A Vision of Happy Children

We are getting the ball rolling! Ilanko, director of the Jeeva Jothy orphanage, responded to Kiran's request for more details about his idea of a mobile unit to provide play opportunities for Sri Lanka children. You see him here, the man in the blue shirt in the center.













Dear Kiran,
All the children were very happy when I told about your e mail. They all are asking "When is Kiran Acca and Alex Anna coming back ? " They wish to convey their special Christmas wishes to you.

Kiran, you know that we have successfully run a project of rehabilitating former child soldiers. You may have seen how happy and peaceful are the ex child soldiers at our home. The rehabilitation was done by the children, with us standing in the background as facilitators. Children rehabilitating child soldiers is a unique project, not done in any part of the world.

They are taught and trained in the art of clearing the wounded minds of the children by dance, music, art therapies and play activities. The simple ways of identifying the innate talents of children and empowering them are known to our girls, something they have been doing for a number of years.

The mobile unit catering to the needs of distressed children in the children's homes will have talented children from our home to begin with, taking the lead in creating sustainable happiness. What we are proposing is to share skills, knowledge, and talents with other homes where the needs of these children are large.

We have a senior girl who functions as a Part Time Counselor (called Barefoot Counselor) with the Professional Psychological Counseling Centre at Batticaloa. Ten of our senior girls are trained as Disaster Stress First Aiders and worked during the Tsunami to balance the minds of the affected.

My wish is that they be multiplicators and enhance the capabilities and happiness of other children in other children's homes who have had less opportunities in this regard. Support for them is well-deserved.

Please let me know on any specific matter you need clarifications.

Wishing you a Happy Christmas,
Yours sincerely,

Your sisters and their uncle Ilanko