This past week AED had the privilege of distributing the Moyer Foundation relief items to the tsunami survivors in the Tangalle region of Sri Lanka. This was an exciting moment, seeing all of the goods that had finally arrived in the 40' container from Seattle. More exciting was seeing the faces of children and family members light up when the relief supplies were distributed; toys, stuffed animals, food supplies, utensils and many more items that can begin to replace the necessities for daily life that had been lost by so many in the tsunami.

The Tangalle region of Sri Lanka was one of the hardest hit, so this container generously donated by the Moyer's and their friends in Seattle comes at just the right time.

It has now been nearly 6 months since the tsunami decimated most of the coastline of Sri Lanka, and, now, more than ever, the generosity of organizations like the Moyer Foundation and other donors are needed more than ever. In the first few weeks of the tsunami, AED spent over $300,000 dollars in relief supplies. Now we are faced with the ongoing challenge of feeding and caring for the many new orphans we have taken in, and will be taking in, over the next few months. Our initial estimates and from assessing our recent bills, it takes about $70 dollars a month to care for one orphan, which includes housing, food, clothing/uniforms, education and medical.

Further, AED has started 18 new school projects since the tsunami to help address the needs of lost schools in some of the hardest hit regions. This has also added demands to our budget: for one child in a day school it takes about $20 dollars a month to provide shoes, uniforms, education, books, medical care and lunch (each day they are in school).

The past few weeks have been a busy blur of working out the details for the reconstruction of several of our schools and the continuing design work on how we will accommodate over 200 boys on the new Safari Boy’s Village property. Along with these crucial projects, we continue to distribute relief material throughout the country, as well as maintain our new schools that we have started at many of the refugee camps in the eastern half of the island.

Sri Lanka is swamped with NGO’s that have arrived from all over the world. This is good in that they are hopefully helping the hundreds of thousands still living in refugee status since the tsunami; the downside is, most of them come with large amounts of cash and the price of nearly everything just keeps going through the roof (a result of vendors knowing that the NGO’s are flush with cash)… Vendors and suppliers are driving up prices, because they know that the NGO’s have raised money that has to be accounted due to designations from their donors, so they will pay whatever the price. Especially for land; many NGO’s are now bidding against EACH OTHER in order to secure property to fulfill their mandates of rebuilding homes for tsunami survivors. The sad thing is, most of these groups will be gone by the end of the year, while we will be around indefinitely.

Therefore, AED, as a long-standing NGO in Sri Lanka, we refuse to participate in this maddening frenzy, and, thankfully, our vendors know that we have been here since 1994 and will be around for a long time. This has allowed us to do much with less than other groups working here, for which I am grateful.

This summer we will have many, many teams arriving from the US and Australia, working in various capacities with our projects country wide. With the tension continuing to rise in the East, we may need to curtail any foreigners working in our camps near the LTTE vicinities.

I want to also take a moment and thank my wonderful team here in Sri Lanka, which have been working tirelessly since the tsunami, and have never complained once. I am so thankful for each and every one of them. Also, we are looking for a project coordinator that could give us 12-24 months of their time here in Sri Lanka to help coordinate the teams that are arriving, matching skill sets with appropriate projects, etc. This is not a paid position, but all living expenses in Sri Lanka, including air-fare, would be covered by AED. Ideally, this person would be a retiree from Microsoft or Boeing (young or older) with experience running/leading projects. Also, our stateside office in Seattle needs a volunteer to help with general office/computer work.

One of the questions I am often asked is, “What happens to the children when they leave your schools or residential program once they become adults?” To be honest, before the tsunami, the oldest child in our primary orphan care center, “Samudra Sri” was only 15 years of age; I would like to believe all of our kid will go to college or university, but that is not realistic, considering that only about 2% of all college applicants are accepted here in Sri Lanka. Now, thanks to a recent grant, we are in the process of putting together two Vocational Training Programs for both young adult tsunami survivors (17-21) and also for the children in our programs/schools that will not be entering college or university. The Vocational Training Programs (schools) will include a new sewing center, which will be a state-of-the-art facility training girls (and any boys that might be interested) to sew garments to be exported; all of the proceeds will go back into the vocational training program. The exciting thing about this is, we have had a major NY designer commit to an exclusive design that will be used exclusively by our new Vocational Training Program (no name yet for the program), which should be a real boost for the program.

