the media or general reports and activities in the region, but still require help to cope in situations of conflict.

We hope to have your continuing support this year.

A New Year, New Challenges

First, I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

In addition, I would like to express gratitude for all of support of JEN’s activity over the last year.
With your support in 2007, we were able to conclude our tsunami relief projects in Hambantota in Southern Sri Lanka. Moreover, we were able to begin our new project, which aims to improve living conditions for victims of conflict in Batticaloa in Eastern Sri Lanka.

Unfortunately, early into the New Year, we received the concerning news that the government of Sri Lanka will revoke the mutual ceasefire agreement signed with the Tamil anti-government organization, the LTTE, back in 2002.

It seems uncertain when this country can reach peace and during periods of conflict, people suffer from both physical loss and psychological damage.

We, at JEN, are striving to extend a helping hand to those people who are not covered by the media or general reports and activities in the region, but still require help to cope in situations of conflict.

We hope to have your continuing support this year.

In Order for Peace to not be a Fleeting Moment

The JEN project in Sri Lanka organized a capacity development workshop at five Fishery Cooperative Societies in the Vakarai Division of Batticaloa District. This was part of a larger assistance program of supporting the Internally Displaced People’s reintegration. The workshop intended to raise awareness and improve livelihoods.

Vakarai, where JEN has its assistance program, is located in the eastern corner of Sri Lanka. It has been one of the primary focuses of international attention as the civil war between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has devastated the area since the 1990s. In addition to this, the tsunami of December 2004 also hit the coastal areas, and the massive operation led by the government’s troops against the LTTE in January 2007 is still fresh in people’s memories.

People in Vakarai have gone through evacuation and resettlement eight times in just the past two decades. Back in their homes, they hardly dare hope to believe in a life free from the control of the LTTE or a peace that will last long. They are reluctant to reconstruct their livelihoods as they no longer believe that the stability can last so what they need now is renewed hope of sustainable recovery and a new sense of self-confidence.

There were between 50 to 80 local people participating in each workshop. JEN’s professional staff held lectures on the function of the Self Support Group and the importance of raising awareness. The lectures also included a variety of icebreakers and games to keep up participant concentration and interest.

The Launch of Fish-Net Making Training

JEN held a ceremony to commemorate the launch of fish-net making training on November 19th 2007 in support of the conflict-affected peoples in the Batticaloa District in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka.

The training is planned in ten villages in which the Fishery Cooperative Society operates.

The training was first launched in five villages out of the ten. The ceremony was attended by the Divisional Secretary of the Vakarai Division, the Livelihood Development Officer of the Army of Sri Lanka, and the Officer of the Ministry of Fishery and Aquatic Resources. The ceremony began by lighting the traditional oil lamp, which is the first ritual act performed at the beginning of all kinds of events in Sri Lanka. It was followed by speeches given by the aforementioned distinguished guests.

The training course targets forty people in each village. It lasts three hours a day, for two months. The experienced professionals teaching at universities in the project area are the training tutors, and participants will learn both theories and practices.

Psychologists also work in the project area providing psychological support to local people affected by the tsunami and conflict.

At the end of the training course, participants are expected to acquire income-generating skills by learning fish-net making and repairing in order to improve their livelihoods.

The day to go to the sea is coming soon.

Thanks to the Japan Platform and supporters, manufacturing of boats for the Fisheries Cooperative Societies (FCSs) has started as a part of the returnees support program in Vakarai, Batticaloa.

Based on the records of Ministry of Fisheries, fisherman in the Vakarai area lost 109 boats after the conflict in January. JEN will be supporting the FCSs, which suffered the biggest damage, by providing two boats each, in total twenty boats.

This area suffered huge damage due to the Tsunami at the end of 2004, after that, a lot of boats were distributed by the supporting associations. However, several of these distributed boats were manufactured with disregard to the surrounding environment, and some were manufactured focusing on speed rather than quality. As a result, some distributed boats were unfortunately unusable.

Learning from past experience, we organized the boat manufacturing to be done by a local, reputable boat manufacturing company and based designs on the recommendations of the fisherman involved in this project.

Boats are now in the course of manufacture by putting dozens of fiberglass together to ensure endurance and waterproof properties. All 20 boats are scheduled to be completed by the end of January 2008.

A New Office has opened.

　We opened a new JEN office in the town Vakarai in Batticaloa, in the Eastern part of Sri Lanka on 1st of October.This town is the key traffic point where highways intersect and it is located about an hour distance by car from the new project area, Vakarai. Vakarai is the area, which suffered huge damages during the battle.

