Assist Resettlement & Renaissance புனர் வாழ்வும் புது வாழ்வும்

It is almost a month since the curfew was imposed in Sri Lanka. Although the government had promised financial support to families, who depend on daily wage earners, they are yet to receive any support from the government. It appears that these families may receive a grant of Rs 5000.00 per family shortly. However, we have been told that these families have been borrowing from friends and families for their survival for nearly a month and this grant of Rs 5000 will not last longer after paying back the loans. Following the appeal on 28 March, AssistRR have managed to raise Rs 6,778,816.00 and assisted 6700 families by providing Rs 1000.00 worth of dry rations, that should last for a week for a family of 4/5. We received contributions from like minded organisations and friends as given in this link: Coronavirus relief efforts. In addition to IMHO’s Rs 1,550,000 support (assisted 1500 families), IMHO USA have directly distributed dry rations to another 7820 families in the north and east of Sri Lanka. In total, AssistRR, IMHO, and other likeminded organisations and individuals have supported 14520 families in the north and east of Sri Lanka since the start of this campaign. Please click this link (Coronavirus relief efforts) to see the table for the areas (Divisional Secretariat Divisions) and number of families covered. The beneficiaries have been identified and selected by the respective Divisional Secretaries with the assistance of Grama Sevakas. Distribution of dry rations were also carried out by the Divisional Secretaries. Please note that we haven’t met the 100% need, which was around 120,000 families in the north and east. AssistRR would like to thank all like minded organisations and individuals who supported this appeal and ensured that 14520 families were able to survive for at least a week.

Sri Lanka has been under curfew for the past 10 days due to Coronavirus pandemic. Many families, which depend on daily wageworkers, have been struggling to feed themselves due to their inability to work. Although the government has promised to provide assistance to these families, it hasn’t reached the affected families yet. We have been approached to provide some emergency relief to these families so that they can survive during this crisis. There are nearly 2000 families in Nedunkerni Divisional Secretary (DS) division in Vavuniya district that depend on daily wages. AssistRR agreed to assist and have already distributed dry rations worth Rs 1000.00 that would last for a week to 500 families in Nedunkerni DS division. I personally visited 3 villages during the curfew with the assistance of the Divisional Secretary Mr Prathaban and saw first-hand of the distribution on 26^th March. The system is working very well. The Divisional Secretaries have already collated lists of beneficiaries, who require this assistance. IMHO USA and Anbalayam Australia have also come forward to assist another 500 families each. Some of my classmates from Hartley College are also assisting another 500 families. We are therefore providing assistance to 2000 affected families in Nedunkerni DS Division in partnership with likeminded organisations and individuals. However, this is a problem faced by all families, which depends on daily wageworkers, all over Sri Lanka. With your support, we can assist many more families. AssistRR would implement this assistance with the support of Divisional Secretaries. Please kindly consider.

We are pleased to inform that AssistRR arranged 579 free cataract surgeries in 2019, under very difficult circumstances. Majority of the patients were from Mannar and Mullaithivu and were taken to hospitals near Colombo for the surgeries. Breakdown of the surgeries is given in this link: Breakdown of Cataract Surgeries. AssitRR would like to express its gratitude to Creador Foundation from Malaysia, Canada Scarborough Sai Group, Optical Seva (UK London Sai Group), and An anonymous donor from UK for their generous financial support towards these surgeries. Special thanks to Ramakrishna Mission (Colombo) for lending their facility for patients to perform their morning ablutions, and to Mr Kumutharanjan Arulkumaran, who has been taking these patients to Colombo for surgeries and taking care of them. A surgery is currently costing around £45-£50 due to various reasons, which are beyond our control. We should point out that this is the cheapest cost of a surgery at present. If anyone/any organisation interested in funding surgeries, please kindly contact us. There is still a huge backlog and we can certainly help the poor, elderly and vulnerable patients to regain their eyesight.

Photos are given in the links below:

Suwanetha Eye Hospital – Mannar Patients – 13/07/19:  https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipPQxncPGDlip4yaAduj9bZTz3jBkt3Gzy_x4G

Kadawatha Lions Hospital – Mullaithivu Patients – 18/08/19:  https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipNeRQO6u_vR3t4re8ekk-A_4rT7O0XGFVu4YyaD

Suwanetha Eye Hospital – Mullaithivu Patients – 07/09/19:  https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipPdxJeaPSYmGJjNndjDisCeD4fjsTDDZptDmU_z

Suwanetha Eye Hospital – Mannar Patients – 21/09/19:  https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipM35OLyr78ascudP0B-iDfY9CFmHuPG44pULh2Y

Suwanetha Eye Hospital – Pathaviya Patients – 12/10/19:  https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipN3JFsCSSHdjHpsz9RDzDE7ZudiRL1BaRuPImz2

Vavuniya DGH – Mullaithivu Patients – 26/10/19:  https://photos.google.com/album/AF1QipPfCZziJhNcNuikK00JEGe3_G5y2L9YtVDT0AKU

