Following the first training of YPA in Kandy an activity based evaluation done amongst the participants suggested the need to make a visit to war affected and resettled areas in the north or east in order to be aware of the existing situation. Hence a group of YPAs visited Batticaloa, the eastern part of Sri Lanka from 18th – 21st September, in order to understand and learn about the actual situation & issues faced by these communities. This visit provided great opportunities for them to liaise and interact with the children and young people in the communities and also to build a better understanding for possible future programs.
Information obtained through discussions held with people living in and around the Batticaloa region.
Madurankerni Kulam is a remote eastern village situated in the District of Batticaloa. Temperatures run high here for a great part of the year with little or no rainfall. Villagers, predominantly Tamil, derived their livelihood mainly from agriculture: this too only if there was sufficient rain during the season.
Vakarai had taken a heavy toll of the war with damaged houses scattered all over the town. The people struggle to eke out a living, to live a life of normalcy in the midst of rough and tough circumstances devoid of basic living conditions. The village comprises 167 families who are predominantly Hindus. They make a living by fishing and selling treacle / honey. The people travel around 3 miles to reach a hospital: to reach a grocery shop it takes them about two hours in a bus and they walk 4 km to obtain water, which is only accessible from just one well. Vakarai has a poor educational system, and lacks basic school facilities. The village has just one school with classes being conducted only up to Grade 9. There is no pre-school. The village does not have a hospital or a medical centre. The only medical facilities available to them are from an NGO that visits this village once a month to conduct medical check-ups.
The YPAs next visited Thavar Madu. Though this village had many paddy fields the farmers were not financially stable to cultivate the fields themselves. As a result they only engaged in labour work. Most people in this village only had one good meal a day. Prior to this & during the war their situation was far worse. A Pastor serving in this village for 13 years stated that prior to the end of the war he had found it a struggle to keep his ministry going. The Pastor had received death threats and was also beaten while serving there. Some of the women in the community were unaware of the rightful father of their children: whilst the others had totally lost contact with their husbands.
During this 3 day trip to the east the YPAs experienced the pain & hardships these communities faced and the difficulties they had to eke out a basic living. The YPAs also had useful insights to ministry work done amongst people who have next to nothing. This programme truly challenged the YPAs to work with determination towards uplifting the socio economic standards of these communities through quality education, vocational studies, livelihoods etc. The participants were thankful to ADT for giving them an opportunity to experience & work amongst the less fortunate communities in our country.
Following the first training of YPA in Kandy an activity based evaluation done amongst the participants suggested the need to make a visit to war affected and resettled areas in the north or east in order to be aware of the existing situation. Hence a group of YPAs visited Batticaloa, the eastern part of Sri Lanka from 18th – 21st September, in order to understand and learn about the actual situation & issues faced by these communities. This visit provided great opportunities for them to liaise and interact with the children and young people in the communities and also to build a better understanding for possible future programs. 
for a great part of the year with little or no rainfall. Villagers, predominantly Tamil, derived their livelihood mainly from agriculture: this too only if there was sufficient rain during the season. 
The YPAs next visited Thavar Madu. Though this village had many paddy fields the farmers were not financially stable to cultivate the fields themselves. As a result they only engaged in labour work. Most people in this village only had one good meal a day. Prior to this & during the war their situation was far worse. A Pastor serving in this village for 13 years stated that prior to the end of the war he had found it a struggle to keep his ministry going. The Pastor had received death threats and was also beaten while serving there. Some of the women in the community were unaware of the rightful father of their children: whilst the others had totally lost contact with their husbands. 
difficulties they had to eke out a basic living. The YPAs also had useful insights to ministry work done amongst people who have next to nothing. This programme truly challenged the YPAs to work with determination towards uplifting the socio economic standards of these communities through quality education, vocational studies, livelihoods etc. The participants were thankful to ADT for giving them an opportunity to experience & work amongst the less fortunate communities in our country.