　We have completed carrying in most of office supplies such as desks, chairs and computers from the Southern Hanbantota office, which was closed last month.

　Different from Hanbantota area where many Buddhist Singhalese live, this area consists of mostly Hinduism Tamil and Islamism. Also, appearances and languages are different from the Southern area.
We are now interviewing candidates for project staff. Various candidates, such as those having experience with another association or those who studied in University and seek for actual experience, applied to us.

　We will soon be able to start supporting activities for fisherman in the Vakarai area immediately after establishing the new office staff. We very much appreciate your continuous support.

Completion of the Livelihood Support Project for Tsunami Affected People

We completed the project for supporting tsunami affected people in Southern Hanbamtota on September 22. We started supporting the people to recover their lives with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from last October.

With this project, we provided vocational training; children activities and physical counseling at 13 different resettlement places.  We remember joyful and unique people, such as those who voluntarily organized people and those who showed us their appreciation.

JEN provided social workers, instructors and counselors to one resettlement place over the last 2 months, and we were able to build up trustful relations with local people. Although local people came from different villages in some places, gradually we could experience people pulling together, connected through the project.

The survey after the vocational training recorded that the people have been receiving good harvests or earning money through making fishing nets by using the new knowledge and techniques learned from the project.

With the completion of the project, we have concluded the contract with local staff that engaged in this project for more than 2 years. We very much appreciate their contribution knowing that we could not achieve such a success without them, and we wish them continuous success in the next association.

Thank you very much to all of you for your long support.

The construction of a training facility in Batticaloa

As a part of the project, we were scheduled to provide occupational training (fish net making) in the Vakarai area (the Northern part of Batticaloa). However, due to the Tsunami damage and continuous battle, appropriate facilities for this training does not exist. Accordingly, we are planning to build a prefabricated training facility.

However, there is a physical distribution problem.

We arranged for a big track and a small track with a crane to deliver building materials of which there was 5 tons each for 10 different villages. Although vendors were reluctant to accept the order from us due to the bad access of each site, we were able to start negotiations with an experienced vendor for the building materials in the Batticaloa area.

Although it has already been 6 months since refugees came back to the village in Vakarai (*), it will take some more time for full-scale recovery. We very much appreciate your continuous support.

(*) Going back to other areas has been delayed for 3 months.

Project Launch in Eastern Sri Lanka

With financial assistance by Japan Platform, JEN will launch a project in support of conflict-affected peoples in the Batticaloa District of the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. Batticaloa is infamous for the region in which the Army of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a militant Tamil organization, had severe fights since last summer, resulting in over 160,000 people displaced.

Since spring, 100,000 people have so far returned to their own villages when the tension between the two sides mitigated. However, the areas to which they returned were also affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami, which hit Sri Lanka at the end of 2004. Two immense disasters, the domestic conflict and the tsunami, deprived people of their basis of living and income generating sources.

This project will target the fishermen in Vakarai, which is in the Northern part of the Batticaloa District. JEN will distribute new fishing boats lost in the conflict, provide vocational trainings for fish-net making, conduct organizational capacity development of the Fishery Cooperative Society, and deliver psychosocial care. 

JEN will begin by establishing a district office, employing national staff, and concluding the MOU with the district government. It will take time to set up the working environment, but we expect the project activities to get on track sometime in mid-October.

History of Building Friendship between Japan and Sri Lanka

JEN often meets through activities government officers and members of development agencies who mention, “I have been to Japan”. I addition, “I have worked with Japanese people in my office before.” is also often heard.

This is due to the fact that Japan has received Sri Lankan people for trainings and dispatched Japanese of various professions to Sri Lanka through ODA programs for over half a century. Such people have great respect for Japan. Even if they have never heard of JEN, they show favorable attitudes towards JEN because it is a Japanese organization.

For example, people happily make time for us, when we make unexpected visits to locations where we plan to launch a program. They collect information, which they think we may need prior to our meeting, without our asking them to do so. Their cooperative is extremely helpful to the execution of JEN projects. JEN hopes to develop upon the long history of friendship between Japan and Sri Lanka. 

Relieve a Pain

JEN’s vocational training saw its third-term finish on 27th June. We walked down to our car to leave one of the four villages where we attended the commencement ceremony, and then it happened.

