Work for Widows

A ‘humanitarian aide’ project

(for surviving widows of the tsunami in Sri Lanka )

from the IMPAKTaid Foundation

Created to Help Them… Help Themselves

With forward by ~ Songwriter & Recording Artist ~ Jodi Faith

the “International Ambassador” of  the Work For Widows Trust

Forward

On August 21^st 2007 I was introduced to the ‘ Work For Widows’  project while in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia .

Very sincerely, within moments, I knew must do something, anything in order to help them, help themselves! I began to feel the heart of compassion growing within me: one beaded item at a time… one widow at a time.

As I looked at the photo of each dear widow who had created each special item, I read each little story,

“By purchasing this item you help me rebuild my life after the devastation of the tsunami.”

“By purchasing this product you help me feed myself and my children.”

“By purchasing this product you help me work to survive…”

Their words were so simple and yet so beautifully profound. The tears began to well up in my eyes.

I was ashamed to consider how long it had been since I had even remembered that tragedy…

I was astounded to consider that I might be able to help these ladies, a world away…

I would be forever grateful to discover Pamela and Jerry felt I could help them!

As I began to ponder my new role as their newly appointed “international ambassador”

I must admit to feeling rather overwhelmed and very much unprepared.

As I was quickly booked to do newspaper interviews, TV and radio spots and community awareness events, I was absolutely sure I really could help them, help themselves! As much as I was excited about the doors opening and opportunities beginning to present themselves though, I was also feeling good bit of anxiety

as I wondered how I could possibly represent the whole story and share this worthwhile cause

with it’s amazing stories of ‘hope received’…‘lives changed’…  and our dream of ‘futures secured’…

I was then led to the website and the powerful journal, Work For Widows founder, Pamela Porodo had kept  – as my anxiety subsided I knew I need only put down on paper, the simple words she had written.

Over and over as her words and the widows stories led me to tears…

I knew all I must do…  is share it with all of you.

Battered By Life’s Storms… Yes! And yet living a life they never could have dreamed possible…

Many parallels between my story and those of these wonderful women came to my mind…

I too had been a single mother – suddenly homeless and feeling no hope for my future.

I too had felt I had no marketable skills and had completely given up my ‘creativity’.

Ironically as I wrote what I thought of as ‘my jingle’  – it never dawned on me that one day in my future –

I’d be dedicating ‘my song’ to the most important humanitarian cause I know of and the widows of WFW!

Lady Of Destiny

I am proof that dreams come true and you can have it all

Ain’t no need to stand there with your back against the wall

A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step

And darlin’ – long as you have breath – You’re not finished yet

I’m a Lady of Destiny

Living my fantasies

Living abundantly, hey there! Come join me!

Footloose and fancy free

Livin’ God’s plans for me

A Lady of Destiny

Thank God I’m Me!

I used to lay in bed and hide my head and cry and sigh and pray

Couldn’t stand the thought of living though one more lousy day

Then I stood on up, Said enough’s enough

I was ready for a change!

Took my life back by the horns - Giving destiny the reins!

Journal Of Our Journey – by Pamela Porodo

As adapted from the Work For Widows Website

February 6, 2006 After many hours of wondering what the best way to let readers know what is happening in the Work for Widows program the team has decided that a journal would be a nice way to keep people informed. So today, over one year from the inception of Work for Widows; I try to start the chronicle and I wonder where to begin. To tell the whole story would take massive of words and hours to read. To share all the memories would take just as long. So magical moments and memorable times is where we will begin. On January 17th, 2005, three weeks after the Tsunami, a group of volunteers were working in a camp in Moratuwa just outside of Colombo . In a temple where the camp had been formed, hundreds of survivors were being housed in horrendous conditions. Our task at the time was to ensure that the survivors were fed, clothed and treated for ailment caused by the massive wave that hit the coastline. The monk running the temple was a gentle man that cared deeply for each person living within the walls. He approached us and asked for our help with a specific girl that was 6 months pregnant, she was hoarding medication from the other survivors and he could not get her to tell him why. We sat with her for many hours and finally the answer came. She was going to kill herself. This beautiful 21 year old girl had lost her mother, father, husband and 3 year old child in the Tsunami and without a home or family she was feared enough for her future that she felt her only option was to end her life and that of her unborn child. The medicine she had been taking from the others was pinned tightly in the inside of her skirt. Without a plan of action, I promised her that we would help her and that we would make sure she had a job and a way to take care of herself and her child if she would give me the bag and stop her plans of suicide. Between her tears and mine, I left the camp holding the bag of medicine with a promise to return. Driving back from the camp, we all sat in silence until I noticed a bead shop on the corner of a small hamlet just outside of Colombo and that’s when it came to me how to help this sweet soul. Within hours we had purchased all the requirements for her to start making jewelry and Work for Widows was born. Within a few days we had 14 women in the program that had yet to be completely designed.

Now with over 130 women in the program that have learned to manufacture over 10 different products, we look back at the beginning and smile for as the old saying goes… “a child shall lead the way”. We are pleased to report that the young 21 year old girl and her new baby are now out of the program as a marriage has taken place and a new family has begun. But she will always be our guiding light and our inspiration to go on.

Within weeks of the conception, we were making candles in Tissamaharama where another memorable moment took place. A widow of a safari driver that was killed in the Tsunami, perished by bravely trying to save people caught in the wave - came to see if we could help her and her children survive. Without a man to provide for them in this remote village, she faced poverty far beyond our imagination. Two days after we began teaching candle making, which by the way came from an old Girl Scouts book I kept from my children’s younger days; we found out that it was her birthday. We immediately asked our trusted companion, Lal; what a women would get from her husband for her birthday. In his best broken English he proudly told us that she would get a birthday-suit. After many giggles we came to realize he meant a new outfit and so we set off into the main town to purchase an outfit that would have been bought for her if her husband had not perished 5 weeks before. Wrapped in the brown paper bag we had bought the outfit in, we presented it to her with a quick and out of tune version of “Happy Birthday” and as she opened the poorly wrapped package the tears began to flow, not just from her eyes but from all of ours. This year on the 5th of Feb, I was in Tissamaharama collecting candles and teaching a new craft of coconut jewelry accessory making and had the immense privilege once again of presenting this dear soul with the gift of a new “birthday-suit”.

If a success story was to be asked, it would be of our precious Renuka.  - Renuka was found living down by the river by one of our volunteers from Switzerland , Rebekka. Prior to the Tsunami, Renuka had faced poverty with her three children but at least she had a home for them to live in. The Tsunami took even that away from her. Forced with no where to live and no income, she gave her two oldest children, two beautiful little girls; to the state orphanage so that they could at least have food in their stomachs and a roof over their heads. We assisted Renuka in securing a rental home and placing her in the program teaching her to sew. A straight stitch was the first lesson and yet she needed to produce an item so the tea towel project came to life. Within three months Renuka was sewing handbags and earning a good living, enough for her to apply for the custody of her children and bring them home. Other than the birth of my own daughters and that of my grandson, I can not think of a more miraculous day then the day we went with Renuka to bring her her girls home. It was dark when we finally arrived and the girls were excited to see their new home. We offered to bring some food in for dinner and Renuka smiled and told us that this was a day that she had dreamed of and she wanted to cook a meal for her three children in their own home. We left with the smell of onions being chopped in the kitchen and the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen. For Renuka, I felt thankful; from Renuka; I felt humbled. Each area and each place has so many memories, each smile and each tear will be forever in my mind. Pat, Michelle, Thilani, Naomi, Loren, Gail, Sue, Kumi, Gemma, Jane and each and every volunteer that has worked endless hours will forever be in my heart.

