Annual report Medi-Aid Holland Sri Lanka

Introduction

The Medi-Aid Foundation, like other Foundations, looks back on a number of years in which our projects have had to deal with COVID and the serious political unrest and the associated sharply increased poverty in the country.

As a result, fundraising for our projects has come to a very low level. We hope that the situation in Sri Lanka will stabilize further in the coming year and that our initiatives will be further developed in 2024. Despite the foregoing, we have still been able to achieve some things. The continuity of the school for children with disabilities in particular caused us considerable concern, but as you can read, a lot of work has been done in Sri Lanka to tackle and realize the content and organization.

The board will have completed the construction of a school building for disabled children ('children with special needs') in 2022. This school building is part of St. Thomas' Catholic International College (STIC) in Seeduwa. During the subsequent period, developments were closely monitored and activities (temporarily) stopped.

The transfer in 2022 and the succession of the initiator of the project had significant organizational consequences, including the standstill of the project. In March 2023 there was another changing of the guard and a new rector took matters seriously.

The evaluation of the status of progress has now taken place.

Reporting progress in 2023 from STIC to the Medi Aid NL and Sri Lanka Board

We received the following report from the school

In the PFE after the re-recruitment of most staff members in the 2nd term of the last academic year, our main goal was initially to settle the children. Our next goal was to improve on the progress made: in academics while addressing the behavioral aspects in the children. To make progress in the unit, there were several changes by Rev. Fr. Rector in order to support us as teachers and professionals to engage in our work wholeheartedly.

Changes made to staff and organization.

1. Reappointment of the Headmistress

2. Re-recruitment of the teachers who were asked to resign.

3. Controlling undue direct and indirect interferences to the unit by external persons.

4. Change of dress code to suit the practicality and effectiveness of the staff members of PFE.

5. At the beginning of the term a Meeting was held with the parents of the students of PFE in order to communicate the plan for the unit and to maintain transparency and a cordial relationship with the parents.

6. Encourage volunteerism to support the teachers: Two highly capable and committed volunteers were recruited to support the teachers. They were paid a per diem during their tenure.

7. Recruited two new teachers for the Unit.

8. Teachers are given the same opportunities as for the main school staff to improve their professional skills.

9. Provided an additional support staff to the unit.

Facilities and resources provided for the students.

1. Access to transportation facilities for the children within the school premises whenever required.

2. Financial assistance to get educational material for the students in PFE

3. Swimming facilities for the students of PFE with an external coach who is well-trained in handling children with disabilities.

Encouraging inclusivity with the school

1. We were continuously supported by the school prefects especially in the mornings, to welcome the children and to take them to the chapel for mass. The prefects not only helped us to welcome the children. While some of them were at the entrance there were the others who engaged with the children in doing activities such as puzzles, talking to them, and enjoying time with them. Our children loved this. Not only were the prefects doing their duty, but they were setting an example to other children in the school too. As a result, we had children pouring in during their interval time, initially from about three children to a daily increase in the number. PFE became a place where both children with disabilities and their non-disabled peers mingled in a loving and caring manner.
2. Children in PFE are encouraged to do alter serving.
3. Children were taken on their Annual field visit to the Ratmalana Air Port Museum along with the others in the main school.
4. Children from the main school were allowed to come to the unit to support the teachers and the students during their free periods.
5. Children participated in almost all the school functions with the other students without being discriminated against: Children’s Day dancing competition and school Christmas carol service. 18. PFE students are given houses and have participated in selections in the events for the annual sports meet that is to be held this month. Furthermore, one of the students also participated in the swimming meet with the other students.

Academics

1. To facilitate the inclusive education system, the PFE teachers drafted Individual Educational Plans for each child, parallel to the syllabus of the main school.
2. We started music, dancing, swimming, and PE during school hours with the support of the relevant teachers in the mainstream.
3. Some of the students were sent to the mainstream classrooms for a few hours to work with their peers.
4. We were able to find some students with exceptional academic abilities within the unit. Some of these students are being assessed to decide on their levels and the accommodations that need to be given to them.
5. With Fr. Rector’s mediation we were able to obtain the support of the teachers in the mainstream to provide test papers and to correct them for the exceptional children

Further cooperation

Following the evaluation, it was decided to start a steering group in 2024 consisting of the Rector of STIC, a Sri Lanka board member and a Netherlands board member.

