FOUNDER

106/3, Sri Saranankara Road, Kalubowila, Dehiwela, Sri Lanka Telephone: 00 94 11 2727941 http://shantisj.wordpress.com shanti@sltnet.lk

Registration #: L-142801 dated 24.01.2011 ::Voluntary Social Services Organization [Registration & Supervision] Act No. 31 of 1980 & Act No. 8 of 1998

Ministry of Defense, Sethsiripaya, Battaramulla Sri Lanka

A PEACE INITIATIVEWho are we?Shanti Community Animation Movement’s outreach to the victims of war @ Kilinochchi is an attempt towards peace and reconciliation in Sri Lanka.

An attempt @ Peace!The thirty year old war in Sri Lanka is over and the country is treading the path of progress and development with a view to achieving peace, reconciliation and harmony. The victims of war who have been resettled are still suffering the scars of stress due to the trauma of war. Their loved ones lost; houses razed to the ground; anything valuable in life has disappeared. In short they have lost everything even their very dignity.

ReflectionReconciliation is the restoration of friendly relations. A process by which each one appreciates one’s own ethnic identity in the context of living in a multi ethnic society and feels at home in each other’s company as children of a common soil. More particularly one is free enough to identify one’s own ethnic orientation and feels comfortable with it. Peace is the freedom from war and the cessation of hostilities. Peace is more than just the absence of war. It is the effect of justice. Reconciliation and Peace is the prerogative of the Divine while our efforts can only be attempts towards creating a rapport between the victims of war and the perpetrators of the injustice. Creating an environment where in the Spirit is afforded an opportunity to intervene. Your Spirit changes our hearts Enemies begin to speak to one another. The estranged join hands in friendship. Nations seek the way of peace together – Eucharistic prayer for reconciliation – ii. No Peace without Justice which is of two types.

Retributive Justice .

Restorative Justice on the other hand is to restore to the victims/survivors of the crime all or part of what was lost in being victims to the crime. Property is something that can be restored. But if it is a life or human dignity that has been lost, how can these be restored? We are doing our

work together with the Army so that the beneficiary comes to the realization in an angst experience that those who destroyed are now helping them to rebuild. One day an army officer told us: We destroyed these houses and now we are helping them to rebuild. What is the beneficiary, the victim of war thinking? War or Peace?

Front view

Bedroom – 1

Bedroom - 2

Kitchen and Pantry

Hall and Dining

House # 1: Husband: Balasingham Selvarasa[36yrs] Wife:Selvarasa Puvaneswari[34] Children attending Shivanagar School. Selvarasa Thejasi[Grade 10] Selvarasa Sivaravan[Grade 08] and Selvarasa Tharuka[Grade 02]. Balasingham’s leg shattered by artillery fire @ Valaimadam A view of the present house in

which they live>>>>

A new house was coordinated by Shanti Community Animation Movement.

House # 2: Husband: Sivanesan Anandamurthi[35yrs]; Sivanesan Kosaladevi[36yrs] Children attending Uruthirapuram Vidyalaym: Kishan[Grade05]; Sanjeevan [Grade4]; Thennjan[Grade 01] Kosaladevi’s leg shattered by artillery fire.View of house in which they live>>>>>>>>>

A new house was coordinated by Shanti Community Animation Movement.

House # 3: Husband: Vettivel Jeyasri killed in 2008 by shell fire in Valaimadam. Wife: W. Jeyaraja Pushparani [36 yrs]; Children: Anusha[ 20 years]; Jeyarupa[14 years in Grade 10]; Jeyakawari[11 years in Grade 06]; Yesica[05 years in Grade 01] All the children are attending school at Fatima R.C. Government School in Uruthirapuram. Mother of Pushparani, Alvapillai Rasamani who is 66 years old is also living with them. Grandma also suffered a shell injury in Valaimadam.

A new house was coordinated by Shanti Community Animation Movement.