February 13, 2006 One day before the celebrated day of love, I sit and write with continued hope for the women of Sri Lanka . This week has had many challenges and numerous hurdles to climb. Our run this week was a success as the women in Matara have produced some wonderful pieces of jewelry and the women in Hikkadewa are getting better everyday with their embroidery skills. The women in Galle projects 1, 2 and 3 are learning to sew handbags now that the tents are all finished but I worry if there is a market for them. Funding is drying up as people have moved on a year after the disaster and there is little thought as to the horrific conditions these lovely people still live in. Our objective is to make the Work for Widows project self sufficient so that the livelihoods of these ladies can continue. There was good news from our trusted and dedicated volunteer Kumi, in England . In two hours she sold all of the tent bags she took with her and the majority of the jewelry. This has truly given us hope that the project will work. This week, I will have to make a run to India to buy jewelry beads and finishings as there are very few items available on the island but our purchases this time will be reduced due to the Tissamaharama ladies producing many beautiful accessories from coconut. We continue to look for items here that can be used or made into usable accessories but each idea comes with a new challenge. With each new product manufactured, we must supply the ladies with the equipment needed to make them and the training to do so. So, Happy Valentines Day to all who read this! Please remember; the saint of tomorrow needs to be shared with many to truly achieve the full meaning of love.

February 21, 2006 As the “Work for Widows” volunteer team prepares a shipment for London in the hopes of selling our wares through our ever faithful volunteers there, I sit with pride this week to tell you how far some of our brave women have come. When we first started jewelry in the camps in Moratuwa, Balapitiya and Matara; I wondered what would become of them. The women had never been exposed to the western styles of jewelry, they had never seen a Vogue or Elle magazine and yet we were expecting them to be able to make designs required in that world. The first pieces of jewelry will always stay in my heart but will also always stay in the office as no-one would buy them. They were sad small strings of cheap beads mixed together without thought to color coordination, length or design. Through-out the year many kind hearted volunteers have spent hours sitting in the hot sun showing the women color wheels, magazines and design. Many have spent their holidays working diligently to produce a necklace geared for the western world. Many times I sat and watch their faces as they looked on in absolute amazement at to what they were being showed how to produce. Many times I heard them giggle and wondered what they really thought of and what we might wear these absurd necklaces with. This week, all the laughter, tears, fun and hard work became concurrent as I stood proudly listening to the master of ceremonies announce that all of the jewelry supplied for the Academy of Design Fashion Show are unique designs made exclusively by the women of Sri Lanka. The design coordinators and directors of this show are professionals from Italy, Germany, UK and Singapore and my ladies had proven themselves and their work worthy of this class of extravaganza. My only wish was that they could have all been there with me. So to all of you that put beads on strings for endless hours over the last year - Thank you.

March 7, 2006 This was a sad week for the work for widows program as one of my dearest friends and a true founder of IMAPKTaid and the Work for Widows program has left us. Patricia Granger, or Pat as we call her; has been called back to the world of the employed after 14 months of absolute unselfish giving. Pat was with me the day we found our first widow in the Moratuwa camp and stood beside me as our program grew. Endless hours were given by this amazing woman, who shopped, organized, calculated, bargained, trained, translated, packaged, sold product and created a program that would ensure the widows of Sri Lanka a livelihood. Without her, we would not be where we are today. We will miss her rough edge, her sharp words, her demand for excellence and most of all her kindness and her unconditional love. Thank you Pat from me and every woman in the program you touched.

March 15, 2006 It has been three weeks since my last journal entry and even today I find myself running short of time. March 31^st is the year end reporting period in Sri Lanka and we want to be ready to go for auditing. Sorting through thousand of receipts allocating each area of aid and placing them in to categories such as medical relief, immediate relief, livelihood programs, medical programs, trauma relief programs, monsoon shelter program, sanitation program, boys home building program and of course the work for widows program is not an easy task. I haven't seen my women in two weeks now and I miss seeing their smiles. My only conciliation is that a wonderful volunteer and a dear friend, Naomi has been in Sri Lanka and has taken up the task of the last runs. Naomi came to IMPAKT in January 2005 just two weeks after the Tsunami and has been a major part of all of our work. Although her obligations with her work take her to numerous locations around the world, she always finds the time to come back to us in Sri Lanka . Naomi has comforted me in my days of depression, stood by me in my days of weakness and worked 24 hours a day in my days of need. Even last night she sat with me until 4am sorting through receipts and keeping the coffee coming. I am proud to say that Naomi is not the only volunteer that has given so selflessly; each and every volunteer has given to IMPAKT to make it what it is today. I am thankful for them all.

March 23, 2006 Once again our faith in the kindness of man is restored. Our volunteers Phil lipa and Rob from the UK have been working with our women in Tissamaharama on the coconut project trying to help them achieve a finished product that will be marketable in the western world. We have designed numerous pieces of jewelry with pieces of coconut as accessories and we have yet to create any as the pieces coming from the south-east are shabby to say the least. Most of these women have never thought of using coconut for anything other than food let alone worked with sandpaper or a drill. They sit and watch as we show them what we want and the look of absolute confusion comes over their faces. The thought of polishing coconut pieces and applying lacquer to them is to them absurd to say the least; and yet they meet and continue to try not only for the training salary that they receive each week but for the companionship of other women who are in similar circumstances or worse. Rob and Phil lipa came to me and informed me that in order to establish a profitable centre we needed to purchase more drill presses and have different drill bits manufactured. I hated to tell them but at the time we did not have enough money in the Work for Widows fund to be able to purchase any further equipment. Within three days the equipment was being purchased from funds that Rob had raised by writing home to friends and telling them of the requirements. So to each of Rob's friends who helped us purchase the required equipment thank you and be proud that you have made such a difference in their lives and that you have a friend like Rob who gives his time so unselfishly.

April 01, 2006  When I think of the first time I met Georg Beck from Liechtenstein in the office at IMPAKTaid, I remember a kind gentle man who proudly explained to us about the country that was his home. Little did I know that this compassionate man would help us so selflessly and help keep our program alive. Through Georg's belief in what we are doing and his endless kind-heart the Liechtenstein Red Cross became aware of our efforts. Today is the start of a month sponsored by the kind people of Liechtenstein . The President of the Liechtenstein Red Cross, H.S.H. Princess Marie of Liechtenstein has kindly donated funds to our program in order to help support the women and their work.  My only way of explaining to the women in our program who was so generously helping them was to carry a world map with me and show them the country of Liechtenstein . I think they were amazed that a country that seemed smaller than their own would be able to help them and reach so far across the world to touch their lives. With 137 women working through the program our weekly remunerations and the costs of supplies for their products are getting to be quite substantial. I only wish the people of Liechtenstein could all be here this month to see the faces of gratitude and relief in knowing that they will be able to take care of themselves and their children.

