May 2005 by Pádraig David Grant, Colombo

GOAL responded to a request for help from Prithipura Infant Homes, a Sri Lankan n.g.o. working with disabled children, that had been quite seriously affected by the Tsunami. What follows are edited extracts from material supplied by the Homes.

"First established in 1964, Prithipura strives to provide care, rehabilitation, education and training for people with disabilities. For those severely disadvantaged members of Sri Lankan society who have no family support, we are one of few organizations that can provide a loving home and assistance. For others, we support their families in particularly difficult times by providing short term services at our sites until they can return home."

The Tsunami and its immediate aftermath for Prithipura
"At the time of the Tsunami, here at Prithipura all of us were very scared. While we did not get the direct impact of the waves, we were consequently flooded quite seriously. The first reaction, for many of us there, was to get out as quickly as possible, which I guess is a normal response to any catastrophic situation. Soon though, everyone started thinking professionally about how to get the kids to safety, and checking for any who might have been washed away. The reality of what was happening was a bit like a nightmare and a dream. We quickly mobilised ourselves to get everyone out of the houses and on to the buses, checking to find out if any more waves were coming - luckily there wasn’t another wave for awhile, or at least not until we had got all the kids and had left."

"Since the aftermath of the Tsunami, the staff, volunteers and nangis (young people who have grown up at Prithipura and go on to become staff) have been totally dedicated to caring for the children. The staff who were here at the time, were so committed to ensuring the immediate safety of the children, even though almost none of them can swim. As the lake waters kept rising and getting perilously close to our buildings, the staff kept picking up the children, some of whom had no idea about what was happening or the danger they were in, to the safety of the first floor accommodation. Most of the children here have severe physical disabilities and so were not able to move to any degree to get themselves to safety, not even those in wheelchairs."

GOAL's Involvement
"In May we had a visit from Mr. John O’Shea, Chief Executive Officer of GOAL who are an international group who fund and support groups such as ours. On arrival he asked what were the most pressing needs of the organization. We identified that having a professional workforce framework in place for staff training and retention as the most critical requirement to stabilizing and improvement the quality of care we provide for our children and young adults with disabilities."

"Mr. O’Shea was able to have a look around Prithipura Infant Home and he said he was most impressed. Before the end of his visit he addressed the staff and clients and in public he announced that GOAL would consider supporting Prithipura to improve the quality of our staffing and access to trained staff though developing a professional workforce framework. We are currently working with a representative from GOAL to progress this."

What Prithipura Infant Homes Do
"Currently there are an estimated 1 million people in Sri Lanka with disabilities - a figure that is set to rise dramatically in the next decade. Due to the close linkages between poverty and disability, and the rising proportion of young disabled people, the demand for services such as ours is ever increasing and our future must focus on ensuring we can continue our work despite this."