One among the hundreds of abused and victimised children and youth in a civil war that dragged on for over a generation, Chellan is blessed to be at the Don Bosco Centre in the Northern Province, at Murunkan in Mannar district.

“It is definitely heartening to know that many people have started mobilising resource for the war-affected civilians in the North of Sri Lanka,” says Chellan’s instructor, Pandian, (name changed) another ex-combatant, adding that Don Bosco played a vital role in this crisis, continuously for a number of years.

They have been looking after thousands of teenage ex-combatants and sexually abused, irrespective of caste, creed or colour, in Sri Lanka since 1996.

Every Tamil-speaking child looked after by Don Bosco gets an opportunity to mingle with Sinhalese-speaking children and coexists in harmony within the boarding centres.

The Sri Lankan government has now requested the Don Bosco Provincial Superior to accommodate at least 400 to 500 more ex-combatant children for rehabilitation within the island-wide network of 17 Don Bosco centres. The greater challenge though is to find the resources to look after hundreds or even perhaps thousands more who desperately need help.

I visited Don Bosco Murunkan for the first time in 2005 with a German friend of mine to conduct a survey to implement a Pro-Poor Agriculture Project for the war-affected families in that region. This was in a way to build a ‘Peace Bridge’ between the Sri Lankan Army and the terrified civilians.

My second visit was in 2007 when the fighting between the army and the LTTE had intensified. This visit was to inspect the progress of the Pro-Poor Agriculture Project which Don Bosco was implementing for the poor, marginal and war-affected population of the region.

As usual the drive from Colombo to Mannar took about six long hours, every minute felt like eternity. The drive was very depressing. The main road was flanked by gun barrels jetting out of army bunkers camouflaged by the lush green fields. The landscape was amazingly beautiful especially with the occasional sighting of beautiful peacocks sitting on top of these bunkers at an interval of every half a kilometre as though they were beautiful hostesses waiting to usher me into the war zone.   As dusk approached, we reached Don Bosco Murunkan only to be awe struck at the giant leap it had taken compared to the last time I was there, a beautiful and majestic building standing with the backdrop of the orange sunlight of dusk.

But then, we were soon reminded by some thunderous noises of shells being fired at a distance. I was told by the driver of the vehicle that it is an everyday phenomenon because of the constant war between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan army.

I wanted to drive right back to Colombo because of fright but when I saw young children in hundreds playing within the large compound of Don Bosco, I told myself not to be a coward and flee. I soon realized, here is a place where one can really learn how to value life.

The absolute uncertainty of being alive the next minute and that being, for hundreds of children within Don Bosco and perhaps hundreds of thousands in the vicinity, a way of life, intrigued me.  The sound of real-time bullets being fired, the trembling of the very ground that I stood as a result of the multi-barrel guns firing shells, waking up every morning with the shattering noise of the window panes of my room, retiring to bed every night with the thought that I must have said the last prayer of my life, was what I got used to living with.

During my field visit to study the impact of the pro-poor project implemented by Don Bosco, I saw people suffering so much because of the war, which made me realize that every minute of my life is enormously precious. By the end of my day-long field trip, my life had changed and I told myself that every opportunity that I get to do good for my neighbour should be embraced by expecting nothing in return.

I wanted to write about my experience to some of my friends abroad.  On enquiring if I could do so, the Rector of the centre informed me that electricity is a rarity, internet if at all the electricity supply comes on, functions at snail’s pace, telephone lines are erratic and cell phones are a rarity.

Recently, I visited Don Bosco Murunkan again and stayed there for a couple of days only to be humbled once again when I saw the amount of good work Don Bosco has done for the children of Sri Lanka for so many years.  It is very heartening to see the selfless work which the Salesians do risking their lives for the sake of the innocent children. The greater challenge though is to find the resources to accept the challenge of looking after hundreds or even perhaps thousands more who desperately need help never-the-less the Salesians of Don Bosco in Sri Lanka are marching forward relentlessly  for the ‘Salvation of the Souls of the Young’.