April 11, 2006 This week was a wonderful week for I got to share the special ladies of the WFW program with my sister who flew in from Canada . My sister has supported me through the entire last 15 months through her endless ear on the other end of the phone as I explained the situation here and my utter frustrations of how to help. Through her hours of collecting funds from everyone she knew, trying to help me keep this project alive and through her organizing a table in her college in Vancouver , where she teaches dental assisting; to help me sell the early products the ladies had made. Trust me; they were not an easy sell. So, she finally got to see the faces and witness the smiles as the ladies presented their work for this week. It meant so much to me to have two things that mean the world to me together. My sister was amazed at some of the new pieces that the women were making and just how far they had come. My only response was that not only is their talent improving but due to the kindness of donors like the Liechtenstein Red Cross this month; we are able to purchase jewelry supplies that are worthy of the talents the women are revealing. The ladies are all getting ready for the Singhalese New Year that happens on the 13^thand 14^th of this month and so we have all decided to break from the weekly delivery and collections and wait until Friday the 21^st to see them all again. So, as this week runs into the next; I will think of each of them and hope that this New Year will be celebrated with hope for the future and pride in their accomplishments for the year that has past.

April 21, 2006 This week has given us new hope that our program is working and that our simple ideas are making a change. Hundreds of volunteers have spent hundreds hours thinking of ways to help the women in our program make products that will be marketable in order to keep them earning a good living. We have designed candles, beach wraps, jewelry, wicker slippers, scented sachets, hand bags, Christmas decorations, clutch bags and of course Original Tsunami tent bags. Our confidence has been renewed by our limited edition stock of 3300 Tsunami tenet bags being reduced. We received a generous order for 100 bags from the UN. They were having an international conference in Colombo and wanted to give a bag to each of the delegates to demonstrate a creative usage of the decommissioned tents. On the run this week as we arrived in Galle to meet the ladies that sat for hours cutting, washing, sterilizing and sewing the bags; I was proud to inform them that their product was deemed good enough for the United Nations and that their hours of work would be hand carried all over the world by 100 UN delegates. I still wonder if they totally understand what that means or even if they ever will, but the fact that the work they are doing is selling gives me hope that the future will bring them closer to our aim and their goal of self-sufficiency. So, if you see a white, blue, yellow, grey or green bag with a big red label on it, please stop the person carrying it and say “You made a difference” and thank them on behalf of IMPAKTaid and the widows of Sri Lanka .

April 29, 2006 With the help of the Liechtenstein Red Cross, this month has seen numerous changes in the Work for Widows program. We have been able to include an additional 5 ladies from Galle into the jewelry training program. It has allowed us to purchase certain jewelry accessory requirements to keep our designs up to date and ensured that even without any sales of the products, our ladies will receive their salaries for the pieces they have completed. Learning to make jewelry appears to most like a simple process. It seems like you take a bunch of beads and string them onto wire or thread and tie them together. Trust me, this is not the case. I speak of this from first hand experience for I actually have learned to make the sample pieces that go to the ladies to copy. You can spend hours making one piece only to find one mistake and have to start all over again. Originally, we just gave beads to the ladies and tried to teach them to be creative, realizing quickly that this was not going to work. We thought we would give them a photograph of a necklace and have them copy that. As we arrived to pick up the new pieces and the ladies handed them to us with a smile of achievement – a part of my heart smiled and part of it sunk; for in each bead box was 8 necklaces exactly the same size as the picture! Not big enough for a necklace and too big for a bracelet. The realization that a full size sample piece needed to be given was confirmed. Now with over 30 ladies making jewelry in 4 different locations, creating samples has become a full time job. The month of April has brought in the New Year for the island and as we finish our final 14 hour journey around the western and southern coastline for the month, delivering the supplies to all of the ladies and paying them for the work they completed, we sit back and realize how fortunate we are each and everyday and how with the generosity of the Liechtenstein Red Cross we have been able to achieve so much.

May 11, 2006 I truly believe that this week will be remembered for one thing…. Weight allowances. Jerry flew to Bangkok with me on tickets that we had bought in a raffle in 2004. Sri Lankan airlines were kind enough to still honor this prize and we were off to shop for beads for the ladies. My usual bead shopping is in Mumbai but people had informed us that the markets in Bangkok are very diverse and extremely good for prices and so with great anticipation we hit the trail in search of Champagne market. The lanes were dark and dirty as we made our way around looking for the best deal and finally all the pieces started to fall into place. Colors and selection were everywhere and I could imagine all the beautiful pieces that our ladies could make. Packages and arrangements for delivery to the hotel were made and we made our way back to begin packing cases and getting ready to head home with 146 kilos of materials. Today, Wick and Lal headed out for the run to do deliveries, collections and salaries and I watched as they packed the van knowing that the women will be waiting in the villages for their new assignment for the week. I know they will all smile as they receive their pay and will also watch with great concentration as the new design is explained. It is amazing how a trip through the market and a few hours of organization can create a program with such hope and success. If only weight allowances were higher!

May 18, 2006 Once again, the kindness of Mr. Foster Friess and the Friends of Foster Foundation has come to the aid of the people of Sri Lanka . Friends of Foster have been involved with IMPAKTaid since the early days of our conception, helping us with funding for the Back to Work program that gave hundreds of men their livelihoods back. Their generosity purchased a van so that our Mobile Medical Unit could go into the camps and deliver medical aid and pharmaceuticals to the displaced people on the island and last but not least their support of the Work For Widows program has allowed us to purchase supplies and give salaries to many of the women training to achieve secure financial futures. As the world sees new problems and the media finds the plight on the island less marketable for their programs, many forget the people still struggling to survive. This week we have been informed that Friends of Foster will be sponsoring our Work for Widows program for an additional two months. So as we sit on the hot sand with the ladies at the temple in Hikkadewa, teaching them to bead hand bags; the weight I carry is reduced for I know I will be able to see them through for a while longer and even though they may be a forgotten part of the disaster; there are still people like Foster who care.

May 22, 2006 Late on Friday night the Work for Widows van pulls up in front of my house with the delivery that normally goes to the office. One of our most trusted and talented volunteers, Andrew Wickeramsinghe or Wicky as we call him; steps out of the van with the most disappointed expression on his face. “You are not going to like what you see!” he says as he begins to unload the first shipment of beaded bags from our ladies in Hikkadewa. As we opened each plastic bag containing their work; there were gasps, groans and laughter as we looked at what were to be lovely beaded bags. The ladies have once again surprised us with their interpretation of elegance. With their own sequence and beads; that they so graciously used with the supplies they were given; they have created…. a true and utter mess.  Lovely brown upholstery bags sewn by the ladies in Galle now adorned with bright red circles of sequence and neon blue beads surrounding the beige and ecru flowers. A few of the ladies have followed the training and used the beads supplied for the bags but out of 80 bags brought through my door, only ten will be considered a sellable item. I wish the world could see these things, just to realize when they purchase one of our items just how long and how far the women have come. It has been 5 months of training getting them to learn the basics of beading and just as we thought they were ready to create a finished item; they surprise us with their misunderstanding. So, this week we will sit in the office and strip the beads off the bags, so that when we arrive next Friday; to show them one more time; just what is required for them to be able to have a marketable product; they will not know they are redoing the same bags. Sometimes, I think I will never get them to truly understand and it worries me, for without us; what would happen to them…

