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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE April 18, 2007
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| March 13, 2007 |
Colombo, Sri Lanka – A Place to Call Home |
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| Sri Yashodara Shanthi Nikethana Girls Home |
December 26, 2004 will forever be remembered by the word tsunami. We all watched reports on television, horrific images of rising water, washing everything away, of people panicking and desperately trying to survive, we read about the rising death tolls. Two years on, although we will never forget, it’s in the past. For many in Sri Lanka it was also a day they will never forget but the difference is that they cannot put it in the past, it’s not in the back of their minds. They lost everything, their parents, their siblings, their friends, their home and even the clothes off their backs. Not a day goes by when they are not reminded of their loss. |
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| A traditional dance is performed to welcome Peace Boat participants |
On March 13, 2007, 28 Peace Boat participants visited the “Sri Yashodara Shanthi Nikethana,” a home for girls located in Weligama, southern Sri Lanka, an area heavily affected by the tsunami. The 22 girls aged between 6 to 18 that live here were either orphaned or their parents are no longer able to care for them. They live together here as sisters and attend school nearby. As participants arrived, they were greeted by the girls and each received a necklace made of frangipanis. Once inside, participants were treated to performances of both modern and traditional Sri Lankan dances. |
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| Storytelling using the Japanese method of kami shibai with hand drawn pictures and a simple narration |
In return Peace Boat participants shared Japanese songs, dances, and a Japanese story using kami shibai, a type of storytelling using a series of illustrations. Judging by all the smiles, the girls greatly enjoyed this experience. The rest of the first day was spent getting to know the girls through playing games. At one point their living room was turned into an impromptu dance party with everyone crammed inside, jumping around to Sinhalese pop music. |
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| Art Baton in Sri Lanka, children from around the world sharing peace and culture through art |
Early the next day, participants returned to the girls’ home to have breakfast. Local fare was served and everyone chatted and ate together. After breakfast Peace Boat presented the girls with art work by children from Japan and Viet Nam as part of the Art Baton project, where art is collected and exchanged at ports of call. The girls had prepared drawings to be taken to Kenya and back to Japan. |
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| Peace Boat participants and the girls spend time getting to know one another |
Three girls volunteered to tell their stories of what happened to them on the day of the tsunami. During this time of reflection other girls listened intently and remembered their own families, and Peace Boat participants were moved to tears by their personal accounts. One 16 year old girl said, “my parents are alive because we were able to hold onto palm trees when the tsunami hit. Afterwards we found our homes were destroyed and my parents lost their jobs soon after. They made the difficult decision to send me here because they don’t live in a permanent home and can’t afford to send me to school.” She continued with “I think about them all the time and I miss them. I stay here because I have a home here, I think of the others as my sisters and I can go to school but I dream of the day I can be reunited with my parents.” One 14 year old girl said, “although we are away from our families, we have a roof over our heads and we have each other.” |
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| A memorable time together |
The home was recently served an eviction notice and the girls will need to vacate the premises by July 14, 2007. Stunned and unsure of what to do, their future is uncertain. Once again these girls may lose their home and family. “After meeting these girls and becoming friends with them we can’t sit back and do nothing. We may not be able to do much but we have to do something,” said a 23 year old student. Peace Boat participants decided to help the girls with fundraising efforts onboard, including a documentary made of the two days spent with the girls, a music CD of Japanese and Sinhalese songs as well as testimonies of their experiences accompanying a slide show presented to the rest of the participants on the 56th Global Voyage. |
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