Here was 0.5 Acre of land which probably had all the shortcomings and problem one could ever think of.  To start of with, the sun in this part of the world is very strong and the temperature is almost 45 degree centigrade during most part of the day, the soil type is sandy and almost white in colour, no water, soil erosion on one side of land, well the list of problems seemed never ending.  I was told by Mr.Selvarasu, one of the field officers of MSSRF that the farmer had tried to put into practice many of the suggestion and advice he had received from many friends of his to somehow get some yield from this plot of land.  Redemption seemed a distant reality for the farmer as he failed with everything he tried… well, almost.

With the inputs from MSSRF, W3W and the never-say-die attitude of the farmer, this very plot of land is today one of the most scientifically managed plot of farmland.

First of all, to tackle the soil erosion problem, a vegetative barrier was put in place by planting a deep rooted fodder crop called ‘Cumbu napier’ Grass which requires minimum water.

A twenty feet deep pond was dug for collecting rain water to tackle the water scarcity problem.  A strategic point for the pond was very important therefore it was dug next to the only large tree present within this land.  The tree will help give shade to the pond and help reduce evaporation to a certain extend.

In order not to over exploit the scarcely available water from the rain-water harvested pond, and for proper water management, a PEP was connected to the pond.  This was done keeping in mind also the fact that the PEP is the appropriate technology for low-lift irrigation which is an asset for the farmer for life as it is a rust free pump.  The farmland being very close to the coastal region, rust will be a major problem the farmer will face if he uses a metal pump.

Again the placement of the PEP was very important as the farmer will not be able to operate the PEP for long duration under the strong sun.   Therefore it was placed under the tree next the pond where shade was available.  This was also the highest point in the plot which would help in proper flow of water pumped out of the pond.  The out flow of water depends on the gravity.  Again efficient water management was priority here.

Approximately .15 Acre of the land next to the pond and the PEP was made into a small vegetable garden which helps the farmer in saving money by not having to always buy vegetables from the local market.  The entire produce of the vegetable garden is consumed by the farmer’s family.  Not to mention the savings he makes by not having to hire diesel pump to water his garden.

Groundnut plantation has been done in approximately.33 Acre of the land as this plantation requires very little water.  This cash crop is a ninety-day (90) crop.  Every 90 days the farmer gets approximately 320 kgs of groundnuts.  This weight is including the weight of the shell.  He sells the entire harvest @ INR 25 per kilogram.  This means that he earns approximately INR 8,000 per season. He does not use a diesel pump to water his groundnut plantation as the PEP is used as a mobile pump.  Therefore the farmer takes it to different points in his field as and when required.

Along side the groundnut plantation, Cashew nut trees are planted on the bunds surrounding the groundnut plantation beds.  By planting on the bunds, the farmer ensures that he has yield from every bit of his land. This crop too does need only minimum amount of water.   These trees will also bring shade to the land and keep the temperature slightly under control.   This is an annual cash crop.  In total there are twenty (20) trees in the plot.  After sowing the seed, the plant takes 3 years to mature. The third year onwards the farmer will get approximately one hundred (100) kilograms of  cashew nuts from each tree which he then can sell to the nearby processing unit @ INR 40 per kilogram.  This would mean that he will earn approximately INR 80,000 per harvest from the third year onwards for the rest of his life subject to the plantation remaining deceases and disaster free.

In order to make sure that this plot of land has good yield, one of the most important thing is highly efficient water management.  For this reason, not only have the rain water harvesting as well as the PEP helped immensely but a third process has been introduced i.e. planting of ‘Casurina’  trees on the outer most boundary of the plot.  This is a deep rooted plant which helps on conserving water by storing water in its root nodes whichurn helps retain a certain amount of moisture in the farmland.   This tree is used as soft wood by matchstick manufacturers to manufacture matchsticks, as fire wood by some households in the village and also by handicraft units.  The tree can be harvested at the end of the fifth year.  One (1) ton of this harvest can be sold by the farmer to handicraft and matchstick manufactures @ INR 4,000 if the demand from the manufactures are not good enough during that harvest period, the farmer can sell it as fire wood @ INR 2,500 per ton.  Interestingly the neighboring land owners have grown this tree in thousands in the entire plot that they own.

On asking this farmer the reason why he does not do the same thing, he replies “Those only looks good now but wait till you see my trees after five years. They will be five times thicker than the ones you see” he says with a sense of pride and confidence in his voice.  This is because the trees have been planted on the outer boundary, which in turn allows it to have more space to grow thicker.  This will also mean that each of his trees will weigh more.