Shanti reaches out to the Victims of war in Kilinochchi How did it all start? Just before Fr. Catalano fell ill an army friend of Miss Sujeewa Ratnayake who was working in the North had made a request of her for clothes, shoes, ladies garments and other stuff for the resettled victims of war. Sujeewa had contributed Rs. 5000; Mr. T.T.Vannan, our volunteer for Information Technology came up with Rs. 3000 and Mr. Saman Alwis, volunteer very close to Shanti contributed Rs. 2000. Sujeewa with a total of Rs. 10,000 bought what was

necessary and sent them over to the victims of war in Kilinochchi. Sujeewa whispered to Fr. Catalano what she had done little knowing that Fr. Catalano was already talking to some

agencies of the United Nations about Shanti working in the North. Then in July 2010, Lieutenant Colonel G. Mihindu N. Perera, Commanding Officer – 7 th Batallion Sri Lanka Light Infantry of the 571st Brigade invited Shanti to Kilinochchi. He proposed many projects in which Shanti could work in collaboration with the Army. A discernment resulted in Shanti working with the victims of war in Kilinochchi. We rehabilitated a pre-school in Shivanagar [pictures below], gifted a water pump to Uruthirapuram Maha Vidyalayam and another water pump to Shivanagar School, repaired seventy cycles and gave it to the school children. A crying need for the victims of war was ladies’ undergarments. We had donations of umbrellas, and agricultural implements which were received with much joy. The Ministry of Resettlement by their letter dated 08 September 2010 gave their formal approval for Shanti to build 15 houses for the resettled victims of war. We took a team of doctors from Colombo to do a pediatric assessment of the pre-school children in Uruthirapuram and Shivanagar. The team was led by Dr. Maxie Fernandopulle, Consultant Pediatrician and DoctorsBenedict Sebastianpillai; Thisara Perera; Rajeevan and Shamitha Perera.

Mallavi – ThunukkaiShanti Community Animation Movement through the good offices of Colonel Samantha Wickramasena and the 10th Batallion of the Sri Lanka Light Infantry celebrated the good results at the G.C.E. (Ordinary Level) Examination of the children of the victims of war in Mallavi-Thunukkai. The ten best students will be offered scholarships for the next two years till they sit the G.C.E. (Advanced Level) Examination.

MAHALINGAM AHATHIYA of Yogapuram Maha Vidyalayam, Yogapuram stood first with 9 A grade –passes in the G.C.E. (Ordinary Level) Examination in all the subjects. She was the first in the Mullaitivu District and she had the 3rd rank among the students of all the schools of the Nothern Region.

Here are the other children who did well in the same examination. Bamathewan Thenuja & Karunamurthisami of Yogapuram M.V. Rajakulasingham Prasanna, Sukumar Madushiya & Amirthalingam Kajanof Mallavi M.M.V. Waithyalingam Kajani, Thangawel Thuwarga & Siwanandasundara Banujan of Palinagar M.V.

They were all awarded with a cycle to bring them to school and with school stationery, clothes and

uniforms.

School Children in 86 very difficult schools in Trincomalee DistrictThis is a story of 14865 children studying in 86 Buddhist, Muslim and Tamil schools in the Trincomalee District i.e. in the North East of Sri Lanka. The schools are classified as very difficult since they lack the normal educational facilities provided by government. These children suffered the scars of war. Like

going from the frying pan into the fire, these same children lost whatever they had in the recent floods, even the few things they had at the beginning of the school academic year 2011. On 13 May 2011 Shanti Community AnImation Movement coordinated a program to help these 14865 children in 86 very difficult schools in the Trincomalee District with school stationery. The project was initiated and executed by Brigadier Dharshana Hettiaratchi of the

22nd Brigade of the Sri Lankan Army. Those present were the principals of the schools together with Mr. M.A.A. Pushpa Kumara- The District Secretary for

