Work on Western Purple Faced Langur(WPFL) conservation continues………..

This weekend was a busy one again. I traveled to Kandy on Saturday to conduct the last workshop with British council on environment proposal development. This was the last workshop which started from Monaragala then Anuradhapura and Hambantota. These workshops were conducted for the kids of age 14-16 years of Sarvodaya societies who participated in the “Kids in touch programme funded by British Council. I really enjoyed working with these kids and I always hope they will have the same ideas and values they shared with me during workshops when they become adults too. If so, our country and environment will be in better hands in the future.

Sunday was for the WPFL project and I traveled to Waga in kalutara district with Dr. Rudy’s team for another awareness campaign. It was organized at Sri Pemananda Dharma school at Sri Susiriwardanarama temple by the chief priest of the temple Ven. Kahahene Sri Medhananda Thero. There were 108 young girls and boys who patiently listen to my lecture at the Sunday school of the temple and I felt that all the children enjoyed my lecture and I made an impact on their lives. It was very obvious at the end of the lecture where two young kids came to me and showed me a photograph of killed WPFL due to electrocution. They discussed different issues with me and they were sad about it and wanted to do something to protect the monkey. I was thrilled to learn that they were willing to work with me on the project. I think I have recruited the first volunteers for the project on WPFL.

Monday I met Dr Karen Litfin of University of Washington and shared my vision and ideas on conservation and the work that ECO-V has done so far. Again and again the topic was around my “dream training centre for village youth” on environment where they will be trained on basic skills on conservation and living with nature peacefully.

Kanchana