May 27, 2006 This week reminds me of the old saying…  “If you don't succeed, try and try again”  After hours of removing the beads sewn on by the women of Hikkadewa from the new handbags sewn by the ladies of Galle Project 1 and 3, I realized that this project is not going to be an easy one. Maybe I have tried to take them to a level they just are not ready to achieve. My goal in all of these projects is to give them abilities that will allow them to create products that are sellable, even if WFW was no longer there to help. Trying to show them that a project completed with skill and precision will bring you more money than a product thrown together. Hoping that they will see with their own eyes, what they can achieve and what they need to strive for. Why color matching and blending in any product is so important. But for how long do I keep hoping this will happen and for how much longer can I keep going. This answer I worry lies within our generous donors and within the women themselves; I have no control over either one.  Achieving product lines that will sell and keep the program self-sufficient is still a long way off. Did I expect too much? Was I too optimistic? I knew these ladies had never done anything like this before. I knew that their culture and society did not instill creativity. But, I also knew they would be lost without help. So, we sit again in the temple yard in Hikkadewa with the sun beating down on us. Not because we choose to but because we need to. One bead at a time, one bag at a time, one woman at a time. As the sun begins to set, we say our goodbyes with hugs and smiles but I wonder and worry what will be waiting for me next Friday on collection day. Was I able to make a difference? Maybe not on the handbag beading, but I know in my heart; we made a difference in their lives.

June 2, 2006 Well, the highlight of this week has undoubtedly been the Hikkaduwa ladies' visit to Colombo . The women in Hikkaduwa do a lot of sewing. They make beautiful bags and scented sachets. It is detailed, intricate work. So when we noticed that some of the ladies were holding the bags about three feet away from their faces to sew them, we knew that something wasn't quite right. As it turns out, their eyesight was very poor, but they hadn't had the opportunity, the time or the money to be checked out professionally. Perhaps understandably, it hadn't been top of their priority list. Feeding your family and general day to day survival does seem more important. But we were determined to put that right. With the generous help of our volunteer Mary, who approached everyone she knew for a few pounds; we were able to arrange eye-tests and prescription glasses, where necessary, for all 21 women. The only hitch was that they'd have to come to Colombo to get it done. So if any of you were traveling along the Galle-Colombo road last Friday and saw a London double-decker bus with 21 women sitting on the open-top, you now know who they were. The jointly-run Impakt Aid and Teardrop Fun for Kids Program were kind enough to lend us their (slightly unusual) vehicle, and the Hikkaduwa ladies made their trip to Colombo . As you can imagine, there was much hilarity on top of the bus along the way…especially when they popped in to the Work for Widows office to see how the products that they make get packaged and sold on. The small room was jammed full of women, proudly pointing out the items they make, keenly looking at the products made by other projects and even coming up with ideas for new designs. It was a fabulous sight. They seemed quite surprised that the office wasn't bigger or more fancy. We got the impression that they had imagined ‘Head Office' as rather more luxurious. They definitely enjoyed the day, and I know they'll be happy once their glasses get delivered next week. I hope once the excitement wears off, they'll also be pleased to know that every penny of the money made with their newly corrected eyes; goes right back to them.

June 9, 2006 Volunteers. In a way, they sum up what Work for Widows is all about. Trying to help people make their lives better. This week, Kumi (one of our most dedicated volunteers) flew in from the UK for a quick visit. She breezed into the office, full of suggestions, fresh ideas for designs and contacts for funding sources. Within a few minutes, she had taken on responsibility for speaking at a fund-raising event being held in the UK next month. The day before, we had sent off a big shipment of jewelry and bags to other faithful helpers in Canada and the UK . They had asked for a lot of designs which are apparently selling well but are not certain of other items, which don't seem to be moving… despite their best efforts. It made me realize the amount of time and effort that these individuals put in, without any guarantee of a return on that investment. Volunteering takes a lot of energy and commitment. And it's not just the long-standing volunteers. We are fortunate enough to welcome a range of individuals from all over the world. Some stay for two months, some for two weeks. They all make a difference. And they all have this incredible desire to make the Work for Widows program a success. They bring their own ideas – whether it's suggestions for new designs or selling channels – and each person offers something unique. Someone they know who did x, a place they saw that was selling y, or an organization that could help us do z. There are any number of avenues we could chase down at any time. And yet we have to remember what's really important – giving these ladies a regular income. So we'll keep chasing our dream contracts, but in the meantime every single piece of jewelery or bag sold is… helping them help themselves.

July 16, 2006 Many times in the past 18 months since the Tsunami hit the coast line of the island, we hear the same phrase, “Has it really been that long, it seems like only yesterday.” You hear this in the markets when people talk about the day it happened. You hear it in the camps with the people that still live in shelters. You hear it from my women, who still morn the loss of their husbands and family members. You hear me say it as I realize that so much time has gone by since I last put my thoughts in words. It seems like only yesterday, the Hikkadewa ladies all received glasses and could finally see to do their jobs. It is very apparent in the products they are giving to us each week. Even dear Lillinona has finally got the hang of beaded a bag. Lillinona is a widowed grandmother, who is raising her two grandchildren after their parents were killed in the Tsunami.  It seems like only yesterday, Galle Project 2 ladies finally got the hang of making jewelry all except Pushpakanthi, I do not think she will ever be able to do this. I don’t think she will be able to do much other than have a beautifully toothless smile waiting for us when we arrive and a wonderful laugh as we try and explain what is wrong with the necklaces she attempted to make. Without us, she was living on the street without food or shelter; with us, she survives. How do you explain that to a person looking at a disfigured necklace on the sales rack!!  All the other areas have seen ups and downs, tears and laughter but most of all every lady has seen hope for tomorrow. Until the next time it feels like yesterday.

August 7, 2006 This last weekend has been another one for the memory books. After a 7 hour journey across the entire island, we arrived once again in Tissamaharama. Our aim is to teach the women in our group to create the beaded necklaces that go with the coconut pieces they have created. With bead boxes packed and samples and blue prints prepared, we meet our group in the home of one of the ladies. Today I will meet two new ladies who are joining our program. One lady has four small children who she is unable to send to school because she can not afford the books and another is a woman with two children who has been thrown out of her in-laws residence with the kids after her husband’s death. She and the children are homeless. We smile and shake hands and a feeling comes over me that I can only describe as guilty thankfulness. Thankful I can help them, thankful I have met them and guilty that I am thankful I am not them. With everyone ready we start and soon realize that this is going to be a challenge as the room is small and dark and without any electrical cooling assistance. By this I do not mean air conditioning, I am speaking of a fan. Twenty four people crammed into a small room huddling close together to see how to place a stopper and clasp on a tiny piece of string can truly be a life altering experience. As we continue it becomes apparent that most of these women including the ones with glasses can not see what they are doing. I ask Indrani where she got her glasses and she replies that they were her aunts and when she died she got them so she could see. After a few calls we have arranged for each woman to have her eyes tested and we will pay for the glasses. One by one the beads are placed on the thin plastic threads and a few hours later each woman has created a necklace of eight simple strings. The familiar process has begun; one stopper, one bead and one future at a time.

