Plan Sri Lanka Annual Program Report 2007

146.5mm FLAP

148.5mm BACK

Challenge and change in Sri Lanka

Real progress

It’s been a busy year in Sri Lanka. Plan is working to provide better health, water and sanitation, early childhood care and education for Sri Lankan children. We’re also helping to make sure that children participate more fully in the decisions which affect their lives.

With the support of Plan, children and adults in Sri Lanka are working together to develop their communities and claim their right to a better future. And real progress is being made.

Last year, our work included:

The tsunami reconstruction programme continues to be one of our biggest challenges in Sri Lanka, and we’ve supported the construction of 160 houses in the Hambantota area this year.

Juliano Fernando, Plan’s Country Director, comments: “We recognise that one of our key challenges for the future is to continue to encourage men, women and children to take full part in all areas of our work.”

In this Country Progress Report, we focus on one community among many where Plan’s work with the local people to provide better water supply and sanitation has had a fantastic positive impact.

Sri Lanka country facts Capital: Colombo UN Human Development Index ranking: 93rd (of 177 countries)

• Building a new school for 3,000 children and improving 14 other schools in tsunami-affected regions

• Promoting child protection through a

series of Plan-supported workshops and training sessions for police officers

• Improving village health centres and building new ones, benefiting a total of 2,000 people

families in rural areas.

People with HIV/AIDS: 5% People in rural communities without adequate sanitation: 89% Infants with low birth weight: 22%

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!

Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

LKA

Any enquiries please contact: Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.com m: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150 Size (Prod)

Colours(Prod)

Art (A/D)

Sri Lanka

• Introducing 36 new water and sanitation projects, benefiting over 9,000

(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UNICEF)

Admagic No: Bright No: Client name: File name: Date: Size: Studio proof:

p Children celebrate as part of Plan’s the completion of a new ho use built post-tsunami reconstruction work

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effort combining the hard work and determination of communities, children, volunteers, staff, and partner organisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors is a vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity and commitment that allows us to continue to help children in 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

p Children play in a newly set-up playgrou nd at a Plan-supported nursery school

Population: 19.5 million

148.5mm FRONT

0407 100647 PLAN 0407_Sri Lanka 16.11.07 210x443.5mm FOLD TO A5 Client proof: 2 3 Copy (C/W)

Content (Acc.)

Country Progress Report 2007

146.5mm FLAP

148.5mm BACK

Challenge and change in Sri Lanka

Real progress

It’s been a busy year in Sri Lanka. Plan is working to provide better health, water and sanitation, early childhood care and education for Sri Lankan children. We’re also helping to make sure that children participate more fully in the decisions which affect their lives.

With the support of Plan, children and adults in Sri Lanka are working together to develop their communities and claim their right to a better future. And real progress is being made.

Last year, our work included:

The tsunami reconstruction programme continues to be one of our biggest challenges in Sri Lanka, and we’ve supported the construction of 160 houses in the Hambantota area this year.

Juliano Fernando, Plan’s Country Director, comments: “We recognise that one of our key challenges for the future is to continue to encourage men, women and children to take full part in all areas of our work.”

In this Country Progress Report, we focus on one community among many where Plan’s work with the local people to provide better water supply and sanitation has had a fantastic positive impact.

Sri Lanka country facts Capital: Colombo UN Human Development Index ranking: 93rd (of 177 countries)

• Building a new school for 3,000 children and improving 14 other schools in tsunami-affected regions

• Promoting child protection through a

series of Plan-supported workshops and training sessions for police officers

• Improving village health centres and building new ones, benefiting a total of 2,000 people

families in rural areas.

People with HIV/AIDS: 5% People in rural communities without adequate sanitation: 89% Infants with low birth weight: 22%

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!

Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

LKA

Any enquiries please contact: Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.com m: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150 Size (Prod)

Colours(Prod)

Art (A/D)

Sri Lanka

• Introducing 36 new water and sanitation projects, benefiting over 9,000

(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UNICEF)

Admagic No: Bright No: Client name: File name: Date: Size: Studio proof:

p Children celebrate as part of Plan’s the completion of a new ho use built post-tsunami reconstruction work

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effort combining the hard work and determination of communities, children, volunteers, staff, and partner organisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors is a vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity and commitment that allows us to continue to help children in 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

p Children play in a newly set-up playgrou nd at a Plan-supported nursery school

Population: 19.5 million

148.5mm FRONT

0407 100647 PLAN 0407_Sri Lanka 16.11.07 210x443.5mm FOLD TO A5 Client proof: 2 3 Copy (C/W)

Content (Acc.)

