Foundation van Hand tot Hand

A report from Birgit: Sister Kanthi from the Maria Nirmala Girls' centre in Negombo, sent the foundation a mail with the request to help her and the children. At the moment there is a great shortage of everything. We have to do something here, we think. We decide to go shopping with the girls and two sisters for clothes, underwear and shoes. It is wonderful to see how they arrive: a bus full of girls, two little kids from a mother who has difficulties at the moment and two sisters get out of the bus. Let them buy whatever they like and enjoy, is our order. In a few hours everything they looked for has been bought. The sisters are buying as well: they buy several metres of material and clothes for the two youngest children. After paying for everything (a  sales slip of half a metre) we first go for a drink and a nice roll with everyone. Then we walk to the Bata shop and buy shoes for all of them, including the sisters of course. The children go home with the sisters and we go to Sr. Kanthi. 50 rucksacks are bought and we have to look for lots of teaching material, notebooks, pens, compasses, rulers and so on. When everything is bought Sr. Kanthi leaves to the home again. We are expected at the home at 16.00 and when we arrive the whole place is decorated with balloons and the children are ready to welcome us.

Dances and songs are performed and it is nice to see how they do their utmost. There is a treat of icecreams and then we distribute the rucksacks. Of course hair clips for the girls and little toy animals  for the boys make the party complete. A photo of everyone with the rucksack and then the children go home again.
We drink a cup of tea with Sr. Kanthi and Wicher and I hand out the foodvouchers we bought for this home at the local supermarket the day before . She is a bit quiet of this surprise. Bart and  Marie-Louise also give some money to provide the girls with the material they need to do the one-year housekeeping training  they are going to attend and then it is time for dinner. We are tired but happy when this beautiful day comes to an end.  

Location: Negombo