In August 2019, Dr Mayooran Shanmuganathan, who is a cardiologist from the UK, conducted cardiology clinics in Kilnochchi and Mullaitivu District General Hospitals in Sri Lanka for one week. He saw over 150 patients and performed clinical examination, ECG, Echo and Exercise ECG testing on them. Many sick patients were identified and were given the correct treatment and/or referred on to Jaffna Teaching Hospital for further care. One such case was of a young man who was diagnosed with rheumatic fever and carditis (inflammation of the heart and valves). We offered the appropriate treatment and also took the opportunity to provide financial support for his family as it was dependent on his daily income as a labourer. The clinics were funded by Miss Niluxsha Mohanraj and her friends, who are students of Shmt Shanthi Thayaparan from London, by raising funds from Natyashethra Dance Festival in London on 29th June 2019. We are indebted to all those who made this charitable project possible.

AssistRR, with the support of like minded organisations (IMHO USA, Tamil Forum Malaysia and CHRF UK) have been donating fishing equipment to families who were displaced from their coastal villages due to the war and were living without carrying out their livelihood. Many of them have been working as labourers for very little and have been struggling to look after their families. As the capital investment to buy a boat, engine and nets is around Rs 600,000.00 per one set, these families have been unable to afford to invest in the fishing equipment. AssistRR carried out a pilot study in Sampoor, Trincomalee, by providing 10 sets of equipment (one set = 1 boat, 1 engine and 10 nets) to 50 families to be shared between them. Data gathered later showed that these families were earning very well and one family had already bought a boat of their own. AssistRR therefore wanted to expand this to other areas and partnered with IMHO USA to raise funds to donate more boats. Solihull Junior School Head Master, Mr Mark Penney and Mrs Donna Penney voluntarily came forward to walk 55kM to raise funds for this cause and walked in the UK on 25 Aug 2018. Following their walk, they raised nearly £50,000.00 in the UK and USA. Using this sum and funds raised at AssistRR dinners, AssistRR have now donated 28 sets of boats, engines and nets, in addition to the 17 sets donated (by IMHO USA – 10, TFM – 5, & CHRF UK – 2) earlier in Trincomalee district. In total 45 sets have already been given and are being shared by 225 families. The families are earning around Rs 3000-4000 per day and are very grateful to Diaspora Tamils and other nationals who have contributed. AssistRR also would like to thank all those who were involved in this project and enabled families to stand on their own feet. In particular, we would like to express our gratitude to Mr & Mrs Penneys for their hard walk and for raising the enormous sum of £50,000.00 towards this project. We are indebted to them for their tireless services to the victims of war in Sri Lanka. 14 sets were handed over to the beneficiaries by Mr & Mrs Penneys during their visit to Sri Lanka in Oct 2019.

Our charity’s annual accounts to 30 Nov 2018 has been submitted and is published on our website:  Annual Accounts 2017-18. We apologise for the delay in submitting the account and sharing it with you. We are very happy to inform you that an anonymous retired medical practitioner from the UK donated £71,250.00 during this period for building hostels for boys and girls in Mallawi (Mullaitivu district). There are around 79 girls and 30 boys, who are learning at Mallawi Central college by staying in these hotels. Mallawi Central College serves many remote villages in the middle of jungles between A9 and Mannar in Mullaitivu District. Commuting from these villages to their secondary school in Mallawi is an arduous part of their schooling days. The contribution from the anonymous doctor is making a difference to nearly 100 children from this part of the world. He is still continuing to contribute towards the maintenance and expansion of these facilities. AssistRR on behalf of the local communities wish to express its gratitude to the Doctor for his generous and kind assistance. I will write more about this after the ceremonial opening of the boys hostel soon. Please note that his contributions also attracted 25% gift aid (£17,812.50)  from the UK government (in addition to his donations). We also spent nearly £30k on providing fishing equipment (boats, engines and nets) during this period to families, who have been resettling in their coastal villages. These families have been making a success of this livelihood support. Please note that Solihull Junior School Head master Mr Mark Penney and his wife Mrs Donna Penney made a significant contribution (nearly £50k) by walking 55 km in the UK.

Solihull Junior School Head Master, Mr Mark Penney, and his family spent a week (between 22/10 – 29/10) with AssistRR volunteers in the north and east of Sri Lanka during their half term holiday. They covered a lot of grounds from Amaparai to Pandatharippu (north western corner of Jaffna peninsula) including Vavuniya and Mankulam during a 6-day tour. Based on their whirlwind tour, Mr Penney has written a report, which is given in this link, Penney family visit to the North & East of Sri Lanka-October 2019-2. You can recall that he raised nearly £50k in the UK and USA to provide fishing boats to families who were affected by the war. 10 of these boats were donated during their recent visit and they met many beneficiary families who received boats in April 2019. Please kindly read his report that is very informative and an eye opener. Thousands of families are still struggling to feed themselves.