Madara's Family can start again, thanks to you.

This is Madara's Dad in Sri Lanka. He is a proud man. His small grocery business failed and his whole family went rapidly downhill. Neither his extended family nor his neighbours could afford to help him.
So, after several days of not having any food and putting a brave face on it all, the Sankalpani family contacted me in a blind panic.
I know this family from a few years ago when they kindly helped us build a house for their neighbours across the road [see blog entries below].
Instantly i understood that Madara's plea for help was genuine and extremely urgent.
Thanks to your generosity [and at a time when we are all really feeling the pinch here in Ireland], we were able to express some emergency funds for food imediately. A couple of weeks later, we sent over enough money to re-stock their grocery shop and get things going again in the lives of this wonderful family.
Below you will see Madara's Dad totally ignoring the camera while he carefully re-stocks the shop and gets ready for relaunching the business. Below that is a load of photographs showing the family themselves and the contents of their new shop.
The Sankalpani family have asked me to say 'many many thanks for all your help. You have saved our lives and will always be in our hearts and prayers'.

the moment of truth!

this is the moment we were all working towards - Mrs Dayawathi receiving the keys to her new home on thursday 20 sept

it was such a wonderful occasion, i want the pictures to tell the story

you will see -

all 3 branches of this family moving in
ceremonial offerings being brought into the house
milk being boiled to over-flowing as a joyful symbol
friends, neighbours and workers all joining in the special day

to enjoy this web album click below, select SLIDESHOW, and choose the interval you would like between each picture [10 seconds is good for reading the captions]

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bruno1965/DayawathiFamilyMovingIntoNewHouse20092007?authkey=-4bcLw-p9q0

you can compare with the original photos of the family on this blog and on the appeal website www.srilanka.freewebspace.com

also you can keep in mind that all this happened quickly and easily without any obstacles at all

therefore we would also like to enlist your support ONE LAST TIME [i promise] to house another very needy family in the same area

we need to raise 12,000 euro for the project by december when work can begin after the monsoon

the same bank details as before are available on the appeal website or you might just like to hand something to either myself or michael if you see us around

the family in question is actually the carpenter from the Dayawathi house project who did so much skilled work for them while he and his own family are living in a make-shift shack constructed of driftwood and corrugated iron

it would be even more wonderful if, this time, you could organise some fundraising in your own circle for this new project to help speed things up

but, for now, whether you will become involved in the new fundraising or not, please enjoy the photos of the Dayawathi house

we can all be so proud of what we have achieved together

let's rejoice in this... not only were you very much there on the day - you are the heart and soul of this project

love

bruno

Our House in Sri Lanka!

this was the happy picture i took on tuesday 18 september - just 2 days before the Dayawathi Family moved into their new home in Sri Lanka

the workers were just putting the finishing touches to the woodwork and preparing to apply the final coats of paint - cool blue inside and turquoise outside... the colours of the sky and sea

it was such a privilege to be there on your behalf to see it all come to fruition with my own eyes

i never imagined i would be in sri lanka again [and so soon] but at the last moment i decided to combine a week in the sun by the beach with overseeing the last stage of the build and move them in.

all the workers were local people and the entire project was managed [for free] by the neighbours - the 20 year old Madara Sankalpani, her brother Awantha, and their wonderful parents.

the build came in ON BUDGET [12,ooo euro] and ON TIME [scheduled for mid-september, allowing an extra week for stoppage due to heavy rains]

the budget also stretched to include a shopping list to provide basic furnishings, equipment and clothing for all the family

there are 2 bedrooms for the 2 branches of the family, a kitchen, sitting/dining room, and an outside veranda room.

there is also a deep well and a loo outside

to view the HOUSE AND CONTENTS please enjoy a web-album of photos by clicking http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/bruno1965/HouseAndContents0907?authkey=8knjtDkQStQ

SELECT SLIDESHOW and the time you prefer each pic to remain onscreen