Inscription:
Sri Kusumarama Viharaya
Sacred and blessed premises
This special place of worship is gratefully venerated in rememberance of the 1000’s of lives that were saved on 26th December 2004.
The villagers of Seenigama extend their heartfelt gratitude for being able to reach the sacred premises in time to escape possible death from the tsunami whilst giving shelter to 750 villagers for a period of 4 months, providing for all their needs having lost their dwellings and all other belongings.
May this sacred site continue to protect and help humanity in the most compassionate manner to reflect the greatest ever human being of phenomenal goodness and exceptional kindness – the lord Buddha.
 

Today, the sun is shining on the peaceful Sri Kusumarama temple in the small village of Seeinigama. 117 monks of all ages sit in their saffron robes and quietly consume a delicious meal prepared and served by local residents. Children play happily in the shade of the trees, and there’s an almost audible hum of organisation and unity as alms are given.

Just two years ago, the scene could not have been more different. In this same temple, hundreds of terrified people crammed into every available space, unable to comprehend what had happened as the tsunami crashed through the village, destroying their homes, possessions, and worse still friends and family. Some rolled on the ground in despair, out of their mind with confusion and grief.

While time has brought healing with it, the restoration of lives post tsunami requires both reflection on the past and focus on the future – that was the message from the Foundation of Goodness (FoG) as it commemorated the second anniversary of the tsunami.

The day started with unveiling two commemorative plaques, one in Sinhala, one in English, to remember those who were lost, and the sanctuary that the Sri Kusumarama temple provided. These were donated by Ally Weerasinghe (pvt) Limited, whose Managing Director Mr. Avindra Weerasinghe wished to acknowledge the special role the temple played in saving lives.

This was followed by handing out almost 240 essential school supply packs to village children, which provide all the basic necessities for the upcoming school year.

As part of FoG’s holistic approach to rebuilding lives, 20 families then received donations from FoG committees in the areas of livelihood, sports, health, environment, education, power supply for housing, children’s needs and women’s needs.

A pre-school to be built at a nearby temple was also bestowed with funds to upgrade its construction, in gratitude for the shelter the temple provided for tsunami affected villagers in the region.

Next came sponsoring of 40 Pirikara (special gifts which contain eight useful items for daily existence) to the monks from Seenigama and surrounding villages as a token of merit for the 40 people who sacrificed their lives in the tsunami. This was a heartfelt show of dedication and faith by the villagers – while they may have lost so much; they still give what they can.

In the afternoon, FoG Founder and Trustee Kushil Gunasekera provided gifts of books and leaflets to the children of the Goodness Clubs to provide inspiration for the coming year.

Finally, in an informal salute to the restorative powers of team work, a group of local players and volunteers headed to the brand new cricket pitch (sponsored by Surrey County Cricket Club) for a hit. What was to be a casual game soon became a serious show of talent and thus the Seenigama Cricket Club was founded.

Long time FoG volunteer & Project Director Shane Bayley described the joy of this moment:

“Today was not only special because of the 2nd Tsunami Anniversary. Today the Seenigama Cricket Club was born. What I saw today assures the realisation of our dream to unearth hidden cricket talent from the underprivileged youth of the Seenigama area.

I was so thrilled to see fine young players in action and others with less ability trying hard, enjoying themselves and watching the Kalupe, Sri Sumangala College and Dharmashoka College boys playing with our boys as a team.

We have the foundations of a good club now. It was truly a special day that I will remember for a long time.”

The day was a peaceful testimony to the journey taken since that catastrophic event two years ago. For those who survived the devastation, it’s been a hard road to recovery and there’s still a long way to go.

The generosity of donors from around the world who responded to the disaster by giving what they could – be that money or time – was a grand scale show of support. However, while so much help has been given to rebuild the lives of many who faced hardships even prior to the disaster, still more face significant challenges - from basic housing needs to complex social problems.

For FoG, the tsunami brought with it a multitude of challenges and potential for far reaching achievements which, paradoxically, would never have been accomplished without the wave of compassion that followed the wave of destruction.

In 2007, it will be more important than ever to remember that the chaos caused on one day will take years to overcome. With the support of donors and volunteers, the Foundation will remain dedicated to ensuring that the positive outcomes arising from the tsunami benefit those who need it most, turning this enormous setback into a blessing through developing a rural community model.

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