Indian Newslink October 1 2018 Digital Edition

OCTOBER 1, 2018
Communitylink
Model of the Fortnight
Drama Festival to support Children’s Home in Sri Lanka
Venkat Raman
Anot-for-profit, charitable
organisation is conducting
a Drama Festival in
aid of poor children in
Sri Lanka.
Gandhi Illam New Zealand
Trust is organising the event on
Saturday, October 6, 2018 at Mt
Eden War Memorial Hall located
at 487 Dominion Road, Mt Eden.
Suren Surendran, who is
known to the communities in
New Zealand as a singer, cricketer,
philanthropist and champion
of social and community causes,
is organising this event with a
group of dedicated volunteers. He
is also a Trustee of Gandhi Illam.
About Gandhi Illam
He said that Gandhi Illam New
Zealand Trust was established in
2008 in Auckland to raise funds
to support a children’s home
in Mannar, a small town in the
North West of Sri Lanka. “The
initial fundraising was developed
through a system of regular
monthly donations (‘A Dollar a
Day’ concept) and still remains
a major source of funds. The net
proceeds of two major music
concerts held in the recent past in
Auckland (Dr K J Yesudas in 2012
and Rajesh Vaidhya and Super
Singers in 2017) were donated to
Gandhi Illam,” he said.
Mr Surendran said that since
its inception ten years ago,
Gandhi Illam New Zealand Trust
Needy children get help in Sri Lanka (Picture Supplied)
has mobilised and donated
more than $400,000 to poor
people in the North and East Sri
Lanka. “The Trust operates on
a 100% pass through basis with
any local expenses paid for by
private sponsorships and other
contributions. Other fundraising
endeavours include annual
variety shows and contributions
for special meals and special
projects,” he said.
Trust Beneficiaries
Among the beneficiaries of the
Trust are (a) Homes for more
than 120 children (b) Special Children
receiving meals to celebrate
significant days of sponsors (c)
Families to set up and operate
cottage industries (d) Water wells
for communities (e) Women on
full-time employment at Early
Childhood Education Centre (f)
Children who are piloted through
technical pathways.
Mr Surendran admitted that
there was more work to be done.
“The needs of the families are
more critical than ever as they
look to build a sustainable livelihood
so that the children are able
to learn and grow in a secure and
stable environment.
The forthcoming Drama
Festival is a part of our efforts to
address this challenge,” he said.
Internal War in Sri Lanka
Mr Surendran said that
despite the romantic notions and
beauty of the land, Sri Lanka has
suffered immeasurably from
the prolonged internal war that
lasted over 30 years.
“The war came to an end in
May 2009 when the Government
forces finally captured the last
stretch of the land in Mullivaikal
in the North East of Sri Lanka. So
brutal was this war that many
thousands of people lost their
lives and the progress of the
country was pretty much put on
hold during this time,” he said.
He said that the people of
North and East Sri Lanka were
among the worst sufferers and
that constant bombings, escalating
fighting, destruction of economic
infrastructure have forced people
to leave their traditional places
of abode and take refuge into
make shift camps, forests and any
empty land.
Penniless exodus
“They left their houses,
belongings, livestock, agricultural
machinery, factories, shops and
ran for their lives, barely clutching
on to whatever they could
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carry. All or most of what they left
were either bombed, destroyed or
looted. Many who could not run,
were caught in the fighting and
perished or bore permanent scars
from the deadly war,” he said.
Since 2009, a massive rebuild
and rehabilitation effort has been
undertaken by the government
and various NGOs, Mr Surendran
said.
For further details about the
forthcoming Drama Festival,
please contact Suren Surendran
021-952747.