August 15, 2006 When Work For Widows was started it had one goal; to give a young, 21 year old, pregnant widow hope for the future. Now with 147 women that have a total of 297 children; our goal is much the same but the scale of the program is much different. Yet our core group has not changed in size. There are still only 5 direct people and 4 indirect people running the entire program. The faces and the names have changed over the past 19 months, but the dedication and commitment have not. Without them so many women would be without a means of survival and so the success of each of them needs to be recognized. Other than myself there are only three members of the original team; Lal, Kelum and my wonderful husband Jerry. Over the next few weeks, I want the pages of our journal to reflect on the work each of these wonderful people have given without thought of self.

Lal…. Lal came to IMPAKTaid in early January of 2005, from a small village that had been indirectly affected by the Tsunami, looking for aid for the people in his area. Tissamaharama was affected by the deaths of many men who worked on the south east beaches of Yala as Safari drivers. Many of these men would not have perished had they not attempted to save the people caught in the waters of this immense disaster. Without the tourists coming to the area for safari, the people of Tissamaharama had no means of income and needed help to feed themselves and their families. Lal heard of IMPAKTaid from a friend and took the long 7 hour bus ride to Colombo in hopes of finding help. I first met Lal as he walked into our offices offering his assistance if we could help him in his village. With his long frizzy hair tied in a knot, his Rastafarian t-shirt and tattooed arm, Lal looked like a person I would have been afraid of had I passed him on the street at any other moment in time. Today, Lal is one of the most loving and dedicated men I know. Each woman in our program knows that Lal will help them. He makes them laugh when they meet and he gives them encouragement to go on. No matter how many hours he has spent behind the wheel of the van, with every stop Lal greets the woman as if they were the first to be visited. He shows each one that he cares and always goes that extra mile if they are in need. I have spent hundreds of hours riding in a van with Lal as we drive the coastline visiting our women and I have learned so many things from him that I can not even mention them all. Two of the most outstanding things that he has taught me are that even without the education to read and write, a person can still thrive, raise a family and give to others. The other is that a small town girl from Canada can survive listening to a consecutive 18 hours of Bob Marley every week for a year!! Lal, a once tough safari driver now sits in the office each week helping sort beads, design new jewelry, pack bead boxes, organize fabric, assist in payroll and then driving 18 hours making sure each woman has what they need to support their family. Lal may never be known to many as more than a villager but he is nothing less than a hero and a true friend.

August 21, 2006 As I wrote last week in the journal; there are still only 5 direct people and 4 indirect people running the entire program. The faces and the names have changed over the past 19 months, but the dedication and commitment have not. Without them so many women would be without a means of survival and so the success of each of them needs to be recognized. Other than myself there are only three members of the original team; Lal, Kalam and my wonderful husband Jerry. Over the next few weeks, I want the pages of our journal to reflect on the work each of these wonderful people have given without thought of self.

Kelum… Kelum is a young man from a northern town called Haborana. He joined IMPAKT with a group of other volunteers from the UK that he had been working with from the early days of the Tsunami. Kelum is a soft and loving young man that always has a smile on his face and makes anyone he meets feel like they have known him for years. In the past 18 months since Kelum joined our group; I have never yet heard him complain even when the work hours extend past our regular 12 hour day. I have worked side by side with Kelum in camp conditions that would make a strong man weak and he still remains centered and always has that smile of  “I am here for you” on his face. Using the word angelic for a man is probably not the macho image most would like, but it is the only way I can describe Kelum… Kelum headed up the Tsunami Tent Bag project in the Galle area and spent months collecting, lugging and delivering the used tents to the ladies in order that they could create the tent bags and earn a living for themselves and their families. Each week when we visit these groups now, they always question where Kelum is that week or their faces light up when it is his turn to drive the run and he walks into their homes. Even without knowing the language they speak to one another, you can tell they all speak to him with respect and pure admiration.  When I met Kelum, I felt he has a gentle soul that had so much to give; but after working with him for almost two years now, my judgment of just how giving and loving he actually is could never have been measured. If every person in the world just had a little bit of the kindness that Kelum shows everyday, we would all live in a much better place.

August 28, 2006 This week, I once again write about the people who have truly made a difference in the lives of the widows in Sri Lanka . People who have given their lives and changed their lives to bring hope to so many others. Other than myself there are only three members of the original team; Lal, Kelum and my wonderful husband, Jerry.    

Jerry… This will be the hardest journal I have ever written. How do I explain the man who has been in my life for 25 years and has been a wonderful husband, father and friend and yet in the last two years has become a person I respect and love even more? How do I write all that he has done and all that he has given up, to help the women in our program? Sometimes there are not enough words or enough pages… When the Tsunami hit the island, my husband was in the first trucks to reach the south of the island with food, water and medicine.  Since then nothing in his life or our lives have been the same. Never would I have thought that this oilfield engineer would hold so much love for so many. Never would I have thought that he could be brought to tears when holding an orphaned baby or sit for hours helping me create samples of necklaces for ladies to make in order to survive. Jerry handles all of the financial and operational side of IMPAKTaid as well as Work For Widows. When the accounts are low and we don’t know where the next dime will come from; he finds them. When moral is down and we are all tired and frustrated, Jerry barks out a few lines and has everyone in tears of laughter and back at it again. But that is not all that Jerry does; he drives the fun bus, organizes the mobile medical unit, and has recently been on the last three buying trips for beads. Most of all, he believes in what we are doing and cares for every person at IMPAKT and for every person cared for by IMPAKT. A day I will never forget is when we brought all of the women from Hikkadewa to Colombo to have their eyes tested and buy them glasses. Jerry drove the double-decker fun bus down to Hikkadewa, loaded the women on the bus and brought them to Colombo . I met them at the optometrist and as they were stepping off the bus, my husband was there to help each of them down and make sure they all had their turn at the opportunity of being able to see. The man in my life was helping give the women without a man a helping hand. My heart melted. Without Jerry, I would never have been able to give as much as I do. Because of Jerry, I understand these women and what the loss of their husband must mean. With Jerry, I can help to give them hope and a way to survive.

September 7, 2006  As I have mentioned in my journal over the last few weeks, there have been many people involved with Work For Widows who have made a great difference in the lives of these wonderful women and their children. Those who have been with us since the beginning and those who have been with us for a short time, but when a very special person enters your life; who knows your dream and holds the same passion for helping as you do, it is truly a blessing. This is what Andrew Wickaramsinghe (Wick, as we like to call him) is to me; a blessing.

Wick… Wick is a 21 year old young man from Sri Lanka , who joined a year ago. He gave up a good career in his father’s company to come and volunteer. Wick loves to design jewelry and most of the exquisite pieces that our ladies are producing are his inspiration. Sometimes I really think you can see the love and dedication he has, in each piece as it returns from the women.  Wick never complains when the hours are long, always has a smile on his face and is the first to make fun of a bad situation and have us all in stitches of laughter rather than tears. I have spent many hours and days on the road with Wick and I have seen his love and devotion for the women in our program but even more than that, I have seen the love they have for him. Sometimes I think that even by writing this journal, I still will not be able to make people understand the hours of work that the volunteers of Work For Widows do. The sleepless nights before the run, packing the boxes of supplies for each and every women, the 4:00 am alarm that rings every Wednesday morning to be on the road by 4:30 and the soreness of the body upon returning at 9:30 pm; 17 hours later.  Most of us crawl from the van, moaning and groaning; looking for a place to lay our weary bones. Wick bounces out and announces as he sweeps past us all,  “Code Red, Over and Out!”  If I could express in words just how wonderful this young man is, I am sure it would sound unreal, but he is real and he is wonderful and he is…. well, he is WICK!