For the boys (and any girls that may be interested) we have established an automobile restoration center. This will not be for just any type of cars, but for classic vehicles that are in major need of restoration, and shipped to Sri Lanka where they will be restored and resold, with all the proceeds going back into the Vocational Training Program. We have secured the services of a local gentleman that has been restoring classic cars for many years, and is nearing retirement. He has agreed to train our boys and impart his knowledge for this new program.

I envision these two programs as only our first; and I am excited that we can provide some of our older children with a viable trade and life-supporting skill here in Sri Lanka. I will keep you informed as these two programs progress.
I am in Colorado Springs today meeting with friends I met in Sri Lanka, and also meeting up with Mission of Mercy president and friend, Kevin Donaldson. I was sad to leave Seattle for the short time I am back in the States; Karen and Jamie Moyer had invited us to Jamie’s game on Sunday as their guests. Unfortunately, I could not change my ticket, and missed Jamie becoming the winningest (sic?) pitcher in Mariner history. Way to go, Jamie!

Sorry for the blogging gap; I have had to attend to my injuries that I apparently did not take seriously enough. After saying goodbye to our friend Aaron Taylor, I sort of crashed (emotionally and physically) and began taking my injuries a little more seriously. I then made a trip to New York City (April 15-21) where I met with several organizations regarding our relief and rebuilding work in Sri Lanka. I also visited several college and universities with my daughter who is graduating next year from Garfield High School in Seattle.

We have broken ground on three of our schools that were destroyed in the tsunami. I hope they will be rebuilt by this July; we have five more that need to be built if anyone is interested in helping, though I am meeting with Engineers without Borders this week in Seattle, to see if they will be taking on any of our rebuilding projects. Also, we are looking for someone that might be interested in committing to a two year contract, in helping oversee our many rebuilding projects that we have slated for the next 24 months. If you or know anyone that may be interested, please contact me and/or send a resume to our Seattle office address.

Today was a sad day as we bid farewell to Aaron Taylor. I cannot express enough how much we all appreciated Aaron’s sacrifice of time, effort, and personal finance in joining with AED to construct the Kosgoda Widow’s and Handicap Village for tsunami survivors. Aaron came to Sri Lanka shortly after the tsunami to help in any way he could. Thanks to the American Embassy, he was directed to AED and immediately jumped in by heading to the east of Sri Lanka to work with us in the Kirimichchi Refugee camp. After several weeks of helping in this extreme hardship project (sleeping on the ground, poisonous snakes, terrorists), Aaron led one of our AED teams to the south the rebuild houses for widow’s and handicap survivors who had lost everything in the tsunami.

In the few months that Aaron has been with us, he has made an indelible impact on every person here at AED. Further, anyone who came in contact with Aaron, whether locals or international workers in other NGO’s, immediately liked him and connected with his compassion for others. It is easy to see why Aaron is so sought after in his post NFL career as a sport’s broadcaster; he has the type of personality people instantly like—no doubt enhanced by his deep sense of responsibility to those in the world less fortunate. Aaron, you are deeply appreciated and Sri Lanka will never forget you!

On the way to Kosgoda housing project, I stopped and met with two gentlemen from Los Angeles who are from an organization called "Knightsbridge International" doing tsunami relief work in Sri Lanka. They want to partner with us on several school projects, and, as a special gift, they gave us two solar panels for recharging cell phones, laptops, etc.; great for doing field worked Artis and Rob Marcarelli, thank you!

Once we arrived at our Kosgoda project, we found Aaron Taylor sweating away trying to wrap this project up. He had recruited several foreigners to help put up siding that he met along the streets, including a high school English teacher named Brooke O'Connor from Portland, Oregon; it was nice to talk to someone from the Great Northwest!
I met with several of the families that will be receiving these homes once they are completed (around the 1st April); as mentioned, all of the recipients are either widows (both pre-and post tsunami) and handicapped individuals that have been sort of forgotten by the government and other agencies.