A guy was shouting at us. He was from the neighboring village across the road. The massive tsunami of December 2004 washed away his two children, his house, ship and all fishing tools. He lost everything he used to make a living. With a strong smell of alcohol in his breath, his anger and agony came out of his mouth. And he complained “JEN’s assistance reached my neighboring village, but not my village”.

JEN selected villages where JEN’s assistance could meet the needs of the affected people. The village size, the degree of devastation caused by the tsunami, the population, and the economic condition before and after the tsunami were the aspects examined in our survey, and his village was not among the targets.

He saw JEN’s vocational training actively conducted in the other village alongside the road. He heard people’s cheerful voices and saw their smiles in the gatherings and it made him feel uneasy and angry.

His words left us speechless and we apologized for what we hadn’t done for people in his village. There are always people who are left behind when we decide to support others, and it is us who left him in devastation. We learned what we couldn’t do did for him, and something visible, goods for instance, couldn’t relieve the deep sorrow brought by the tsunami.

Coexisting with Wild Animals

The resettlement area where JEN is currently operating to support the tsunami victims has been made by clearing an area from the jungle. One issue that concerns the beneficiaries of the vegetable garden project is that water buffaloes, monkeys and elephants often eat all the vegetables and fruit.

It is not unusual to come across 3 meter long snakes or huge 1 meter long lizards from the nearby natural wildlife park. Also monkeys frequently take the fruits from the trees in the garden of JEN’s Hambantota office, and wild elephants are often spotted foraging for food at the garbage dump near the resettlement neighborhood.

However, if we think about it, we realize that the land taken for the resettlement works was once

these animals’ natural habitat, and thus they are also tsunami victims. That people are dying from

elephant attacks is a serious problem, but it is important that we consider good ways for humans

and animals to coexist.

Village Boys

  A trainer of JEN’s fishnet workshops talked about his first visit to a target village.  On the way back from the workshop, local boys asked him to drive them to towns.  The trainer refused, it is impossible for him to give them such a privilege.  Then the boys threatened him: “Never step in our village again!”  Unfortunately, the same story often occurs to trainers in other villages.

A psychologist analysed the boys’ aggressive reaction.  He pointed out two influential factors.  First, the boys have not been disciplined well because their fathers are often away from home fishing.  Second, the boys are mistrusting and insecure for some of their fathers are alcoholic and often get violent for no reason.

JEN’s staff tried to bring village boys out of their shell.  Using our principle of listening to them patiently with a respect for each boy’s personality, instead of blaming them for their aggressive attitude.

After one month had passed, JEN won the children’s confidence.  Boys show positive changes toward JEN’s staff.  Now they look forward to seeing the staff after school to talk about themselves, even discussing their own worries about their family, their future, and their trauma of the tsunami.

Beyond Circles

JEN has conducted a gardening project in Marganpura and Metserana, a newly plotted village for the resettlement of victims of the previous tsunami.  The initial obstacle to the project is factions within the village itself.  People from the same camp formed close circles and shut themselves to strangers from different towns.  Such divided circles hindered community-based collaboration that JEN’s workshop was based upon.

However, JEN’s social workers successfully brought participants from different circles together in complete harmony in the gardening workshop.  Farming together on a hot day drives participants to share in the achievement of hard physical work a sense of solidarity with others whose origins are different from their own.  Now village people enjoy chatting together over various topics while collaborating without any noticeable divides.

After Two Years – a Victim’s Remembrance

Wasanti lost her husband and her house at the same time at the Boxing Day tsunami. She currently participates in JEN’s gardening projects.　

“Two years having passed since that day, few international relief agencies remain in my village of Hambantota now. I resettled in a new house with my family, but our life remains severe, as I am only a widow without any income… JEN’s gardening projects have helped me a lot both financially and psychologically. I hope more and more families participate in the projects as we do, which are very beneficial indeed.”

After Two Years – Christmas is coming

While Christmas is coming soon, another important day is approaching in the coastline of Sri Lanka – the 26 December, the memorial day of the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004. 

Instead of colourful Christmas illumination, people in the village of Hambantota silently decorate their houses with yellow leaves of coconuts as a sign of mourning for victims.

People involved in the mission

Relief project for Tsunami victims supported be Japan government has started at last. We care the tsunami victims mentally as ever with social worker, instructor, and expert in psychology through job training. Before we start the activities we trained our staff. They studied JEN and JEN’s activities, how to get involved in social psychology and counselling. “We should not take center stage, and our mission is bringing out people’s best”, said the expert in psychology who teach them.