The man you see in the picture on the right is the farmer who’s story I have been writing so far. He is Mr. T.Mohan, the man who had met me in Calcutta during the PEP technology transfer training, the man who greeted me saying Vanakkam.  Well he was trying to sheepishly escape my camera lens. I must say the camera was good enough to freeze him in its frame.  Every time I look at this portrait of Mohan I will only be saying “A thousand salutes to you my friend”.  For me he is my superstar from Tamil Nadu.

Sir, Rajinikant, you’ve got competition  (Rajinikant is a Tamil Film Super Star). Mohan is showing the way for many thousands of farmers in Tamil Nadu and probably the world over in months to come.

I take this opportunity to thank Ms.Sudha Nair, Ms.Rengalakshmi and their field staff for continuously supporting the PEP project and guiding it in the right direction.  I would also like thank Mr. Thamizoli who had taken keen interest in promoting this project in Tamil Nadu during the inception period of the project, though unfortunately he is no more working in MSSRF.  Above all I would like to thank Prof.M.S.Swaminathan who is a very close friend of Dr.Anton Kohler – Director of W3W-Switzerland, without whose support, this project would not have been possible in Tamil Nadu.

Various issues had to be addressed during the implementation of the project, f.i. Imparting knowledge on intensive farming, creating the awareness of the advantages of having a kitchen garden, awareness of water management, awareness of organic farming that can be defined as complete management process which promotes and improves the health of agro system related to biodiversity due to its ecological, social and economic sustainability.

The project was a runaway success and today there are more than 120 Kitchen Gardens in and around this village called Mirpara.  The highlight of the project – so much was the impact of the awareness created by W3W with regard to organic farming that Mrs.Jamuna Mondal a middle aged housewife told the W3W project team that she was determined to have a kitchen garden of her own even though she did not have any cultivatable land of her own.  To the surprise of the entire W3W team, she even said that mine will be a hanging garden.  Well today not only is she a proud owner of a hanging garden but also helped another friend of hers, Mrs.Gayatri Panday to setup a rooftop garden on her clay tiled rooftop. The pictures speak for themselves.  So what if they do not have rose gardens? They have the attention of every passerby who stops at the first sight of the hanging garden as well as the rooftop garden but the curiosity does not end there.  Everyone wants to know how these women have managed to have a garden without land for cultivation.  It is an eye opener for everyone when they get to know that the garden is rooted in a two-foot by two-foot hole dug beside the wall of the house.  The watering of the garden is done by the PEP as and when required.  The PEP is also used for pumping water for domestic use by these women.

Today the social status of both these women have changed to a great extend.  Because of the fact that the vegetables grown by these gardens are organic, these vegetables have great demand in the local market.  All the kitchen garden owning women bring in an extra income into the family by selling the surplus vegetables to the local market.  The nutrition intake of their children and all the family members have gone up many folds.  This is because buying vegetables from the market would be very expensive for them and today they have their own vegetable gardens.  Vegetables give the maximum amount of nutrition to the human body.

It was quiet a task to teach these women how to produce their own manure for their kitchen gardens.  They were taught how to produce vermin compost, heap compost, liquid manure etc.  They were also taught to produce their own natural pesticides with the help of garlic oil, neem oil etc.  Today some of these women not only  make their own manure and pesticides but also sell their produce to their neighbours and the local vegetable market as well.

Well that is what I could call Micro Enterprise isn’t it?  Or shall I call it Organic Micro Enterprise?

W3W decided to help Sachala by selecting her as one of the beneficiaries of W3W’s Kitchen Nutrition Garden Project. The W3W team gave Sachala a short but very effective training on how to make a Kitchen Garden in the land she owns with the help of a PEP. They also taught her the W3W co-operative business module, which would help her earn some extra money for her family of three.

Two years have gone by; today Sachala is a proud owner of a Kitchen Garden as well as a PEP. She says her 1000 square feet land boasts of high quality vegetables like Amaranths, Spinach, Snake guard, Beans, Brinjal, Chilly, Tomatoes, Corn etc. Sachala has not only learnt how to grow vegetables in her field but she has also become very observant with the cropping pattern and the peek yield periods of the year. On being asked how she got to know that, she replied, “During these past two years, I have not only enough vegetables to feed my family but also have quiet a bit of surplus which I sell in the local market”, she continues with a sense of security in her voice, “It is during the last two years that I have manage to get an income which is more than the previous years.” ‘Entrepreneurial’ & ‘Enterprising’, isn’t she?

