" RSCJ’s in collaboration with Alumnae respond
to Sri Lankan Sisters of Charity and St Mary’s School devastated
by the Tsunami "
Following an urgent request for Educational advisors/administrators
to assist with the development of a Vision/Goals statement and
Strategic Plan for the redevelopment of a major Catholic girls’
school, devasted by the Tsunami, on the south coast of Sri Lanka,
the Religious of the Sacred Heart of India have responded immediately
to St Mary’s School and the Sisters of Charity through a
request from our alumnae.
How did this happen?
St Mary’s, a school for 2,500 girls from Kindergarten to
Matriculation, conducted by the Sisters of Charity in Matara on
the south coast of Sri Lanka, was directly in the path of the
Tsunami as it swept through the school on Boxing Day 2004. The
school is located on the Ocean Road only 20 metres from the beach.
The sea took out everything on the ground floors of the school
buildings, the boarding house and the convent. A Sister of Charity
was killed and others injured; no children were killed in the
school as they were on holidays however 8 died in their homes
and many students have lost either both parents or one of them.
Maltese response: As soon as the news of the Tsunami reached Malta
on Boxing Day, Claudia Taylor-East, (Project Director of the NGO
‘SOS Malta’, AMASC Board member and President of the
Maltese alumnae) swung into action. She contacted the Maltese
Foreign Minister asking what was Malta planning to do to assist
and the eight member Board of SOS Malta met to plan their emergency
strategy. Contacts were made in Sri Lanka through the Bishop of
Colombo and the Sisters of Mother Teresa in Calcutta. It was determined
to send a four member emergency medical team to the south coast
of Sri Lanka and they were asked to set up a clinic in St Mary’s
school, Matara. The Sisters of Charity would arrange space for
them and organise accommodation.
An appeal for funds and medicines was launched in Malta and within
days the medical team was put together – three doctors (one
of whom, Rachel Attard is a Maltese alumna) and a nurse; the latter
having had extensive experience in handling emergencies in Kosovo
and Albania where ‘SOS Malta’ had previously responded.
I happened to be in Malta as a guest of Claudia and her family
over Christmas and New Year, as was my son, Richard. We spent
some time at the ‘SOS Malta collection centre’ writing
receipts for cash donations.
We witnessed Claudia’s full-on networking as she negotiated
with Government (Foreign Affairs and Health Ministries), Church
agencies, donors and media, whilst she established the medical
team. She was speaking on two phones at once at times, in between
attending briefing sessions, media interviews and countless meetings.
Working in tandem with Claudia is the other co-founder of SOS
Malta, alumna, Lilian Miceli Farrugia. Together they are an incredible
team.
The SOS Malta medical team left for Sri Lanka on January 6th and
set up their clinic in St Mary’s, seeing up to 150 patients
a day. The Team reported daily to Claudia, not only on their activities
but also of the needs of the people of the area.
Matara is a fishing centre where almost the entire fishing fleet
had been destroyed, leaving hundreds of families without a livelihood.
Sri Lankan fishing industry contributes nearly 2.5% to the country’s
national income and 65%-70% of the annual protein intake of the
population. More than 75% of the nation’s fishing fleet
has been damaged by the Tsunami. Out of the nearly 172,000 active
fishermen, 80% have been affected and many thousands of their
family members are missing or dead. Other than active fishermen,
there are about 100,000 persons affected who are employed in the
industry.
The Fishing Project: So when Claudia arrived in early February
to assess the need for further assistance, she brought the funding
to commission an initial 50 fishing boats for the villages of
Denuwela in the Matara district and Kalamulla in the Kalutara
district… each fibreglass 6 metre long boat, complete with
outboard engine and nets, costs $3000 and supports four families.
As she told me on the phone after the launching of the first boat
just prior to her returning home after her two week fact-finding
mission: “If you could have seen the joy on the fishermen’s
faces … these boats are extremely important for the fishermen
and their families, to enable them to make a living for themselves
again. Currently, many families are living in refugee camps or
with relatives. These boats will give them prospects again to
start a new life in their villages.”
St Mary’s School: It was not just the fishing industry which
was decimated. Claudia was so concerned about how the 10 strong
community of Sri Lankan Sisters of Charity were going to be able
to restore their school which had provided the space for the SOS
Malta Emergency Medical Team. Physically the school has been ravaged
and psychologically badly affected. Although only 8 of the pupils
had died, some had been left orphans, and most had lost a parent,
brothers and sisters, uncles, aunts and grandparents. It is also
traumatic for many to attend the school again which is located
so close to the water’s edge. It is an important school
in the area, catering for 2,500 Sri Lankan girls of multi-faiths
from kindergarten to matriculation. The girls pay 30 rupees per
month and 65% of teachers’ salaries are paid by the government.
It also has a boarding facility for girls from outlying areas
and for orphans.
Only the first floors are operating as class rooms when school
resumed on January 25. The principal, Sister Sandamali and Kumari
Kuletunga, a parent who has been appointed Co-ordinator of Rehabilitation
and Restoration, met with Claudia to discuss their situation.
The School has been so badly damaged that it has to be rebuilt.
The law now states that schools must be rebuilt away from the
sea.
