ECO-V helps children to go to school in 2009.

At the beginning of the year 2009 we got a request from Major. Danaranjana from Sri Lanka Army to help some school children to go to school. Major Danaranjana has been helping us since we started working in North Central Province in 2004. Therefore, I did not want to think twice about that humble request as we have previous experience in carrying out project like this with is coordination. Beginning of 2008 we helped 62 children to go to school. This year we had a very short period to work on this as I was getting ready to go to India. Therefore I only send an email to some of my friends and relatives mentioning about the requirement of making school packs. With the help of them and their contacts we were able to make 25 school packs which included a school bag, book, colour pencils, pastel, pens, pencils and a pencil case. A friend of Yasas donated all the school bags needed and we bought enough exercise books for 25 children. Major Danaranjana took the responsibility of transporting and distributing the packs to deserving children in Ampara area. Last year our donation went to Padaviya area but this time he has found more deserving children in Ampara area.

However, I still did not get the photographs of the event but Major Danaranjana phoned me several times and described how it went on. My team at Kalu Wandura conservation project personally took the responsibility of going to Pettah and buying all the items for school pack and Yasas’s friend has arranged to deliver all the bags to our office. ECO-V thanks Jayani, Ramani, Madhubahshini, Jeevan, and Yasas for their helpfulness and thoughtfulness for our sons and daughters of Sri Lanka with their generous contributions. Photos attached here are taken when my team was making the school packs at our office.

Kalu Wandura team in the field!

On the 23rd of January Kalu Wandura project team, Devaka, Ramyanath, Tharaka, Indika and Chatura went to Waga field station with all the equipment. Harsha was also there with them as an experienced ECO-V member as he was very successful in developing Udawalwa field station two years ago. They were busy whole day cleaning the house and getting ready for next day till I went to have the house warming ceremony. I went to Waga along with my family (Thushara, Boo, Nipu and my mother) next day morning. We all met at the Waga Kahahena temple and met Ven. Kahahena Sri Medananda thero and got his blessings. He was the main person helped us at the beginning when we conducted Waga exhibition on kalu wanduara. Jaliya and Srinath (whom Dr. Rudran trained last October) were also there as they were villagers of the adjacent village to our field station. We had a field visit to the forest entrance but did not enter to the forest as we still do not have permission from the Forest Department. We recorded many fish species and birds from the surrounding area leading to forest and all team members are exited about the work.

Next few days kept us busy on getting permission and making plans for the community survey. Mr. Danasekara, Manager of the Pussella Plantations and Mr. Indika, Grama Niladari of Lahirugama, Welikanna were very helpful in finding the field station and always look after our need now.

Finding solutions and mitigation methods of Human/Kalu wandura conflict and safeguarding its survival are the challenges ahead for us. We hope to achieve it slowly with the commitment of the young team of “Friends of Kalu Wnadura” we are going to form in Waga area.