A wise person once told me that there is one of two ways we can live: The first is as if nothing is a miracle and the second is as if everything is a miracle. After my experiences in the past week I choose the latter.

A young beneficiary looks after her brother while her mother goes to work

It is the most satisfying feeling to know that one of our initiatives has worked and that is exactly what we have achieved with our development approach. We have selected strong and respected partners in LEADS and BOLO and identified the most vulnerable villages in Killinochi to focus on over the next three years in MALAYALAPURAM (600 families) and KORAKHANKADDU (457 families). After a thorough 4 day workshop I can tell you that the needs are great, the challenges overwhelming but the possibilities endless. I am so excited that our Palmera team gets to play a role in the lives of over 1000 families. It seems unbelievable that we can have such a direct impact on these lives but I assure you, the work you do has and will continue to.

Most of you would not know me to be the religious type and for the most part you would be right, but there was a lot to pray about while I was here.

I prayed that I would arrive and leave Killinochi safely. My prayer was answered thanks to my father, Niv, Joel, my two escorts (Jana & a german volunteer I bumped into) and a forgiving army official when I forgot my passport and lost the keys to my luggage!!

I prayed for the beneficiaries to have the strength to dream when when one of the young participants said that no one had ever asked her to dream before. My prayer was answered when Jeya Anna delivered one of the most powerful messages I have ever had the privilege to hear. At the end of the day the participants unanimously agreed that they wanted to change their name to Thiruvaya ( a great poet) as they wanted to embody his wisdom, his spirituality and his strength. They had all learnt not only how to dream but how to be visionaries.

I prayed that somehow, although I was occupied in the village workshop all day, I would have an opportunity to meet other NGOs to discuss potential projects. My prayer was answered that night when they found me and the next night Oxfam Australia (Killinochi Division) organised dinner with a round table of NGOs. I learnt more that night then I would have in months.

I prayed that the heat would die down. This prayer was not answered

I prayed for my own inspiration and my prayer was answered when I met Father Praba who runs the BOLO project (which was Palmeras first project for this year). Orphaned at 4 years old, he and other boys from the orphanage started BOLO. Although a small grass roots, their impact is great and their energy infectious. They work in an almost 100% Hindu village with the poorest of the poor. He took me through the orphanage he grew up in, which was bombed beyond recognition, smiled and said that now it was about looking forward.

I prayed that I would find a way to bring Threads of Hope to life as this will be the project that transforms Palmera. My prayers were answered and I somehow I found myself around a table with the NGO, the expert and the experienced to guide our approach. It was one of the most energetic lunches I have had in a long while!

And I hour before I board the plane back to Australia, my last silent prayer is that we are all given the strength to make the difference I know that is within us all to help transform this place of destruction back to the way that it was always intended to be.

The remnants of what was

Beneficiaries playing – the way it is intended to be

Today was about BOLO, another key partner that we are working closely with in Killinochi.

Bolo is driven by volunteers and the most inspiring thing to hear was that they were orphans who realized they needed to give back. With nothing they now give – in so many ways this puts the rest of us to shame.

This year we provided funding to bolo so that they could provide chickens and training to 30 war widows. Poultry farming is key in the community but so many INGOs have not been able to provide chickens that survive the conditions and most die a quick death. As I walked around with the Bolo team, they seemed to know each chicken by name and their commitment to the project was beyond comforting.

One of the beneficiary war widows with her chickens

Child of one of the war widow beneficiaries

The difference chickens can make to a war widows life was incredible – sustenance for the children and income so that they could have a revenue stream to the essentials that they needed on a daily basis.

The Bolo team took me through the orphanage in which they were raised. Now these buildings were a stark reminder of the final days of the war – every part of it was destroyed but ironically, the only thing that stood tall and in tack was the cross. It was incredible to see that the power of the cross could withstand the bombs that man had thrown at it.

The cross remains in tact

After an eventful morning, which included BOLO and Oxfam Australia connecting on their poultry projects, I moved from one meeting to the next touching base with local organizations all doing amazing work. From microfinance outfits to women focused groups – the strength in the generosity and the compassion of these people gave me the comfort I needed to know that as long we could provide the funding and the capacity – there were reliable, trust worthy people on the ground that could implement and deliver the projects.

The night ended with me jumping on a very very very cold night bus for a 15 hour trip back to Colombo.

I woke up with a sense of how blessed I was. I was part of the lucky few that got to experience both sides of what this world has to offer without being in either. Through work I experience the life of opulence and wealth and through my work in Palmera I experience in the rawness in the human spirit. I truly have a blessed life, I am not sure what I quite did to deserve it but I know that I am truly grateful.

Today was day 1 for the North village. The sessions went much the same as the south village but being a working day there was an over representation of women.