There was a tsunami warning yesterday, which thankfully, did not materialize into anything significant. I continue to slowly recover from my injuries caused by last week's accident. We continue to build houses for widows of the tsunami and the handicapped in the south under the astute leadership of Aaron Taylor (pictures of this project will be up tomorrow); it looks like we should complete this by April 1. Further, our local architect has finished the master plan for the "Boys' Safari Village" that will house at least 200 tsunami orphans; we are looking forward to beginning construction on this project at any time.

AED continues to distribute huge quantities of relief material to the southern region of Sri Lanka. We have developed a great relationship with the Minister of Parliament, Mr. Mahindra, from the Tangalle region; he is the one who sent the government helicopter to bring me to Colombo after my accident. Today's photos are of recent distribution in the southern region.

I'm often asked the question, "Why should we support Asiana Education Development (AED) over some of the larger organizations?". And my answer is always the same: because we are large enough to make a significant difference, yet small enough that our projects are visible and can be followed by donors. This is not meant to be an affront to larger organizations, it's just that we have been here, and though we may be smaller, have strong credibility with both the Sri Lankan government and our local communities; and those who contribute, can see exactly where their contribution is going. More tomorrow...

On Tuesday, March 22 I was traveling to Valachchenia, eastern Sri Lanka with the executive director of Doctors of the World and a trauma psychologist from New York. We were to do an assessment of our proposed mobile health unit that is to be placed in the Kirimichchi Refugee Camp. I have no memory at all of what followed, but apparently somewhere around 4:00 pm, a motorcycle shot out in front of us prompting me to swerve the Toyota Landcruiser in order to avoid a collision; I lost control of our vehicle and it rolled several times before coming to a stop. The following two days are a blur of hospitals, ambulance rides, and finally a helicopter bringing me to a Colombo hospital. It has been nearly a week now, and I still have no memory at all of what happened.

Our friends from Doctors of the World, the executive director, Mr. Tom Dougherty suffered a broken collar bone and several broken ribs. We are all very fortunate; those who have seen the vehicle are surprised any of us came out of it alive. God certainly had his hand on us. I am now nursing a badly damaged left hand/wrist, bruised ribs, general aches and pains, and a pretty nasty concussion. I’ve decided its time for me to stop driving for awhile.

We are anxiously awaiting the container sent to us by the Moyer Foundation from Seattle. I have heard from Karen Moyer, that Jamie is having a great spring start in Scottsdale; as the only left-hander left with the Mariners, the club leadership should greatly appreciate his talent and contribution to the team! Not sure I will be able to catch any games this year, but Jamie, you will be in my thoughts and prayers; I want to thank you and Karen once again for what you have done for the children of Sri Lanka. Oh, by the way, anyone in the Seattle area can go to any of the Bartell Drug stores and buy a tsunami-relief bracelet for $2.00; you will see a picture of one of our Sri Lankan orphans on the package, and the proceeds are going to AED for orphan care in Sri Lanka. This was all done by the Moyer Foundation; what an incredible organization.

I have two of my doctoral cohorts with me here in Sri Lanka, Lise Yale, a project manager at Boeing, and Diane Wisner, a nursing instructor from Seattle University. They are holding strategic plan training sessions with our executive and project leadership staff. They are also heading up our doctoral studies social justice project involving our new Community Health Clinic. I appreciate their sacrifice and being here with us. Thanks Lise and Diane!

Busy week as usual… sorry for the delay in blog updates; we are finalizing the land deal for 3 acres just down the road from our existing orphan-care facility, “Samudra Sri.” This will become the new “Boy’s Safari Camp” orphan care facility for tsunami orphans. We are now looking for volunteers who would like to come and help construct this facility that when completed, will accommodate at least 200 boys.

Further, we have now finalized our construction plans for both the rebuilding of our nine destroyed schools as well as the three new orphan-care facilities, including the most urgent, the “Boy’s Safari Camp.” I am going to post the details on this site in the next couple of days. If you see something that you or your organization would like to be a part of, please contact me immediately.

