Volunteer in Sri Lanka.Dear editor, Two years ago, while on a voluntary teaching assignment in Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (srē läng`kə) [Sinhalese,=resplendent land], formerly Ceylon, ancient Taprobane, officially Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, island republic (2005 est. pop. , I visited two small fishing communities on the east coast. Set against the idyllic backdrop of palm-fringed beaches of the Indian Ocean Indian Ocean, third largest ocean, c.28,350,000 sq mi (73,427,000 sq km), extending from S Asia to Antarctica and from E Africa to SE Australia; it is c.4,000 mi (6,400 km) wide at the equator. It constitutes about 20% of the world's total ocean area. they had become communities caught up in the economic stagnation Economic stagnation, often called simply stagnation is a prolonged period of slow economic growth (traditionally measured in terms of the GDP growth). By some definitions, "slow" means that it is significantly slower than a potential growth as estimated by experts in , a victim of a 15-year war. I decided that if I returned to Sri Lanka I would return to Passekudah/Kalkudah to teach. Dec. 26, 2004 was when the tsunami struck Passekudah/ Kalkudah and more than 500 people (one in six of the population) died. In February, I returned to the area to teach English. I was invited to help out at two day care centres run by the Anglican church and run an English course at the local YMCA YMCA in full Young Men's Christian Association Nonsectarian, nonpolitical Christian lay movement that aims to develop high standards of Christian character among its members. . I spent one hour every morning with 28 little ones young children. See also: Little , singing, colouring, and teaching basic English skills at the Anglican day care centre and then one hour in the late afternoon at the YMCA with a group of young people keen to improve their English skills. If you would like to volunteer for two to three months in Sri Lanka please contact me. Living conditions are basic but the rewards are very rich. John Turner Toronto 416-463-7379 johturn@hotmail.com |
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