From the day two things stood out, first the desperate need to encourage the youth. The Killinochi district came last in the country for their year 10 result which means many do not have the scores to continue on with school. With nothing else to do the youth can move into a quick decline and the saddest part is the youth are the next generation – the leaders that can transform what has become of this region.

some of the youth in the village

The second, and most powerful take away is the hope that remained in the village. The villagers unanimously agreed that they wanted to change the name of their village to Thirvaya, a great poet. When asked why, they said they wanted the current and future generations to embody his spirituality, his wisdom and his strength. It was amazing to hear that after all that they had been through this hope remained. I sat back and felt a sense that, with this spirit, they would somehow make it. Today I had the experience of the power of the human spirit.

some of the participants with the Thiruvaya statute

At 5pm when the day ended I learnt about the personal stories of the LEADS staff. To hear that they also were in the IDP camps, that they to experienced everything the war threw was both horrifying and strangely comforting. Comforting because I knew this was personal and their energy and their experience would ensure that they did their best to deliver the right outcomes to this village over the next three years.

That night Oxfam Australia invited a few groups over for dinner and it was fantastic to see the collaboration that was taking place. That night, at 11pm I lay my head down hoping for a restful night so I could be prepared for the day that lay ahead.

The last day of the PRA workshop really brought out the social issues that were starting to define this community. Child abuse was the second top issue and it quickly became evident that drinking and drugs was starting to really impact this community. Problem trees were done but at the end of the day the solution seemed impossible to identify – was this community to far to recover? I hoped not but the next three years will really tell.

Problem tree exercise

Today I met a young girl, she was in year 9 and she was full of wisdom and spirit. As I looked at her and spoke to her I was amazed to think what her life would have been like, how much she had been through and what she would have had to witness. No child should ever have to go through that but Nivedika did and she still smiled, still wanted to be a teacher and still wanted all the things children want. Her eyes were amazing to see.

The day ended and with more dinners, meets and greets I lay my head to rest for another night.

The workshop was split between the South and the North village and today was the end of the South session. There were fewer participants today but the enthusiasm remained despite the scorching heat.

Today, the needs were prioritized and as expected the top three was shelter, water and electricity in that order. He needs further highlights where this village is at – starting again from ground zero after the devastation war.

Prioritisation exercise breakout group

Prioritisation exercise breakout group

Once the day wrapped up we went to visit the wells as this would be Palmera entry project into the village. This will form part of Palmera’s water and sanitation emergency focus and will be a crucial part of the 3 year village development plan. I have seen numerous wells in the past, but after these two days wells have taken on a whole new dimension. The common wells provide drinking water, feed animals, feed plants and amongst other things used for bathing and kitchen needs. All wells were destroyed in the war they haven’t been cleaned but yet the villagers continue to use them – what other choice do they really have?

Local council member and LEADS assessing the damage to the common well

the damage of the war

The day has been so insightful and I have learnt so much. I have so many ideas and I am looking forward to taking them all back with me to Australia and discussing it with the Malayalapuram project team (Nivedha and Abhi).

I arrive back to the hotel at 6pm and collapse, denying the dinner invitation for the night. I wake up at 6am the next day and after 12 hours of sleep I barely feel rested for another day’s work!

The workshop was not how I expected it to be. An army of LEADS staff conducted a coordinated needs assessment for the South side of Malayalapuram, which had over 100 participants.

LEADS about to commence the workshop for the day

The session began with a timeline process to gather the history of the village. Here I learnt that the village came to be when two village from the hill country arrived to clear the jungles in the area. The residents had been displaced up to 6-8 times but many had survived numerous occupations, battles and tough times. Now, all the villagers were IDP returnees between 2009 – 2010.

LEADS running an exercise

Next the seasonal calendar was determined – what grew when and what jobs where done at different times.

Seasonal calendar break out under the shade of the trees

Next the social mapping exercise where the participants took to bark, sand and leaves to draw their village map. This included the permanent shelters from the temporary, the wells, the toilets, landmarks and more.

The map was an eye opener. Of the 277 families in the South on 23 permanent shelters existed, 18 semi permanent shelters, there were no schools in the village and no library and minimal other services. Then the challenges were discussed and it quickly became obvious that this village was desperately trying to meet the basic needs – water, shelter, basic foods. The needs were overwhelming but when provided what could become of this village – the possibilities were endless.

Current map as drawn by villagers

I spoke about solar options and the villagers agreed this would be a viable option but turning them to renewable energy sources would require serious commitment.

Then the most powerful exercise – the dream mapping, where the villagers dreamed what their village would need to look like to achieve all that they can. There was silence – dreaming was not something that they anyone had asked of them in the past and is definitely not something that came naturally.

But, with one quick powerful speech by the LEADS staff, the villagers were in motion and the dream village was born.

Future map being constructed

Future map is born

This map would serve the village and for anyone who came to assist. This is what the village needs, not what development organisation think they need. The challenge now was to give the villages the fishing rod, not just the fish and teach them how not to rely on development but rather how to create their own destiny.