Sri Lanka - 2007 I returned to Sri Lanka in 2007 to open a Sewing Center for Tsunami widows in Kalmunai, and to help civil war victims in the jungle village of Mangalagama in eastern Sri Lanka, working with local YMCAs in Kalmunai & Ampara (Digamadulla, New Town).
My association with the YMCA in Sri Lanka began in 2005, when I met Brother Huxley Siriwardene, Administrative Director of the Ampara YMCA while I was attending a NGO Consortium meeting to address coordination of relief efforts in Sri Lanka. I stayed in touch with Brother Huxley (an ordained Presbyterian Minister), and he helped coordinate the building of a Sewing Center at the YMCA in Kalmunai.
During this trip, I also worked with Brother Huxley with several relief projects in Mangalagama to help civil-war refugees. We built drinking water wells, toilets, micro-business projects, helped a pre-school, and other humanitarian projects for people who would otherwise be forgotten.
Because there was a civil-war going on and the temporary cease-fire agreement made after the tsunami hit had been lifted, this was an especially dangerous time to be in Sri Lanka. The usual dangers from mosquitos, disease, venomous snakes, wild elephants, crocodiles, komodo dragons, and 9-foot long monitors are bad enough, but when you through in the land mines, active battles between the government troops & Tamil Tigers, and bombings, the danger level goes up significantly. I can remember a time when I was in Mangalagama and I could hear gunshots and explosions just a few miles away from the village. The war is over now, but the Special Task Force (STF) Police still guard the towns and countryside from possible terrorist attacks by the Tamil Tigers (LTTE). Most of the landmines are supposed to be gone now, but this is not a country where I would want to go exploring or for a casual hike through the jungle. It is also still a good idea to avoid public transportation (bus, train) as much as possible, as they have been targets for many bombings.