On being asked if she looks after her Kitchen Garden all by herself, Sachala replied with a very satisfying smile that lit up her face, “Actually my husband helps me, we take it in turns, he looks after the field when I operate the PEP, and it is vise versa you see”.

The PEP is slowly but surely eradicating poverty from Sachala’s life and it for sure has improved the standard of living for her family, both nutritionally and economically. The very tear trop which was threatening to trickle down Sachala’s face two years ago has dried up and has been replaced with a smile. If only smiles could be measured, Sachala’s would measure a mile.

Sachala's Garden

A ROMANTIC JOURNEY

The PEP has touched many lives across the globe.  The PEP has been the one thing that has made a difference in the lives of especially the suffering and the underprivileged.

Talk about some of the most devastating calamites the human race has suffered and the one thing that has helped thousands recover from the aftermath; talk about the one thing that has played a vital role in helping them get back to living life with hope; the one thing that has brought out many from darkness into light; the one thing that is playing an important part in the nutrition of thousands of children and undernourished; the one thing that has helped women bring in an extra income into their families; the one thing that is playing an important role to manage one of the most valuable and scares resource of our planet – ‘WATER’, in the most appropriate method; the one thing that is playing an important role in the reduction of carbon emission into the atmosphere and energy conservation; the one thing that is making a notable contributing towards combating food crisis the world is faced with today.  Well, that one thing is non-other than the PEP.

After the massive ‘Super Cyclone’ had smashed everything in its way in the eastern costal region of India, it is the PEP that has brought hope to thousands and helped them get back to normal life.

It is the PEP that helps over a hundred poor families in West Bengal to keep their hopes alive and get back to normal life after the floods come in as the uninvited guest and invade each of their homes year after year.

It is the PEP that is helping hundreds of farmers through waste-land and waste-water agriculture to contribute towards the production of vegetables for the consumption of thousands in the city of joy – Calcutta.

It is the PEP that has helped thousands to reconcile and rebuild their lives after the merciless ‘Tsunami’ had devastated their lives in India and Sri Lanka.

Bringing hope to hundreds who have been and are still suffering the atrocities of the civil war in Sri Lanka for over two decades, is the PEP.

True that the PEP has lived upto its name and (pep)ed up the lives of thousands around the world, although, may I ask – Is such a small name for an invaluable tool-of-hope for many, justice enough when compared to its contribution to the world?

Maybe expanding PEP, like how one would do with an acronym or abbreviation,

Protecting Environment & People

Or

Providing for Everyone Positively

Or

Progress towards Eradicating Poverty…

…would be a fair call.

Whatever expansions we may try and make with the Abbreviation – PEP, for me personally is – Positive Energy Provider.  Being privileged enough to witness first hand, the (pep) it brings into the lives of the suffering, marginal and underprivileged of the world, the PEP definitely is a positive energy provider for me as it has taught me to look at everything in life with a positive mental attitude.

At this point, I would like extend my gratitude to W3W for giving me the opportunity to reach out and touch thousands of lives in this world through its various projects.  On behalf of the thousands of PEP users in Asia, I would also like to thank every single kind heart who has helped in whatever capacity.

Above all I would like to thank the elusive personality by the name of Andrew Zumstine. I used the word ‘Elusive’ because although my romance with the PEP began way back in 1996, thanks to my best friend Tony Kohler who I must say is also my mentor, I did not have the privilege of meeting this Great Personality, Andrew Zumstine, until December 2008.   ‘Quarantine’ is one word that rhymes with the his name and I take the liberty of saying that when I met Andre, the person behind the personality, during my visit to Switzerland recently, I was convinced that Andre was self-imposing a sort of quarantine on himself from all the limelight the world has been wanting to focus on him. This for sure is because of the simplicity of the man which is beyond the definition of any phrase.  I never thought I would be able to meet Andre ever in my life but he showed up as a pleasant surprise at the Kohlers one cold snowy winter afternoon.