Country Progress Report 2007

148.5mm INSIDE

148.5mm INSIDE

Abandoned no more Due to its isolated location, Sumithra’s village in North-west Sri Lanka is called Walpalugama, which means ‘abandoned village’.

But while the village may be virtually cut off from the outside world, it is still home to 26 families. And the health of those families has been at serious risk because until recently there was no regular water supply and what water they could find was often contaminated.

Ten-year-old Sumithra says: “My parents used to leave for the Chena (land used for farming) early in the morning, so my sister and I had to fetch water most of the time. We had to do this even if we were sick, because water is so precious.”

Sumithra and her sister walked about five miles to and from the nearest lake each day, but the water they brought home would often be the very cause of their illnesses. Frequently the lake had been used already by animals such as cows and the water was contaminated and unsafe to drink. But with no other choice, the villagers continued to drink the water and to suffer from waterborne diseases. Children, with their less developed immune systems, were amongst those who suffered most.

p Jubilant kids enjoy the new

Plan readily agreed and visited the village several times to assess the main problems. The village did have a well, but it was unprotected and was being polluted by waste water and animal waste from the villagers’ homes.

Plan’s technical officers recommended that the well should be rebuilt and that pipes should be laid so that all the family homes could be connected to a pumping system.

A mason in the village volunteered to support the building work and the villagers eagerly organised themselves into committees to work together with Plan’s technical officers on the various tasks.

water supply at Walpalugama Schoo l

Children were also falling sick because there was no proper sanitation in the village, and the latrine in the school had no water. Often, kids would miss lessons because they were too sick to attend.

A shared plan But eventually, the problems posed by poor water supply and sanitation galvanised the villagers into action.

It was they themselves who came up with some ideas about creating a water supply they could maintain. After that, they approached Plan to help with technical support and expertise for their project.

Children were included in the communication team so that they could take on some of the responsibility and feel part of the shared efforts.

Plan’s technical officers explained to the villagers how the water and pump system would operate and the kind of work the villagers would have to do in order to manage and maintain it by themselves in the future. The villagers, in turn, proved very enthusiastic and really took to their tasks.

Sumithra enjoyed watching as the building work began during the

drought season. Canals had to be dug to lay pipes but the soil was very hard.

So Sumithra, other children and villagers had to fetch water in buckets and pots from the lake to help soften the soil.

Children were included in the communication team so that they could take on some of the responsibility and feel part of the shared efforts.

In line with Plan’s technical advice, the well was dug much deeper than the villagers initially planned. A pump house was built close to the well to pump the water along the newly laid pipes.

146.5mm INSIDE

They have proper toilets, their houses are clean and because they aren’t spending hours each day collecting water, families are finding more time to be with one another.

The school also has a new latrine and school attendance is excellent as the children are no longer falling sick from water-borne diseases.

The success of the project is sending positive ripples throughout the area.

Another very positive aspect of the project has been the way the villagers have made contacts with people and officials outside their village who got involved with the programme. The villagers now feel part of a much wider community and this is bringing a whole range of new benefits to their lives, both commercially and socially.

The success of the project is sending positive ripples throughout the area and showing other villages what can be achieved when everyone works together to achieve a shared goal.

Some names have been changed for privacy and child protection reasons.

Learning new skills Full training was given to the villagers in all areas of water management so that they could improve their waste and sanitation practices. The new system included domestic latrines in all the village homes, with children themselves overseeing all the work and learning valuable skills at the same time.

Today Walpalugama is no longer in danger of becoming an abandoned village. The people don’t live in fear of the drought season and their general health has dramatically improved.

p This overhead storage tank

was built to supplement supply from

the well

148.5mm INSIDE

148.5mm INSIDE

Abandoned no more Due to its isolated location, Sumithra’s village in North-west Sri Lanka is called Walpalugama, which means ‘abandoned village’.

But while the village may be virtually cut off from the outside world, it is still home to 26 families. And the health of those families has been at serious risk because until recently there was no regular water supply and what water they could find was often contaminated.

Ten-year-old Sumithra says: “My parents used to leave for the Chena (land used for farming) early in the morning, so my sister and I had to fetch water most of the time. We had to do this even if we were sick, because water is so precious.”