We continue distributing relief goods sent to us by the many organizations from both the States and Australia. I want to make a special mention regarding the containers sent by an organization called Compassion Alliance. Under the leadership of Dr. Bob Houlihan, this organization has shipped over 15 40’ containers for the AED tsunami relief effort. We are incredibly grateful for their contribution and continued involvement with our relief work here in Sri Lanka.

Aaron Taylor continues to be busy with our team on the Kosgoda Project, rebuilding homes for widows and the handicapped in the south of Sri Lanka, while other team members are still working in the eastern province at the refugee camps we are heavily involved with. On Friday of this week, I will be welcoming the return of “Doctors of the World” who are coming from New York to finalize our partnership in the Community Health Clinic and mobile units. The mobile units are being designed by a Seattle award-winning architect, Mr. Robert Humble, of Humble and Associates. His firm is volunteering their expertise and services by converting ISO 20’ shipping containers into modular and transportable clinics that will be utilized in the refugee camps in the east of Sri Lanka.

Yesterday Dr. Prashanthan, a psychologist from India came to teach and train our 208 teachers on trauma awareness and compassion for our tsunami child survivors; he will be with us for one week of training. It was a delight to meet him, and finally we have someone who has close understanding of South Asian culture and the way this culture interacts with trauma. I was also pleased to find out he has done extensive work in Seattle, with both Microsoft (training on mental health awareness on Indian immigrants working at Microsoft) and the Boeing Corporation. He has also taught classes at Seattle Pacific University as a visiting faculty member.

Today I met with a high ranking Member of Parliament, Honorable Minister, Mr. Mahinda Amarajeewa, at his office in the parliament building. He is the Minister for Urban Development for the country of Sri Lanka. He has been of great assistance in facilitating our work in the southern region of Sri Lanka, and yesterday he helped hand out relief material that arrived for AED from Dr. Bob Houlihan and his organization, Compassion Alliance.

Mr. Mahinda Amarajeewa has invited me to meet with him and the president of Sri Lanka for a ribbon cutting ceremony at a village for tsunami survivors on the 15th of this month. He was also given a copy of our photo-journal book that we put together of our relief effort, and has asked for more copies that he can distribute to every Member of Parliament.

Mr. Karl Stewart from San Jose, California arrived for a two day visit to assess the ability of a water purification system we are hoping to use in both the Kirimichchi Survivor Camp on the east of Sri Lanka, as well as the new village AED is rebuilding in the south western village of Kosgoda. This purification system uses electrolysis, and is supposedly capable of turning very polluted water into potable.

We met this morning with the village leadership of Kosgoda, and along with Aaron Taylor, we provided the forms for the families that will be receiving new homes; the homes are being made for widows and handicapped persons that have no family or means to rebuild after the tsunami. Aaron will be flying out tonight to San Diego, but will return on the 15th of this month. After the meeting, I had planned to take Mr. Karl Stewart on the long journey out to the east and visit the Kirimichchi Camp, and get needed water samples for his lab in Canada. Unfortunately, the LTTE had shot 6 civilians the day before yesterday, and the NGO’s in the east are leaving; it looks like the peace talks may not hold much longer.

Much was accomplished while I was in the States, but it is good to be back. Aaron has done a tremendous job on the homes rebuilding project near Galle, which includes AED starting a school in the Village of Kosgoda, which is near Galle; I am impressed, and proud of his noble leadership, and only wish he could stay in Sri Lanka longer. I will attempt to put more pressure on him before his departure, encouraging Godspeed on his return to Sri Lanka. That is pretty much assured, since Aaron has agreed to serve on our board of directors.

While in the States, I managed to meet up with Karen and Jamie Moyer. They are delightful people, and both embody hearts of compassion for children around the world. The Moyer Foundation has initiated a fundraising bracelet for AED that is now in Bartell Drugstores and other retail outlets throughout the Seattle area. These bracelets can be purchased for $2.00 each and proceeds will go to the tsunami orphans in Sri Lanka.

I’m getting ready for a staff meeting, and will be brought up to speed on our ongoing projects. It appears not much has been done in terms of the government rebuilding efforts. I have heard that hardly any of the international money that was promised has actually materialized; that is my greatest concern, that the world will now forget the devastation that has changed this country. I will write more tomorrow on all that is happening with our tsunami work.