Today was the first day of the formal teaching program in Sri Lanka.  Whilst some of the team went off to previous years villages and Sri Sumangala government school in Weligama, my group of six team members went to Kirelawela. None of us were quite sure what to expect and were slightly nervous before arriving at the school we have spent so many months talking about and raising the money to construct.  We need not have worried.  As we walked into the playground, the children rushed to the door, jostling for space to be the first to greet us; shaking our hands and excitedly welcoming in English with: ‘Hello Aunty’!  A few minutes later, a little boy was dropped at school off by his mother.  On seeing us, he seemed completely transfixed and came up to each of us in turn to shake our hands in obvious amazement.  Chuckling delightedly to himself he stroked our faces and even tweaked my nose.  I wonder if we were the first fair-skinned people he had seen?

Once all the sixteen children had arrived and had found their seats, classes began with a painting activity.  Some of the more confident, outgoing girls proudly showed us their previous artwork in their books.  They seemed particularly fond of painting flowers when allowed to do ‘free-painting’.  The Sri Lankan love of singing is evident even in young children.  Whilst working on their pictures, one or more of the girls kept bursting into songs sung in Sinhalese and quickly a chorus of other small voices joined in.  It is quite obvious that most of the children in the group are happy, outgoing and confident and they genuinely enjoy coming to school.  Neither of the teachers in the school speak much English, but once the children finished their paintings were able to use sign language to invite us to teach the children some English songs.  We began with ‘the Wheels on the Bus’ and though the children found the words difficult to learn, they readily engaged with the actions and the melody.  At 12 O’clock, the children gather in a circle to sing goodbye songs before home time.  Before going to collect their bags, they get down on their hands and knees to touch the feet of every teacher and helper as a sign of respect.  In return, the teacher signals their approval of each child by touching them on the head.  None of us were expecting the children to bow to touch our feet too and we found it quite a humbling experience.

After a huge lunch in the house of one of the villagers, we went back to the school to run some after-school activities for any of the children and villagers who wanted to come.  We did not expect that many people to attend on the first day, but around 20 young women and children arrived.  Some of the team ran an art workshop, making glittery butterflies which everybody seemed to love.  The glitter seemed to be a bit of a novelty and even the boys joined in with the activity.  The rest of the group began unpacking the resources brought from the UK by the team to help equip the school.  By the end of the afternoon, the picture books, toys and jigsaws were put out and alphabet and number posters decorated the wall, leaving the building looking much more school-like!  Towards the end of the afternoon, a very elderly man came into the school, dressed simply in a sarong and open shirt.  He was not very stable on his feet but stood for some time, watching the women and children engaged in their artwork and members of the team unpacking the resources.  After a while, he shuffled over to stand in front of me.  Placing the palms of his hands together in front of his chest he bowed his head to me, quietly saying: ‘thank you’ in English before hobbling out of the door.  Those two simple words, spoken so humbly, in such a heart-felt, sincere way was an incredibly moving experience.  It really brought home to me the significance of this project and how grateful the people of Kirelawela are that we are helping their village.  Our school will not just improve the education of the children of Kirelawela, but is providing a focal point for all of the community to use.  With such simple words, the old man has touched my life in a very memorable way.  I just hope that our work over the coming weeks will continue to leave a lasting impression on the lives of the people of Kirelawela.