Sumithra and her sister walked about five miles to and from the nearest lake each day, but the water they brought home would often be the very cause of their illnesses. Frequently the lake had been used already by animals such as cows and the water was contaminated and unsafe to drink. But with no other choice, the villagers continued to drink the water and to suffer from waterborne diseases. Children, with their less developed immune systems, were amongst those who suffered most.

p Jubilant kids enjoy the new

Plan readily agreed and visited the village several times to assess the main problems. The village did have a well, but it was unprotected and was being polluted by waste water and animal waste from the villagers’ homes.

Plan’s technical officers recommended that the well should be rebuilt and that pipes should be laid so that all the family homes could be connected to a pumping system.

A mason in the village volunteered to support the building work and the villagers eagerly organised themselves into committees to work together with Plan’s technical officers on the various tasks.

water supply at Walpalugama Schoo l

Children were also falling sick because there was no proper sanitation in the village, and the latrine in the school had no water. Often, kids would miss lessons because they were too sick to attend.

A shared plan But eventually, the problems posed by poor water supply and sanitation galvanised the villagers into action.

It was they themselves who came up with some ideas about creating a water supply they could maintain. After that, they approached Plan to help with technical support and expertise for their project.

Children were included in the communication team so that they could take on some of the responsibility and feel part of the shared efforts.

Plan’s technical officers explained to the villagers how the water and pump system would operate and the kind of work the villagers would have to do in order to manage and maintain it by themselves in the future. The villagers, in turn, proved very enthusiastic and really took to their tasks.

Sumithra enjoyed watching as the building work began during the

drought season. Canals had to be dug to lay pipes but the soil was very hard.

So Sumithra, other children and villagers had to fetch water in buckets and pots from the lake to help soften the soil.

Children were included in the communication team so that they could take on some of the responsibility and feel part of the shared efforts.

In line with Plan’s technical advice, the well was dug much deeper than the villagers initially planned. A pump house was built close to the well to pump the water along the newly laid pipes.

146.5mm INSIDE

They have proper toilets, their houses are clean and because they aren’t spending hours each day collecting water, families are finding more time to be with one another.

The school also has a new latrine and school attendance is excellent as the children are no longer falling sick from water-borne diseases.

The success of the project is sending positive ripples throughout the area.

Another very positive aspect of the project has been the way the villagers have made contacts with people and officials outside their village who got involved with the programme. The villagers now feel part of a much wider community and this is bringing a whole range of new benefits to their lives, both commercially and socially.

The success of the project is sending positive ripples throughout the area and showing other villages what can be achieved when everyone works together to achieve a shared goal.

Some names have been changed for privacy and child protection reasons.

Learning new skills Full training was given to the villagers in all areas of water management so that they could improve their waste and sanitation practices. The new system included domestic latrines in all the village homes, with children themselves overseeing all the work and learning valuable skills at the same time.

Today Walpalugama is no longer in danger of becoming an abandoned village. The people don’t live in fear of the drought season and their general health has dramatically improved.

p This overhead storage tank

was built to supplement supply from

the well

148.5mm INSIDE

148.5mm INSIDE

Abandoned no more Due to its isolated location, Sumithra’s village in North-west Sri Lanka is called Walpalugama, which means ‘abandoned village’.

But while the village may be virtually cut off from the outside world, it is still home to 26 families. And the health of those families has been at serious risk because until recently there was no regular water supply and what water they could find was often contaminated.

Ten-year-old Sumithra says: “My parents used to leave for the Chena (land used for farming) early in the morning, so my sister and I had to fetch water most of the time. We had to do this even if we were sick, because water is so precious.”

Sumithra and her sister walked about five miles to and from the nearest lake each day, but the water they brought home would often be the very cause of their illnesses. Frequently the lake had been used already by animals such as cows and the water was contaminated and unsafe to drink. But with no other choice, the villagers continued to drink the water and to suffer from waterborne diseases. Children, with their less developed immune systems, were amongst those who suffered most.

p Jubilant kids enjoy the new

Plan readily agreed and visited the village several times to assess the main problems. The village did have a well, but it was unprotected and was being polluted by waste water and animal waste from the villagers’ homes.

Plan’s technical officers recommended that the well should be rebuilt and that pipes should be laid so that all the family homes could be connected to a pumping system.

A mason in the village volunteered to support the building work and the villagers eagerly organised themselves into committees to work together with Plan’s technical officers on the various tasks.

water supply at Walpalugama Schoo l

Children were also falling sick because there was no proper sanitation in the village, and the latrine in the school had no water. Often, kids would miss lessons because they were too sick to attend.