September 22, 2006 Sometimes I struggle to write in the journal as the days flow into another and the work seems to never end. With only 5 people running this program the days seem to run into the nights and a weekend… I can't remember what that means.  I hear of parties and dinners as the days pass but they are like something from the past. Our dinners are pizza delivered in a box to the office, our nights out are sitting on the steps of IMPAKT after counting beads into boxes until way after dark. Do I miss the other side of life? Sometimes. Do I ever want to go back to it? Occasionally. Would I change anything that we have done? Never. I tell the stories of Work For Widows to many new faces that come into the office offering their help. I tell of how we started and how we got to where we are. They always seem amazed at what we do and how fast we have accomplished it all. I always tell them that they are not the only ones amazed, we are too. We are amazed at how much can be done by so few with so little, not us but the women. With a single light bulb overhead while their children sleep or sitting in a garden with the sunshine on their backs, these women create pieces that succeed anything a factory can produce. Each week a box of beads is delivered and each week a box of hand made jewelry is collected. Each week a small pay packet is received and each week a woman feeds her children. Each week, with so few and so little…

October 09, 2006  Today we had a visitor come to our office. She was not an official, she was not in a four wheel drive, she came on foot from a local bus stop but to us; she was an honored guest for she was the perfect example of what we are trying to achieve. Today, Dayani B. from Tissamaharama came to see us. She stopped by on her way to the Apollo Hospital with her son. She decided that the doctor in the local village may not have fixed her son's arm correctly and she wanted a second opinion and could afford to get one. For most of us, this is a normal happening but to the ladies of our group; this is a luxury that would never have happened before. She was dressed in her finest and the shoes on her feet were new. It made me smile to see them as they walked through the office looking at all of the items that are made. She never imagined there would be so much. She looked at all of the tags the ladies have for their pieces to go on sale and a huge smile came to her face as she saw her own picture. “This is from me” she said in her best English. A sense of achievement was there as she looked at her piece a bit more closely and then with the assistance of Lal translating, she said, “I made this and now I am here, I did this didn't I.” we all stood in silence for a moment knowing that the words she had spoken were true. She had. As she walked way, we all went back to whatever we were doing before her arrival but with a different beat in our step. For we had just been reassured by our honored guest that what we were doing meant so much to so many just like Dayani B.

October 22, 2006 Another two days have whisked by me as I ran through the bead markets of Bangkok , quickly purchasing what will soon become a finished product. Our stocks were low and in need of many items in order to keep the raw materials available to the women. This time, I am fortunate to have my father from Canada with me as we push our way through the busy market lanes. He has come to Bangkok for a conference and will come back to Sri Lanka with me for a couple of weeks. I have told him many stories of the ladies and the program and it will be a wonderful experience to share this with him. The bags of beads and clasps we are carrying are heavy and our bodies are tired from the crowds and broken lanes of the market as we make our way back to the hotel. I know my Dad has been there for me so many times and yet to have him here with me helping me to keep the project going is something I can not convey. Extra baggage allowances seem like a friend to me as we pack and weigh the suitcases one by one to make sure they are not over weight. I stand on the scale as my Dad peaks over the numbers shown and announces that we still can fit another 3 of the 450 gram bags in this one. 3 more bags are 9 more necklaces and another week of work for one of the ladies…. Thank goodness for weigh scales!

November 7, 2006 This week gave me another memory that I will keep with me always. After our journey to the bead markets in Bangkok in October, it was my privilege to take my Dad with me on the weekly run. For his first days in Sri Lanka he got the luxury treatment of spending hours at the IMPAKT office helping the team unpack and inventory all we had purchased and the next few days helping repack these items into the women's individual boxes. The van arrived to collect us at 5:30 am and my Dad was up and ready to roll. After a short time, we arrived in the displaced camp in Moratuwa, where a new group of ladies are being trained to make necklaces. I watched my father's face as he saw the conditions these people live and work in and wondered just what he would say once we were back in the van. As we pulled away from the camp, a tear rolled down his face and he looked at me with that same look we all had the first time we experienced the camps. Utter disbelief as to how they can survive like that. After traveling for over 12 hours in the van and meeting all of the women in the south coast program, my very tired father had a firm idea of just what we do and why we do it. That night he said something to me that I will never forget, “People are normally measured in life by their own personal accomplishments, but how do you measure a person who made the accomplishments happen for so many others.” I think he was proud of me but more important than that, he was with me to share the glory of the accomplishments of the women I care so much for.

November 26, 2006 Today I received a gift, not just because it is my birthday but also due to the fact that hours of training and patience, doesn't always mean success when it comes to the women of our program. We have spent hours trying to figure out just what it will take to make some of the women realize just what is required of them in regards to certain standards for the retail markets around the world. The ladies in our jewelry program have seen photos of jewelry in magazines we bring them and also as they are shown samples of what a finished product should look like and they are achieving finished products beyond our expectations and those of the retail buyers. Our biggest problem is some of our ladies in our sewing groups. They are not exposed to well made garments, for the products that are manufactured here that are “good” quality are exported and those remaining are placed on the shelves in the local markets for purchase. We have spent hours explaining finishing techniques and quality completions but this does not seem to be working. “Good enough” is a common expression here and it is one that we fight on a regular basis. Large amounts of wastages are experienced once quality control is performed and the expenditures are high, but we keep struggling to teach them for only then will our work be complete. So, as I said earlier in this entry, my gift was 200 sari silk cosmetics bags that are “good enough” but with their crooked zippers, uneven edges and unfinished seams will be only “good enough” for me! But, we keep the faith, for every new day there is a new beginning……..

December 15, 2006 Today I will try and write the about a remunerated volunteer whom over the past six months has become a trusted ally and a true friend. I have tried in the past to highlight the wonderful people that have helped keep this program going but with this young lady even Webster's dictionary does not have the enough words.
Lorraine ….. Lorraine joined Work For Widows on the 15^th  of June of this year and within minutes of her arrival at the office she was involved and committed to all aspects of the program. Her gentle smile and beautifully kind eyes gave her heart away from the moment we met her. Lorraine still remarks that this is the only work she has ever done that she cried on the first day, what she doesn't know is that those tears were one of the reasons we knew she would fit in as part of our team. Working in our small group for endless hours at a time takes more than dedication - it takes a true heart. This is something that Lorraine carries on her sleeve, willing to share it with anyone who crosses her path. Lorraine has organized our inventory, worked with deliveries and collections, advised on color co-ordinations for designs, gone on the endless hour journeys of the weekly runs, patiently run training programs for the women and executed with kindness and patience anything that is needed to ensure the survival of the program. Many say that our path in life is decided for us before our choices are even presented. But I know that whoever decided that Lorraine 's path was to lead her to us must have had “wings hidden beneath their coat”.