The day before job training, an official from Sri Lanka embassy visited the village and encouraged the tsunami victims. The official said “It is a pleasure to see Japanese taxes are surely used for people in Sri Lanka, and people and the communities receive Japanese NGO.”

JEN’s mission cannot be achieved by JEN staff only. We are supported by a lot of people and act in unison with people in Sri Lanka.

Vegetable Growing and Nutritional Improvement Program

    In April, with the kind support of Ajinomoto Co., Inc., we began a nutritional improvement program through vegetable growing. This program targets female tsunami survivors who lost their houses and consequently moved to cultivated land further inland called "resettling areas."

    The project not only involves guidance to vegetable growing utilizing environmentally friendly organic farming techniques, but also social workers as well. They provide nutritional guidance and counseling; healing the victims' broken hearts whilst improving their nutritional situations. It has proved to be a great success among the participants, as they are able to acquire not only new agricultural methods, but also accurate knowledge about nutrition at the same time.

     "I lost my parents, and 2 children to the tsunami. I used to love gardening, but after the tsunami ripped through my house and ravaged my garden, I was devastated and could not bring myself to do it anymore. After moving to this new place, and through participating in this program, I became able to grow okra and beans in what used to be an empty garden. The program has helped me a lot. Now I look forward to meeting my friends in the nutrition class. I learn a lot of new things everyday; for example, what kinds of foods I should eat if I want to prevent illnesses-it is all very enjoyable."
－Nasreena (33 years old)

Cheer from Villages

JEN organized a study tour for the second time to our operational field in Sri Lanka.  We received eighteen people: participants doubled compared to the previous tour last year.  Victims of the tsunami survived the emergency period and have silently made a first step towards reconstruction of their normal life.

A village of Hambantota expressed a warm welcome by special ornaments of vivid flowers and leaves and fantastic smile of children.  Participants then visited a village of Siribopura.  The village is a resettlement area where victims of the tsunami have just started their new livelihoods leaving from temporary shelters. 

Participants planted bananas and mangoes together with local people.  After having a good sweat in the farmland, village women kindly invited to teatime with handmade sweets to chat over their lives after the tsunami.

A village woman smiled: “It is a great pleasure for me to participate in JEN’s gardening projects.  I enjoy cooperating with village people.  Now I restarted my life, yet economically still difficult.  International aids disappeared as time goes by after the tsunami, one year and eight months have passed.  Still, JEN stays with us – I am happy to see our garden to grow.”  A participant added: “I came to encourage victims, but their smile cheered me up indeed.  My experience with people in Sri Lanka will stay in my mind.  I would come back to see fruit of bananas and mangoes that we planted together.”

The Talk of the Town -the Tsunami Disaster Prevention Workshop

     On the 20th of April, an article appeared in the local newspaper about a tsunami workshop. This workshop, carried out by JEN with the kind support of Sompo Japan, was conducted for children that were affected by the tsunami in Hambantota province.

    In spite of voices strongly arguing for the need of disaster prevention education, in reality, most schools had no such programs introduced after the tsunami. JEN's workshop proved to answer such people's needs by disseminating necessary disaster prevention knowledge to children, and has been regarded highly.

    The newspaper article stated above began by introducing JEN, and went on to assess our workshops for children, introduced messages from workshop participants, and concluded by proposing that these types of workshops should be conducted throughout the country.

    Although all 4 sessions of the workshop have been successfully completed, we have begun conducting counseling for children through sports activities, and are continuing to provide support for tsunami-affected children.

Social Workers

     JEN is currently working on a follow-up program aimed at reaching out to tsunami victims in further need of help in dealing with their psychological wounds. The subjects of the program are victims from the 32 villages that JEN worked with on a previous project. Needless to say, social workers are an indispensable part of this program.

     Social workers regularly visit the villages, teaching community workers from various villages as well as holding counseling sessions. The below is a message from one of the workers:
“When we began this program, the villagers were expecting support in terms of money, and thus we had a difficult time in trying to win their understanding on the significance of psychological care. However, they eventually came to comprehend the problems that they carried, and were able to regain their ways of positive thinking. Through JEN’s program, I myself was able to learn many things, as well as mature as a person alongside the tsunami victims.”

    Today, she continues to heal people’s broken hearts, while wrapped in a beautiful sari and playing cricket with the children until the ball is no longer visible to the eye.