A shared plan But eventually, the problems posed by poor water supply and sanitation galvanised the villagers into action.

It was they themselves who came up with some ideas about creating a water supply they could maintain. After that, they approached Plan to help with technical support and expertise for their project.

Children were included in the communication team so that they could take on some of the responsibility and feel part of the shared efforts.

Plan’s technical officers explained to the villagers how the water and pump system would operate and the kind of work the villagers would have to do in order to manage and maintain it by themselves in the future. The villagers, in turn, proved very enthusiastic and really took to their tasks.

Sumithra enjoyed watching as the building work began during the

drought season. Canals had to be dug to lay pipes but the soil was very hard.

So Sumithra, other children and villagers had to fetch water in buckets and pots from the lake to help soften the soil.

Children were included in the communication team so that they could take on some of the responsibility and feel part of the shared efforts.

In line with Plan’s technical advice, the well was dug much deeper than the villagers initially planned. A pump house was built close to the well to pump the water along the newly laid pipes.

146.5mm INSIDE

They have proper toilets, their houses are clean and because they aren’t spending hours each day collecting water, families are finding more time to be with one another.

The school also has a new latrine and school attendance is excellent as the children are no longer falling sick from water-borne diseases.

The success of the project is sending positive ripples throughout the area.

Another very positive aspect of the project has been the way the villagers have made contacts with people and officials outside their village who got involved with the programme. The villagers now feel part of a much wider community and this is bringing a whole range of new benefits to their lives, both commercially and socially.

The success of the project is sending positive ripples throughout the area and showing other villages what can be achieved when everyone works together to achieve a shared goal.

Some names have been changed for privacy and child protection reasons.

Learning new skills Full training was given to the villagers in all areas of water management so that they could improve their waste and sanitation practices. The new system included domestic latrines in all the village homes, with children themselves overseeing all the work and learning valuable skills at the same time.

Today Walpalugama is no longer in danger of becoming an abandoned village. The people don’t live in fear of the drought season and their general health has dramatically improved.

p This overhead storage tank

was built to supplement supply from

the well

146.5mm FLAP

148.5mm BACK

Challenge and change in Sri Lanka

Real progress

It’s been a busy year in Sri Lanka. Plan is working to provide better health, water and sanitation, early childhood care and education for Sri Lankan children. We’re also helping to make sure that children participate more fully in the decisions which affect their lives.

With the support of Plan, children and adults in Sri Lanka are working together to develop their communities and claim their right to a better future. And real progress is being made.

Last year, our work included:

The tsunami reconstruction programme continues to be one of our biggest challenges in Sri Lanka, and we’ve supported the construction of 160 houses in the Hambantota area this year.

Juliano Fernando, Plan’s Country Director, comments: “We recognise that one of our key challenges for the future is to continue to encourage men, women and children to take full part in all areas of our work.”

In this Country Progress Report, we focus on one community among many where Plan’s work with the local people to provide better water supply and sanitation has had a fantastic positive impact.

Sri Lanka country facts Capital: Colombo UN Human Development Index ranking: 93rd (of 177 countries)

• Building a new school for 3,000 children and improving 14 other schools in tsunami-affected regions

• Promoting child protection through a

series of Plan-supported workshops and training sessions for police officers

• Improving village health centres and building new ones, benefiting a total of 2,000 people

families in rural areas.

People with HIV/AIDS: 5% People in rural communities without adequate sanitation: 89% Infants with low birth weight: 22%

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!

Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

LKA

Any enquiries please contact: Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.com m: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150 Size (Prod)

Colours(Prod)

Art (A/D)

Sri Lanka

• Introducing 36 new water and sanitation projects, benefiting over 9,000

(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UNICEF)

Admagic No: Bright No: Client name: File name: Date: Size: Studio proof:

p Children celebrate as part of Plan’s the completion of a new ho use built post-tsunami reconstruction work

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effort combining the hard work and determination of communities, children, volunteers, staff, and partner organisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors is a vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity and commitment that allows us to continue to help children in 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

p Children play in a newly set-up playgrou nd at a Plan-supported nursery school

Population: 19.5 million

148.5mm FRONT

0407 100647 PLAN 0407_Sri Lanka 16.11.07 210x443.5mm FOLD TO A5 Client proof: 2 3 Copy (C/W)

Content (Acc.)

Country Progress Report 2007