Such is the aura of the man that he was a hero for me right from the moment I was intrigued by a concrete block being used by marginal farmers of the rural villages of India, which I would like to term as one of the most extraordinary innovations the world has ever seen and I was informed by Tony that Andre Zumstine along with his team of retired engineers was responsible for it.

Being part of the W3W worldwide family for the past 12 years, I have witnessed hearts filled with hopelessness and eyes staring into empty spaces in search of hope, in some of the most poverty stricken regions of the world, being given the promise of hope by this inexpensive, appropriate and sustainable technology called PEP.

This romantic journey of mine with the PEP and W3W as an organization has come a long way, but I am convinced this journey has to carry on, because for every PEP user, it is not only an asset for life but also a way of life.  The PEP is a perfect tool helping poor farmers across the world with a livelihood. Convinced totally about the potential of the PEP and having experienced the boon it has been for thousands across the world, and also knowing fully well the commitment everyone connected to W3W has towards the organization’s endeavours, I know for sure that thousands more will be benefited by the PEP.

Last but not the least, I must say that today I handle numerous development and social projects worth billions, but nothing gives me more personal satisfying than managing Projects for W3W because not only is the end user benefits quantifiable through direct interaction but also their degree of satisfaction is long term.  Viva PEP & W3W.

(Left to Right) Tony, Andre & George

At the camp, we met Brigadier Lakshman Perera and Mr. Lalath Abeygunawardena – Director General of the President, Special Project and Operation. Brigadier Lakshman Perera, who, I must say is exceptionally efficient and knowledgeable about the prevailing situation. It was heartening to see, a tough looking Brigadier Perera who not only knows every detail and need of the people in the camps but also pays personal attention to every situation, giving his kind advice to those who need it most.

Hon. Deputy Minister of Aviation, Mr. Sarath Gunarathna, braved the heat and dust of the camps to distribute relief materials worth Rs. 5 million donated and transported by Don Bosco to the camps for the IDPs of Zone 4. The very fact that one of our Ministers has reached out deep into the camps, has reassured the thousands in the camps of a hopeful future.

At the end of our day-long visit to the camps, Brigadier Perera was kind enough to have a meeting with our team along with the Minister and discuss issues like, how Don Bosco could help the Army and the Government to rebuild the lives of the IDPs. Although, the needs of the hour are many and urgent, we were told that medical help, counseling of the children of the orphanage being constructed within zone 4 and supply of complimentary food would be highly appreciated. Therefore, we assured the, the following from our end as help for the IDPs.

We will have mobile clinics with a ten-member medical team i.e. 2 pediatricians, 3 physicians and 5 nurses. The medical team will work in the camp for one month on a trial basis and on reviewing the situation after a period of one month; we shall decide on extending the service further.

We are ready to periodically supply complementary food for the children of the orphanage. As psycho-social assistance for the children is of immense importance, we have a team of 5 councilors who will provide counseling service to the children at the orphanage.

Apart from this we will identify children and youth from these camps who can be given basic technical training within the camp in trades like House-wiring, Carpentry and Plumbing. These children can then, after a certain period, be professionally trained at our technical centres so that they can be skilled, productive and law-abiding citizens who, tomorrow, will contribute in their little way towards the building of our nation.

Salesian of Don Bosco highly appreciates the praiseworthy work the Government of Sri Lanka is doing for the IDPs, although it is by no means easy to manage over 250,000 IDPs on a day to day basis. The challenge for the Government is huge and Fr.Pinto, as the Provincial Superior of Don Bosco Sri Lanka assured them of every possible support from Don Bosco.