December 30, 2006 After months of preparation today became another milestone for the Work for Widows program. Alpha Orient Lanka opened their new café, Plantation, in the international airport of Sri Lanka and our products were introduced among those of major companies manufacturing on the island. As I stood in this lovely new shop tears of pride filled my eyes and so many questions ran through my brain. What would the ladies of our small group feel if they could experience this modern airport and the unique café hosting their work? What would they think as they looked upon the beautifully designed shelves to see their work displayed? How would they express the sense of achievement that comes from their own efforts? Would they have ever dared to believe the pieces made with their hands could sit in lovely new display cases? How would they react to look upon the huge billboard marking the point of sale and see pictures of their own hands at work? Even though I show them the pictures, it is a world so far away from their own that I am not convinced they understand. It once again reminds me that at one point in my life, their world was so far away from mine, I would never have understood them either. We all see the magazine photographs and television shows depicting poverty but, it is so far away from our world, we can not truly understand until we are there. It is something that I have a hard time expressing; at times I feel so blessed to have experienced their world with them and tried to make it better; there are other times that I am thankful that life has given me more and there are other times when I fear that without this program they will be right back where they began, hungry and alone. But how to let others know, that if one person buys a necklace or a bag, it truly does make a difference in someone's life. Thank you Alpha Orient Lanka, you have helped me, help them, help themselves…

January 17, 2007 Today, marks the second anniversary of the inception of the Work For Widows program. Two years ago, we had 1 woman involved in our program. Today, 155 women and 397 children rely on us for their survival. Two years ago, we bought our first packet of beads. Today, we pack over 100 packets of beads each week. Two years ago, we began training in a camp in Moratuwa. Today, we still train women in the camps spread over 100 kilometers around the island. Two years ago, these women looked at us as if we were their hope for survival. Today, they still have the same look on their faces. Two years ago, we worried that we would be able to make this program work. Today, we know it works but worry that without funding we will not be able to continue. Two years ago, we worried about their future… Today, we still do.

February 13, 2007 With the fighting raging on our little island and the need for medical assistance in the displaced camps of the northern regions, I joined our dedicated group of volunteer doctors, nurses and pharmacists on the Mobile Medical Unit for an expedition to Kantale. We traveled four and a half hours north to reach our destination and with our medical team in place, we began to treat the needs of the people. Little did we know that this journey would not only lead us into an area needing the Mobile Medical Unit but also Work For Widows. Hundreds of families have fled the areas of fighting and as we met each patient it became painfully obvious that there was something missing; husbands, fathers, men. In just the five camps we treated, 25% of the women are widowed. With our limited funding, we struggle to keep going for the women all ready in the program. How do we take on more? The team pooled their money together and gave the children a meal for the day but we all knew it was just one day; they need a lifetime of help. As our team left the Kantale area, there was a mixture of emotions. The feeling of accomplishment for the medical mission was a success and a feeling of loss for the hundreds of women and children we left behind. But, I will hold their innocent faces in my mind as I write the next plea for funding. I will keep their desperation close to my heart as I knock on another donor's door.

February 18, 2007  As in many developing nations, the governing systems in place are a struggle to say the least. Today, we experienced that struggle, I can even say it was a battle; a battle we lost. Our shipment arrived at the port and with our documentation ready; we embarked upon the Custom Department with a sense of excitement. After hours of pleading, arguing and disappointments; we left with a sense of utter frustration. Our shipment it seems is not considered charitable, our product is not considered needed and our program is not considered valuable; not to them. What was valuable to them was what they would charge us in taxes, import fees and tariffs. When we added it all up, our shipment will cost us 100% of the value to import. Kofi Annan once stated, “Open fair trade markets offer the only realistic hope of pulling billions of people in developing countries out of abject poverty, while sustaining prosperity in the industrialized world.” I guess he forgot to inform the Sri Lankan customs of this profound idea. We have spent the past three days organizing our now “expensive” beads and preparing the deliveries for the ladies in our group. So, when you do purchase a necklace from us, understand, fair is not always a word that can relate to an individual product purchase. Fair can only relate to the person being paid the fair amount for the work they did to create it.

March 04, 2007 Today another one of those “memorable moments” happened and once again my belief in this program was renewed and fortified. I have written in the past about Renuka, one of the ladies in our program that was found by one of our volunteers two years ago, living under a piece of plastic by the river with her infant son while her two daughter were in the custody of an orphanage simply because she had no way to earn a living. I have conveyed how this program has assisted her in finding a place to live and having her daughters brought home to her, where they truly belong. When my cellular phone rang at 1:15 today, I looked at the cellular number calling me and realized I had never seen that number before. The voice on the other end of the line confirmed every statement I have ever made - that this program is needed and can succeed. The voice warmed my heart, filled me with immense pride and brought tears to my eyes. “Hello Madam,” the gentle voice said. “This is Renuka.” “I buy phone, I call you, I thanking you my life.”

March 20, 2007 With a pound of make-up on my face I sit and write this journal entry. Dressed in an outfit that accented the two year old necklace I was wearing, I jumped in a van at 5:45 am. This time it was not to head down to see my ladies but to go to the MTV television station to speak on the Morning Show in the hopes of promoting our upcoming fashion show and to talk about Work For Widows. The two announcers, Thiloshini and Kevin, are lovely people, who have a heartfelt interest in the program and what we do. The biggest hurdle I faced was what to talk about, not the content but the selection of the content. How do I explain in so little time just what this program does and what it means to me and the women involved. How do I explain the merits and the never ending need for the program in 10 minutes or less! I talked as fast and with as much accuracy as I could in the hopes of letting people know about the program. After it was all done, I jumped back in the van and headed back towards Colombo, hoping that I had said the right words, that people would be interested and that they would understand that without WFW, the women would be lost and I would be without a piece of my heart.

March 23, 2007 Magical was the word we heard over and over again last night as the guests left the first fashion show dedicated to the work of the women of Work For Widows. The show was held in the Sanctuary Spa with twelve models drapes in black fabric depicting the style of a traditional sarong worn on the island. Each piece of jewelry was revealed by the glow of candle light from a Work For Widows candle carried in a coconut shell.  With the timed precision of the models, the aromas of the incense, the subtle sounds of traditional Sri Lankan music and the beauty of the surroundings, the evening was indeed a success. No-one noticed the exhausted IMPAKT volunteers who had worked through many nights without resting getting it all prepared. Doing everything from gluing six foot by four boards together in order to mount large photographs of the women at work, to organizing jewelry to be modeled and sold to creating display boards of jewelry shown through-out the spa, to mixing fruit punch for the guests, to spending hours printing raffle tickets on our slow jet printer, to collecting glasses borrowed, food donated, etcetera, etc. etc. in order to organize the entire event using as little money as possible. No-one noticed the tired spa staff that had volunteered their time preparing the spa for a 200 guest function. No-one noticed their sore hands that carved over 200 coconuts now candle lit through-out the building that were carrying large trays serving all the drinks and food. No-one even knew that my darling daughter, Jennifer, who had spent hours making phone calls, organizing rehearsals and arranging for 12 models to be there on a volunteer basis; was now upstairs inside the models room frantically changing each girl, organizing what piece they wore, timing their entrance and exit movements, so that the show was perfect. No-one spoke of the hours that the women creating all of these beautiful pieces must have spent in their homes placing each bead and finishing each piece with perfection, in order to keep their families fed. What each guest did notice was the beauty of it all and love that had gone into making it a night to remember. But… I noticed. I noticed Lorraine yawning through her smile, Wick's laughter through tired eyes, MJ's conversations with guests as she stood on weary feet, Lal's exhaustion as he ran parking guests vehicles, Kelum's drained body as he spoke of the program, Karthiga's fatigue as she graciously thanked each guest for coming while running to ensure the spa was perfect, Larry's drained face as he timed the music and ensured the raffles were organized, Sophie's fatigue as she welcomed the guests and controlled the media and photographer's with never ending grace, Jennifer's drained body as she ran from model to model, and so many others that were dog-tired but continued to work in order to make the night…… MAGICAL.