St. Anne Home for Elders – Kelaniya

St. Anne Home for Elders in Kelaniya is a nursing home for a total of 48 residents. Medi-Aid supports the project by making furniture available (at the request of the organization on site) and by training care and support staff. We have no involvement in the operation of the nursing home.

The plans were evaluated at the end of 2021 and it was decided to continue with this project in 2022.

Where COVID threw a spanner in the works in 2020 and 2021, it was the political circumstances in 2022 that made the Board decide not to take up the plans again until 2023.

Due to the presence in Sri Lanka of one of the board members, several objectives were formulated, including developing an improving reader and working on accreditation of the project in Sri Lanka.

It was very nice that the advice given was implemented in the context of self-supporting, including growing our own fruit.

Support school uniforms and lunches for Mudunegama Maha Vidyala school

The request came through the chairman of Medi Aid Sri Lanka whether Medi-Aid could support with school uniforms, lunches and other basic needs for 50 children of parents who do not have the financial resources for this. This involves a one-year support program so that the parents can get some breathing space and get their financial situation in better order so that they can bear the costs themselves again after this year of support. Packages have now been distributed with complete sets of school uniforms. Sanitary towels are available for the girls Made available and the children could go to the hairdresser. Lunches for the children have also started.

New projects

a) In 2022, the initiative was taken to start a school gardens project. Independence from third parties is paramount in this project. The project is in the initiation phase and will be postponed to 2024

b) At the end of 2022, the initiative was also taken to create a so-called club of 100. This was to provide greater continuity to the money flows through sponsorship. This project is also in the initiation phase. At the beginning of 2023, it was decided to further investigate this route for feasibility

2. Collaboration with other foundations and organizations

The collaboration with the Sri Lanka Table was continued in 2023 and contacts with other foundations such as Wilde Ganzen were continued. Medi Aid has also signed up for the “Every child a Family” project, the starting point of which is to dismantle orphanages and find care for children within families. PARTIN was happy to make use of the options they offered, such as the annual accounts module and online meetings. In 2023, recognition was granted again by the Central Fundraising Office.

The results of the collaboration with universities of applied sciences will be included in the final report in the plans for St Anne and STIC.

3. Marketing and communications

In previous years, the board decided to reconsider the planned marketing and communication activities, based on new insights. For example, the focus will no longer be on print material, but we will work more towards digital communication. To this end, Medi Aid created its own Linkedin profile in 2022 with more than 450 (plus >25%) followers and is also active on Facebook with more than 500 followers. (plus of >35%) Medi Aid also has its own website, which is now being found by more and more people in the Netherlands and Sri Lanka

4. Internal organization

Ambassadors

In addition to a board in the Netherlands and a board in Sri Lanka consisting of Sri Lankans, Medi-Aid also has ambassadors since 2018. The intention was to develop a plan regarding the conditions that an ambassador must meet and the method of deployment, with the emphasis on addressing or participating in networks through which Medi-Aid can provide additional support for projects in the future. . As a result of all the developments, this plan has been shifted to the 2023 activity plan and has once again come to a standstill. Through the appointment in 2021 of a board member without portfolio but as an ambassador of Medi Aid, we hope to be able to further pursue/realize this in 2024. At the beginning of 2023, this Board Member moved from the Netherlands to Sri Lanka. This means that he can also focus his activities (and there are many) on cooperation with the Board of Medi Aid Sri Lanka and further development of accreditation, etc. can now take place.

Board

At the end of the 2023 reporting year, the board of Medi-Aid Holland consisted of the following people:

Martin Joziasse - chairman

Carla van den Heuvel – acting secretary

Michiel Los - treasurer

Gisela Pel – board member

Heidi Rath education

Rohan Heittiarachchi- Sri Lanka contacts and medical affairs

Paul Schoone - board member without portfolio / ambassador