The overall situation of the camps is heartbreaking. It was like visiting a human zoo. I use the term ‘Human Zoo’ because this visit reminded me of those days when I was a little boy and would visit the zoo and be intrigued by the way the animals would look at me trying to say something which they desperately couldn’t. It was the same feeling when I visited the IDP camps. As I was trying to peep into the tents where the IDPs live in, to take a few photos, it made me feel like I was intruding into the privacy of these suffering people, but soon I realized when I turned to my right and saw, at a distance of about eight feet, people taking bath in the open, that perhaps it was only a few who were thinking the way I did, whereas most of them must have forgotten what privacy or self-esteem is all about, especially after having lost everything they had in life because of the war.
The scorching heat was too difficult for me to bear and I was always sipping water from the bottle I was carrying with me in order not to get dehydrated, whereas there are thousands of these refugees living in that heat and having to stand in long lines with their water cans, braving the hot sun although they are well aware that by the time they reach the head of the line and it is their turn to collect water, it may just be that the tubewell may be broken or that it may run dry.
The word Hygiene is non-existent as toilets are too few and bad odder and over flowing drains are making the situation even worse. Food is cooked by a select few for each camp under absolute un-hygienic conditions and since water is a scarcity, these people find it too difficult to cook. One of the officials informed me that there is a total of 126 tubewells drilled by the Government for these camps. Arithmetic for this calculation is very simple, 126 tubewells for 250,000 refugees means, 1 tubewell will have to be shared by almost 2,000 refugees.
Temporary shelters in some of the camps are made out of corroborated tin sheets which makes it even worse for people to live inside their shelters. Most times they prefer to be in the open, outside their shelters.
Outbreak of various diseases is imminent. As of now one, of the major disease I have seen people suffering with is ‘Chicken Pox’. One of the officials told me that there are approximately 800 people in the camp suffering with ‘Chicken Pox’. As we all know this is one disease which actually is highly contagious, therefore we can imagine what is in store for many more in the camp. Similarly many other diseases especially water borne diseases may turn out to be an epidemic of sorts.
There is a huge number of orphans is each and every camp. Therefore the government is in the process of building orphanages within the camps. There are very few mobile / temporary hospitals to cater to the needs of the IDPs. All these mobile clinics have burst beyond its capacity. Doctors and nurses treating these patients are overworked and soon may reach breaking point. As I visited one such clinic, which was fairly large, it was a sickening sight for me as an onlooker to see people getting their large wounds treated by the medical staff. Outside these clinics people were standing in the scorching heat waiting for their turn to get medical treatment, which they themselves are unsure of.
‘Pathetic’ is the word I thought of using to describe the situation in the camps but I guess words are not enough to do so. Truly it is beyond words, but what I feel after my day long visit to the camps is ‘Depressed’, especially when I get the thought that perhaps these people should not be called IDPs but, ‘A Multitude of Lost Souls’ who have nothing more to lose other than their lives. To rebuild their lives, well… well… they really have to start right from the scratch.

Don Bosco Relief Truck

Hon.Minister & Fr. Provincial distributing relief materials

Fr.Pinto & Fr.Pius at the camp with the people

Children looking out of their tent at the camp

The First Show of the Peace march kicked off on October 1, 2008 in grand style. An audience of almost 10,000 got a chance of being part of a very worthy cause – PEACE. The Sarasit Band from Don Bosco Thailand mesmerized the audience with their elegant, stunning, breathtaking and graceful musical show. It was perhaps the first time for many to witness and also be part of a unique show of this magnitude. Although their repertoire had popular English songs that were played by these amazing kiddos from Thailand, what stole the hearts of everyone in the audience were the Sinhala songs the band played with absolute perfection. Perfection to such extend that it brought tears of joy in the eyes of many. These children from the band are amazing percussionists. Ones should not be surprised if some day some of these kids become the next Mozart, Yanni or Kenny G.

The Band was invited by the Honourable President of Sri Lanka, Mr.Mahinda Rajapakse to perform at the Presidential Residence – ‘Temple Trees’ the next day. It was a great honour for the children to perform at ‘Temple Trees’. Eminent personalities, cabinet ministers and distinguished guests were present for this show.

Subsequent to presenting the President with a special memento, which the children had carried all the way from Thailand, by Rev. Fr.Dheparat – Provincial Superior of Don Bosco Thailand, the band marched right on to the stage and conquered hearts. Perhaps it is better to say that the Band Marched straight into the hearts of everyone in the audience. Whichever way one constructs this sentence, the fact of the matter is, the Children of the Sarasit Band Thailand will be remembered in Sri Lanka long after the 14^th of October 2008.

The band will now proceed to the North Central Province of Sri Lanka, to a place called Nochchiyagama in the district of Anuradhapura where they will perform for children who will be brought to the Don Bosco Centre in Nochchiyagama, from the North and East of the island so that those children from the war torn regions can also experience ‘PEACE THROUGH MUSIC’.

My future posts on this topic will be all in pictures because they speak for themselves.  Your comments on the event and news through the pictures will be highly appreciated.

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