Looking ahead - one year after the tsunami

AN unbelievable year has passed since that fateful day when the tsunami hit Sri Lanka and on December 26, 2005 we came together as a community to mark the first anniversary of the tragedy.

A programme of events was designed to remember loved ones who were lost in the disaster but also to look to the future and recognise the hard work and compassion from around the world that have helped to rebuild and empower our rural community during 2005.

Many hours of preparation were involved ahead of the 26th, culminating in a clean-up of the village and of the temple. More than 120 white flags, each bearing the name of someone lost in the tsunami, were hung along the main road into Seenigama.

Oil lanterns were lit along Temple Road and the parallel road leading to Aviva Village and traditional dancers led the way as 15 monks from the Kandy and Galduwa monasteries processed to the village on the night of December 25 to commence the anniversary programme.

Many villagers gathered in front of the Foundation's main activity centre in Seenigama, where a Pirith Mandapaya (a covered seating area) decked in fairy lights and religious emblems had been built for the monks.

Once seated, they read out the names of each of the 120 Seenigama villagers whose lives were so tragically lost before beginning the chanting of Pirith (Buddhist stanzas) in their memory.

The chanting was broadcast around the village and continued until 5 am, when the monks were offered alms as part of the ceremony. At 8.30 am, 350 small mango trees were planted simultaneously in each home in memory of those lost. Meanwhile, villagers, donors and well-wishers began to congregate at the Foundation for the day's events.

New road signs off the main road (Temple Road) in Seenigama were unveiled, including Compassion, Kindness, Happiness, Unity and Goodness Avenue, chosen to reflect the emotions of the past 12 months.

The village then fell silent at 9.32 am as Seenigama joined in a two-minute silence around Sri Lanka to mark the exact moment when the first tsunami wave hit and to remember the 35,000 people who subsequently died.

Typifying the generosity that has been shown by donors worldwide, essential school supplies were then gifted to 888 school children from the Seenigama region for their ensuing school year, with the first rucksack handed over by Sri Lankan Cricket great Muttiah Muralidaran 'Murali'.

Of the 888 children, HSBC donated supplies for 500, Janaka Weerasinghe and friends from Canada for 160, George Hettiaratchy and friends from Dubai for 128 and Mr Shakatha Amaratunga from Japan for 100.

Grants were also provided to 24 tsunami-affected university students and the 279 school children in Seenigama received medical insurance policies - a first for the village and a remarkable example for other villages.

In addition, a Foundation of Goodness newsletter, written in Sinhalese, was distributed to villagers and guests, detailing the enormous amount of positive work that has been carried out over the past year to rebuild after the Tsunami.

In the afternoon, the Aviva/WNS Village was opened by the Managing Director of WNS, Dushan Soza, and other colleagues.

This village, a model for future developments, is situated behind the Foundation building and includes ten houses in modern designs and colours, a stylish community centre, several shops, a library, a hairdresser and an internet cafe - a first for the village. Another nine houses adjacent to the complex and donated by Perth City Council were also opened.

At 4pm, nearly 300 village children were provided with balloons on which they had each written what they had lost in the tsunami (such as the loss of a family member, a friend or their home).

Together, gathered on the beach at Seenigama, the children released the balloons to symbolise the letting go of the difficulties that the disaster had brought them.

Perhaps even more symbolic was the moment shortly after the releasing of the balloons when the children, standing on the same shore that destroyed their village, began to play in the sea.

For many this was the first or second time they had stepped foot in the ocean since that fateful day - a sign that the villagers are looking forward after losing so much just one year ago.

As night fell, the oil burners and lanterns along the main road in the village and along the road to Aviva/WNS Village were re-lit in preparation for the Buddhist ceremonies.

Whilst, at the Seenigama's famous temple Seenigama Devalaya at sea, seven new solar lights that had been set up were switched on for the first time.

The culmination of the day was the Bodhi Pooja ceremony (tribute to Buddha) at the Seenigama temple (inland) in order to pay respect to the Tsunami victims.

The Temple holds great significance for the villagers and the Foundation since it was here that the villagers sought refuge from the tsunami waves and many lives were saved.

It was also used in the months following the tsunami to feed, shelter and care for many of the displaced villagers who had lost so much.

The closing of the anniversary programme took place on the evening of the December 30, when the Foundation's grounds were lit with oil burners and more than 100 villagers gathered to listen to the Ven. Pitiduwe Siridhamma Thera from Colombo, who delivered a moving sermon in memory of the tsunami victims.

The anniversary marked a year since the waves of the tsunami came to our village, followed closely by waves of compassion from all over the world.

Our hope for 2006 is that these waves of compassion continue to roll in to Seenigama and the surrounding area, bringing with them opportunity and a future for the rural communities.