Education in the Easter Province, Mr. M.T.A. Nizam, the District Director of Education –Eastern Province and Mr. Chamminda Welagedara, Asst. General Manager – Easter Province of the Bank of Ceylon who opened savings bank accounts for each of these children under the Ran Kekulu Scheme, with the initial deposit being made by the bank. Mr. Pushpakumar spoke of the future of our country being in the hands of our children. He was desirous of working towards peace &

reconciliation. Brigadier Dharshana Hettiaratchi said that the schools were chosen irrespective of religion & caste; bible & language. He too wished that we should join hands in working towards peace and reconciliation in our country. Fr. Gabriel spoke of Fr. Catalano’s desire to help in the education of the future generations of our country especially of the victims of war and progress was not possible without peace & reconciliation.The school stationery would be delivered directly to the children @ their schools. Uruthirapuram Mahavidyalayam, Uruthirapuram, Kilinochchi Mrs.Meena Sivathas, the Principal of the school whispered to Sujeewa that the girls had need of under garments. It would have been disrespectful and an insult to the dignity of the victims of war to give them second hand clothes. We also distributed umbrellas, agricultural implements. .

Provision of 5.0 KVA Diesel Generator to run 11 computers @ Uruthirapuram M.V.We are happy to state that this has been completed.

Provision of a Kerosene Water Pump for the School Actually we gifted two kerosene water pumps for two schools.

One for Uruthirapuram Maha Vidyalayam, Uruthirapuram East

and one for Shivanagar School, Shivanagar.

Rehabilitation of Pre-schools in Shivanagar and Uruthirapuram Areas

A.The state of the pre-school @ Shivanagar prior to Rehabilitation

The School as it stands now

Priyadharshan: Good morning dear Sisters, Brothers and Parents, We have come from the South to North. It brings joy to us to meet you and work together. We are the future of this country and its time that we work as one family menti

oned

We took our children from our SINGITHI pre-school @ Siddhartha path and

performed a dance for the children of Shivanagar.

B. The state of the pre-school @ Uruthirapuram East which we relocated.

We had the opening of the pre-schools @ Uruthirapuram and Shanti took six pre-school teachers and the pre-school coordinator to be present at the opening of the pre-schools at Kilinochchi. Each child in the pre-

schools was thrilled to receive a school bag, a water bottle, a lunch box, toys, a pair of sun glasses and pencils. Each school received the necessary equipment, desks and chairs for the children and the teachers and a see saw, merry go round and swing-onchilla. Our grateful thanks to Sergeant Silva of the Army who did a wonderful job in doing the art work in the pre-school. We express our sincere sympathies to Sergeant Silva who lost all his property in Badulla in the recent landslide there. As a prelude to the opening of the pre-school the teachers went on pilgrimage of the Atamasthana and to the Sri Maha Bodhiya in Anuradhapura to offer pooja to invoke the blessings of the Triple Gem upon army and the victims of war in Kilinochchi

whom they were visiting in a gesture of love and friendship.

C. The state of the pre-school @ Uruthirapuram North

The opening of the pre-school @ Uruthirapuram North

The old man wishes to join the pre-school

C. The state of the pre-school @ Uruthirapuram West

The rehabilitated pre-school @ Uruthirapuram West

Shanti rehabilitates a pre-school & community hall Pannankandy – Saraswathi Farm

Community Hall & Pre-school prior to repair

Pre-school prior to repair Pre-school after repair Side view of pre-school after repair

Community Hall prior to repair Community Hall after repair Side view of community hall after repair

The Community Hall & the pre-school rehabilitated by Shanti was inaugurated by Lieutenant Colonel Nanda Hathurusinghe, Brigade Commander-571 Brigade and Brigadier Lasantha Wickramasinghe,

Divisional Commander of the forces in Kilinochchi. The Shanti staff were present. The pre-school was made fully equipped by Shanti with tables and chairs for the kids and the teachers. Gifts for the children were bags, toys and stationery and Teaching aids and charts for the pre-school. Refreshments was organized by the army and the people of Saraswathi Farm. There followed a cricket match between the youth of Saraswathi farm vs the army.