German „godparents“ visiting Anura College – big surprise for Malki!

Although there are school holidays because of the Singhalese and Tamil New Year’s celebrations, visitors from Germany arrived at school to meet their scholarship child, her mother and little brother.

Both sides seemed to be quite excited, but when meeting, there was relief and much happiness. Even two of the English teachers and the Venerable High Priest welcomed the guests.

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Generous donations mean big support in different fields

The German text reports about three different charity projects that mean big help for students in general and paricular help in an individual case. You may have a look at the pictures in the German version:

– the new instrument “Sarpinawa”, which offers big help in music lessons for teachers and students

– the wood carving project at Rohana Special School that will last for one year and can help some of the handicapped deaf students to make their living in future,

– and a generous donation of a German sponsor to support an old girl of Anura College, whose mother suffers from cancer. This donation might help the family to pay for medicine and might enable the young girl to continue her studies. There was even a collection among Anura teachers who showed remarkable generosity to support their former student.

Bohome istuti!

First visit at the new Lord-Mayor’s office in Neuwied

President Mr. Bernd Mertgen and Vice President Mrs. Edeltrud Pinger attended a meeting at the urban administration of Neuwied and were happy to accept the Lord Mayor’s invitation. For the board members it is important to know that the first citizen, the Lord Mayor of the town, Mr. Jan Einig, appreciates the association’s activities. He represents the town of Neuwied, and the name of this town is part of our name: Neuwied-Matara-Friendship Association. His predecessor, late Mr. Nikolaus Roth, was a member of this association and travelled twice to Sri Lanka to visit Matara and our projects. For us, it is important to know that we can rely on the new Lord Mayor’s support as well. We first met him at the Annual General Meeting in January, and he was deeply impressed – as he told us – because of the enormous commitment proved by the useful and helpful projects at Matara Schools during the last 13 years.

Mr. Jan Einig granted more than one hour of his precious time to his visitors. He promised to give us support whenever possible, using valuable contacts and appreciate our activities, and even to become a member of our association. Thank you very much, Sir! Bohome istuti!

Regular and interesting correspondence with German sponsors

Scholarship students and their English teacher, Mrs. Isha, meet from time to time in Anura library to write letters in English to their German sponsor parents. The older ones, grades 8 – 13, are already quite good at writing in English. The younger ones are supported by the teacher or by other students who can do it more easily. But, they also can write in their mother tongue Sinhala if they want, because there are two members from Sri Lanka in the German Association Board: our manager, Mr. Sagara Abegunewardene, and board member Mrs. Vindya Schmalz, and they will help to translate whenever possible.

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Pure , clear sounds with the help of the new „Sarpinawa“

Last year already, music teacher, Mrs. Chintha, asked our Vice-president to donate a new instrument for music lessons at Anura College, because the old one was really ruined and defect. It’s really different from traditional Singhalese instruments. You have to play the keys with your right hand and operate a kind of bellows with your left hand. Different from traditional Singhalese instruments, this object can be helpful to read music, learn about Western tunes and get insight into classic music or modern Western elements of music. Teachers, trained in this field, can be called “teacher of Western music”. (more…)

First exhibition of wood-carving at Rohana Special School

That’s the result of the first four months of mask-woodcarving programme at Rohana Special School in Matara for deaf students. The exhibition took place on Wednesday, February 20^th  2018.Activities were started by Neuwied-Matara Friendship Association and supported by donations of Lions Club Maria-Laach and the Ministry of the Interior of the federal state Rhineland-Palatinate. This programme is meant to offer chances for the future of these deaf boys, which will be very important for handicapped young people.

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News from the Manthinda Temple School

It’s time to report a bit about a particular activity at Manthinda Temple School. This boys’ school is situated on the same premises as Anura College where most of our scholarship students are schooling. Nearly five years ago, Neuwied-Matara-Friendship-Association donated a big music and dance room which can be used by both and where talented boys and girls can practice with their ambitious teachers. These dances are part of the long and impressive tradition in Sri Lanka. Of course, boys can play and enjoy cricket, for example, but a lot of them also enjoy the traditional dances which are a compulsory part of the syllabus. (more…)

Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Neuwied-Matara-Friendship-Association

On Saturday January 20^th, board and members met in Neuwied to look at the year 2017 in review and to inform the audience about all the activities and projects that could be accomplished in Matara schools, particularly at Anura College and Rohana Special School. The vice president, Mrs. Edeltrud Pinger reported about her two journeys in 2017 to Sri Lanka, the first one in accompany of the president, Mr. Mertgen, the treasurer Mrs. Herta Ries and her sister Mrs. Inge Martin.

With help of a PPP (power-point-presentation) she showed lots of pictures giving inside into innovations at Anura College, improvements, new scholarships, supporting measures with regard to the monsoon rain end of May/beginning of June 2017, building a new house for a very needy family, wood-carving project for deaf students at Rohana Special School and lots more.

The board members welcomed the new Lord Mayor of Neuwied, Mr. Jan Einig, and remembered his predecessor, Mr. Nikolaus Roth, who had travelled twice to Matara and had always supported the Friendship Association as a member and “god-parent”. He died on July 2^nd and Neuwied-Matara-Friendship-Association will remember him with thankfulness and great appreciation.

The Protectress of our Association and in particular of Anura-Preschool, Princess Sophie of Neuwied, did us the honour of taking part in the meeting. She could be proud of seeing lots of improvements and good work with regard to the preschool children and the classroom, and the board members thanked her a lot for her generosity in supporting this project.

All guests, members and the board expressed their wish of continuing the useful work at these schools and particularly for the students’ sake. We all wish that the year 2018 will be as successful as the previous one. Let’s hope for it.

(Pictures can be seen in the German version – Press “Deutsch” on the top right side of this page.)

After three months’ visit in Germany, there are new tasks to fulfill in Sri Lanka

Our guest from Sri Lanka went back to her island and can help us now to look after our projects and  our scholarship students. Of course, we are doing a lot here to help her applying for a job in Germany. First, she will go on improving her knowledge of German by following German lessons at the Goethe-Institute in Colombo. We are keeping contact with companies and other places where she might get a job soon. We are sure that she will comply with requirements, considering her A-levels,  her IT-studies that she completed successfully and her traineeships. Besides, there is her knowledge, sharpness and intelligence and not to forget her ambition.

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Lions Club Maria Laach handing over great donation for Rohana Special School programme

Generous donation given by Lions Club Maria Laach to Neuwied-Matara Friendship Association that can be used to support the wood-carving programme at Rohana Special School in Matara, Sri Lanka for one year. Deaf boys will learn how to make traditional masks that can be sold for special occasions or to tourists. There will be three exhibitions (January, May and August 2018) and we all hope that this programme will help them to make a living one day. Thanks a lot to Lions Club Maria Laach. Bohome stuuti!