Claudia realised that to undertake the rebuilding project and
to attract international funds, a strategic plan had to be prepared
as soon as possible. She also realised that the situation was
beyond the woman power of the Sisters of Charity in Sri Lanka
as they were only able to currently cope with maintaining the
status quo in restarting up classes for the existing pupils, many
of whom have been so traumatised by the events since Christmas.
How the RSCJs became involved: It was during a phone call I had
with Claudia on her mobile phone in Sri Lanka that she sought
my assistance to find an Educational Administrator to come to
St Mary’s to assess the situation and in consultation with
the Sisters of Charity and all constituents of the school body
(parents, staff, pupils, board) prepare a vision and goals statement
and a strategic plan for the future of the school. This document
was going to be not only vital to the refocussing of St Mary’s
future, but also a necessity to present to international funding
bodies to apply for finance to rebuild the school.
I contacted several people here in Sydney, including Mr Chris
Faisandier, the principal of the Sacred Heart School, Kincoppal-Rose
Bay and the Sisters of Charity (not the same order as the Sri
Lankan sisters) who conduct St Vincent’s Hospital with which
I am so involved and they also have major schools here in Australia.
They showed great interest but I could see they were unable to
‘drop everything’ and go to Sri Lanka at short notice!
The Indian response: It was then that I thought of Sister Karuna
Mary Braganza rscj in Mumbai who had been the Principal of Sophia
College, and now in her retirement was Directress of SCESA, the
Indian alumnae association. I had met Sister Mary in Mumbai and
Sister Mary had brought alumnae and principals to the Sydney AMASC
and Principals Congresses in 2002. I phoned Sister Mary and her
response was typical of those incredible Sacre Coeur Religious
(I’m sure we could all identify several) who have such huge
capacity, vitality and vision. She understood immediately what
I was asking and what type of personnel were required; even before
the end of the conversation she said she knew of several of her
alumnae and/or colleagues of Sophia, who had excellent credentials
to assist. She said she would get back to me and in the meantime,
I put pen to email to state in writing the situation as I understood
it. I also gave her the phone and email contacts for Sister Sandemali
and Kumari in Sri Lanka so she could discuss any aspects with
them.
Sister Mary discussed it with her Provincial, Sister Marie Noronha
rscj. Sister Marie also responded to me immediately advising that
one of her Religious, Sister Pratibha, had offered to volunteer
in Sri Lanka, that she was retiring as a school principal in May,
she had excellent experience and qualifications and would be available
for six months on the project.
Australian and New Zealand support: At this point I also contacted
Sister Philomene Tiernan rscj in Sydney who is co-ordinator of
the Network of Sacred Heart Schools in Australia and New Zealand
and asked if she could organise with this network to provide assistance
to the Indian rscjs. I knew from my ten years on the School Board
of Kincoppal-Rose Bay, the wide experience each of our schools
in this part of the world had in producing strategic plans, goal
documents, etc. and all the questionaires which went with them.
I also contacted Sister Donna Collins rscj, an Australian on the
Sophia Commission. I received such interest and encouragement
from both.
Assistance arrives: Sister Mary Braganza leaves for Matara with
a colleague, Educational Advisor, Nirupa Bhangar, on March 3 for
a several week investigative visit to assess the situation and
recommend the next step. [Their cv’s are outstanding]. The
Provincial of the Sisters of Charity in Sri Lanka (also a Sister
Marie), Sister Sandemali and Kumari are thrilled by the RSCJ response
and will meet Sister Mary and Nirupa in Colombo and drive them
down to Matara where accommodation has been arranged for them
and other volunteers who are assisting with teaching/counselling
in the school. [Claudia has also arranged for a Maltese volunteer
to work in the school].
Claudia will be revisiting Sri Lanka on 10th March to commission
a further 100 fishing boats, funded by the people of Malta. She
will also commission playgrounds to be built in schools which,
as was discovered in Albania and Kosovo, helped the children cope
with their trauma. She is also consulting with architects to start
the planning process for the new school. A new site has been identified
by the Sisters of Charity about 5 kms back from the ocean front.
Claudia will have the opportunity to meet with Sister Mary Braganza
and the Sisters of Charity and provide any assistance she can
for them.
The hope for the near future: The Sisters of Charity in Sri Lanka
were founded in Belgium by Father Peter Joseph Trist. The Belgian
Sisters arrived in Sri Lanka in 1908 and founded their first school
in Galle, called the Sacred Heart school. They established their
second school in Matara.
The hope is that the new School will be ready for commissioning
in 2008 in time to celebrate the Centenary of the Sisters of Charity
in Sri Lanka. So much has been done in a short time to put the
initial planning in place. It is an exciting prospect where the
experience and the wisdom of the Indian RSCJs in collaboration
with the community of St Mary’s School and the Sisters of
Charity of Sri Lanka, can begin the planning processes supported
by the administrators of the network of Sacred Heart schools of
Australia and New Zealand.
So whereto from here:
So much more to be done and achieved in the next three years –
in collaboration. What comes out of the strategic plan will have
opportunities for all our Sacred Heart schools and alumnae associations
throughout the world, who might like to join further in this collaboration,
to form their own projects to assist with the reestablishment
of this vital school in Sri Lanka.
Watch this space!
Trish Burns
February, 2005 • Sydney
Australia Former President AMASC
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