From Devastation to Development

From the beginning of time overwhelming tragedies have tested the spirit of humanity. Every continent, country, city and village in our world, at some point has experienced an event which has shaken it to its very core. For Sri Lanka it was the Asian Tsunami on the 26th of December 2004 that proved to be one of the country’s most devastating moments in history. The sea, which was the lifeline of the country’s coastal communities, intertwined with every facet of their identity, turned on her unsuspecting dependents. The tsunami waves ravaged inland destroying all that stood in its way, taking with it nearly 50,000 lives across the island.

The brutal scale of the devastation left villages and cities in unfathomable ruins. The loss of life and the heavy burden of sorrow threatened to cripple the spirit of Sri Lanka’s coastal communities for decades. It is today that marks the 6th anniversary of the Tsunami and we have seen varied levels of recovery and response to the unparallel devastation over the last six years. By in large it has been the true calibre and resolve of the Sri Lankan people that has helped rebuild what was once seen as irreparable damage.

To survive such devastating events is one thing; to react positively to its immense challenges is quite another. The most pristine attributes displayed in the face of adversity is a community’s ability to turn crisis to opportunity, devastation to development, and it is this that tells the story of Seenigama, a rural village in the south west coast of Sri Lanka.

An already poor community battling the challenges of life, over 100 families in Seenigama lost loved ones as well as the determination to carry on with the daily challenges facing them. The intensity of the devastation threatened to destroy the resilience of the villagers to battle the challenges of life. However, with the leadership of Kushil Gunasekara and the Foundation of Goodness this battle did not wither, in fact the battle was fine tuned to over come the war against poverty.  The Foundation of Goodness today look back at six years of relentless efforts to combat the waves of destruction and overcome them with compassion and development. Since 2004 we have seen a village transformed from near annihilation to vibrant regeneration. Medical, educational, vocational and recreational facilities are provided to over 20,000 inhabitants across 25 villages via 30 sectors, free of charge.

The Foundation of Goodness, whose seeds were sown long before the tsunami, is now expanding its widely extolled holistic model for rural empowerment to other parts of the country. Recently the organisation was recognized as the most successful post tsunami initiative of all the tsunami affected countries. Many witnesses from across the world are in high praise for the wide-ranging services and the high standard of delivery. The term “Unlike anything we’ve ever seen” is a very common phrase mentioned in regards to the work of rural empowerment led by the Foundation of Goodness. Together with friends, donors, volunteers and the villagers themselves the Foundation has grown and just celebrated a decade of successful partnerships and ventures.

The key to this success is the vision of the Foundation of Goodness  ‘Narrow the gap between urban and rural life in Sri Lanka’. It is important to remember that this is by no means a short term relief effort. We are on a continuous journey towards excellence and freedom from the bondage of poverty for rural communities. Work that began as relief now continues to take the form of development. Over 70 % percent of Sri Lankans live in rural communities and the Foundations of Goodness is committed to making a lasting change.

With experience and expertise from our work in the South in post tsunami traumatic condition, and with the desire for progress and reconciliation the Foundation of Goodness we heads to Mankulam in Northern Sri Lanka. It is here that we will build from the ruins a great model that will help up lift and empower the communities of the North.  Proposed is a Learning and Empowerment Institute and 200 houses that will provide a variety of resources to a community that has been deprived of so much for over three decades. Crisis has been turned to opportunity and devastation to development the journey continues. This is our time, Sri Lanka will rise.

2010.12.26