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Sri
Lanka
Partnership in Sri Lanka
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Australian
Marist are assisting education in Sri Lanka in a number
of ways.
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Rebuilding
of Holy Cross School after the Tsunami
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Holy Cross
College is located at Kalutara in Sri Lanka. This area
was severely affected by the Tsunami at the end of 2004.
Many students were not able to be located immediately
after the Tsunami. Marists are currently in the process
of rebuilding in many ways. The Bureau of International
Solidarity (BIS) in Rome has identified three priorities:
- Short
Term - School and Classroom reconstruction. Holy
Cross College Kalutara in Sri Lanka needed rebuilding.
Marists have experience in this; after the Goma Volcano
in Africa in 2002, they responded by building a Tent School
in less than a month.
- Medium
Term - Displaced student care and relocation after
village reconstruction. This is a medium-term task. Students
moved away from the damaged areas to places where schools
are up and running. Marist schools have always provided
places for the poorest students at no cost. Now the assistance
is needed for thousands of students.
- Long
Term - Student and family welfare. Counselling is
important for students who have suffered the trauma of
losing so many of their family members. Marists have developed
a good understanding of the traumatic effects of war and
disaster. At our schools in Mabiri on Bougainville we
have a whole school for ex-combatants in the civil war.
There, each student has a counsellor and access to therapy
sessions.
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Establishment
of a Life Skills education project near Colombo |
An Australian
donor offered to provide educational access to local young
people who had missed out on the benefits of formal education.
A life skills education centre has been established in
a rural setting near the capital of Colombo. Young people
have access to computers, sewing machines, catering facilities
and sports grounds.
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Support
for a remote area school and homework centre |
Kalpitiya
is very remote. It is just across the sea from a stronghold
of the Tamil Tigers and the security situation is not
good. Three Brothers have volunteered to live there and
assist with education. They teach in the school (only
one is paid by the government) and they run a homework
centre each night until 10pm. Australian Marist have assisted
with transport (both to and from the centre) and aided
in the provision of sound equipment to support the choir,
which has shown to be a great morale boosting activity
for the students.
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