Annual report for 2004/05 - Hemas Holdings, Ltd

Hemas Tsunami Response Plan26 December 2004 will go down as a fateful day in Sri Lanka’s history - a date thatno Sri Lankan will ever forget. As the worst earthquake in 40 years broke out offthe coast of Sumatra, it created a tsunami, the magnitude of which no livinggeneration has ever witnessed. Within a few horrifying hours the lives of SriLankans, especially those inhabiting the southern and eastern coastal belts,changed dramatically as thousands of people were swept to sea, and infrastructure& buildings collapsed under the force of the waves. Children were the hardest hitby the tsunami. Statistics reveal that approximately 42,407 children have beenadversely affected, through the loss of one or both parents, through the trauma of witnessing the terrifying events. 16,962 ofthese children are of a pre-school age.Hemas Holdings immediately identified the importance of reaching out to this vulnerable section of the population. Pre-schoolchildren are still at an age where their verbal communication skills are limited, and they are therefore restricted in their abilityto voice out their emotions. Hemas Holdings realised that over 100 pre-schools on the southern and eastern coasts had beendamaged and destroyed. The Company therefore took upon itself the task of constructing schools to provide these children withan opportunity to return to a setting in which they would feel comfortable.For the past two years Hemas has been actively involved in working with pre-school children, under an Early Childhood Careand Development (ECCD) program titled Piyawara. For this purpose we have liaised with the Ministry of Social Welfare, andcreated a successful project that binds the students, teachers and parents towards the goal of total childhood development.HEMAS HOLDINGS RESPONSE PLANHemas Holdings adopted a two pronged approach to the construction of pre-schools in the tsunami affected regions.Phase I - Establishment of thirty makeshift pre-schools in refugee campsDuring the first phase Hemas set up 27 make-shift pre-schools atcamps housing displaced persons. Studies have shown thatestablishing some semblance of normalcy is essential to theprocess of healing. By setting up these temporary pre-schools wehave provided approximately 1400 students the opportunity toreturn to school, and re-engage in learning and play.Funds were utilised to purchase furniture, educational material,stationery, in addition to the monthly allowances paid to theteachers. Hemas Holdings selected and trained the pre-schoolteachers. At the end of February the teachers of the temporary pre-schools were brought to Colombo for a five-dayresidential training program on Trauma Counselling. The program was conducted by the University of Colombo. Hemasalso encouraged members of the community, parents, and teachers to participate in building small play areas within thecamps using eco-friendly material. This gesture proved to be immensely therapeutic as it provided a sense of belongingand positive psychological stimulation.Fund Commitment:US $20,000 for 27 temporary pre-schoolsNo. of children benefiting:1,400Project status:Operational aspects complete.27 temporary pre-schools are beingoperated in makeshift camps.Trauma Counsellors have been appointedfor the Pre-schools.24H E M A S H O L D I N G S L I M I T E D