April 20, 2007 Today is a sad day at the IMPAKT office. We are saying farewell to a wonderful person, a dedicated volunteer and a treasured friend. MJ came to volunteer with us a year ago when she arrived on the island and since that time she has been a part of the IMPAKT family just as if she was always there. I can not even add up the hours she sat on an old plastic chair checking and counting jewelry for inventory, bagging and tagging over a thousand pieces a month that come in from the women. Driving for hours to go and deliver the materials so that the women have what they need; sitting day after day in the hot sun assisting with training, so that more women can survive alone. Working late into the night to make sure an order is sent out so that we can keep the program going. Toiling straight through the night to help us make the fashion show a success but most of all for caring about each and every person in the office as if they were a part of her family. She always has a smile on her face and a giggle in her voice and tomorrow when we all arrive at the office and when her soft spoken Dutch accent isn't heard in the room and her ever helping hands are not there to guide us; we will all feel a loss. When people come together for the good of others there is an unspoken connection that is created, whether that is out of the same passion we have for aiding the needy or the simple fact that generous hearts easily relate to each other, I do not know; but I do know that there is a bond. A bond of kindness, a bond of friendship and for all of us in the IMPAKT family; a bond of gratefulness for having the honor of knowing and working with such a special person.  Words never say what we really mean, so hopefully MJ will understand if she reads this that thank you very much or “dank je wel ” is nothing in comparison to the way we really feel.

July 21, 2007 It has been three months since my last entry and life has changed in so many ways that one simple entry seems as if it will never tell the entire story. Four years ago my husband Jerry and I decided that with our retirement fund in place, we would begin an early retirement on the island of Sri Lanka . Eighteen months after our arrival tragedy stuck when the Tsunami hit the island. Our only thoughts were to help the people of this island survive. Almost three years later, our small organization struggles to keep going and Jerry and I have realized that retirement is no longer a luxury we can afford. So, at the end of April, we packed our bags and headed back to Canada in order to start a business that will help us to earn an income once again but also allow us the luxury of traveling back and forth to ensure that the women and children in our program remain safe.

The only way I can describe my feeling as I boarded the airplane knowing I was leaving for quite some time was as if someone was stealing my soul. The steward actually asked my daughter, Jenni if I was all right and had I lost a loved one and my daughter shook her head and said, “ 157 women and 294 children, please just let her be.” Being back in Canada is a strange feeling. I know it is home but I was always told home is where your heart is. My heart is on the coastline of Sri Lanka in small village and displaced camps. I tell everyone here about the program and the wonderful people involved. I also tell them of how many more dear souls there are there that need our help. I think of them daily and keep telling myself that my team will take care of them all and I know they will. I also keep asking why so many have so much and other have so little and how I can make people realize that a little from each one of them would have kept me close to the people that truly deserve to have so much more.

September 11, 2007 I am writing this entry from the lounge at the Abu Dhabi airport awaiting my flight to Sri Lanka . Moments ago a news flash came over the television that another set of earthquakes have happened and that there is once again a Tsunami warning on the island of Sri Lanka . My heart sunk as I listened to the words. So many questions flashed through my mind as I watched the footage from the devastation of 2004. Why am I here close and yet so far away? Why today of all days would this happen? Where are the IMPAKT team and are they safe? Where are the women and children I love so dearly? I know that today is the day of the WFW run, just like every week and I know that at least two of the team are on the coastline traveling to meet the women. I have tried to call and all of the lines are busy. Panic sets in and then finally I hear a ringing sound and a voce on the other end of the phone. Lorraine informs me that Wick and Lal are in Ambalangoda and have been busy driving all of our women there to high ground and are now taking anyone who wants to get off the coastline up to higher ground. “Tell them I love them and tell them to stay inland.” I say to Lorraine and she sighs and says, “They are a part of you, Pam. They won’t leave until everyone is safe.” The final boarding call has come through for my flight and I will sit on the plane in silence for the next four and a half hours until I land, only thinking one thing…… Please, let them all be safe.

September 19, 2007 I write to you tonight with a weary heart. I was relieved to find that the Tsunami had not happened when I arrived on the island and that everyone was safe. Being in the western world we forget that feeling of insecurity and fear. Even in dark moments there still is a system in place that a child will not be unfed, cold or scared. Our governments have programs to help those in need. As we set out to do the run yesterday, I was eager to see the women again and to share a few moments with them as we collect their pieces and teach them a new project for the week. I know they all await the day each week when the van arrives and they once again have a way to care for their families. Each village was a true wonder with the ladies being excited to see me and tears and hugs were shared by all. The day was extraordinarily elating until we reached the women in Galle . I could only understand a few words that Pushpa Kante was saying as she explained to us about her troubles but more than the words I could see the fear in her face. With a tear in her eye she explains to us that a man had come into her home in the night and grabbed her 15-year-old daughter and tried to drag her out of the home.  Her and her other two daughters who are eight and twelve had fought the man and screamed until the neighbors came and the man ran away. We asked her how he got in and once we arrived at her home, I realized that it was easier than we thought. Pushpa Kante has no windows in her home and only black plastic covers the openings. The thin wooden plank door only has a small lock on it that even I could break if I wanted to get in. The home we originally met her at was her in-laws home and they had thrown her out when her husband died. They can not sleep for fear that the man will come back and with only women in the home, they are targets. “We need to get iron grates for the windows and a stronger door and lock”, I said with authority when we returned to the van. Lorraine and Wick looked me in the eyes and I realized without words what was wrong. We as a small organization do not have the funds to help. We barely keep our heads above water as it is. So my weary heart asks each one of you that reads this entry to look at your doors and windows and realize that without a little help from you, we can not make Pushpa Kante and her daughters as safe as you are right now….

October 2, 2007   Tonight we arrive back in Colombo tired and stiff bodied from a long and arduous eight hour journey from Kantale. We went to Kantale to meet with the Divisional Secretary to request a permissions letter to go into the military zone to assist the women in the area that have been widowed by the war. I wrote in my journal months ago about the horrible condition these woman are living in after our travels into the area with our mobile medical van. We have finally found a donor that is willing to listen to their plight and assist us in funding a training program there. Now it is up to the Singhalese government officials to allow us entry once again. Delicately we explain who we are and what we do as Kalum and Lorraine translate every word I speak. Our biggest task is to convince him that both Singhalese and Tamil women can be in the program and that they all need our help. He listens and then tells us to write a letter to him about our plans and he will take it up to his director to see if our permissions will be granted. We stopped at a small internet cafe and quickly print a letter and fax it to his office. We called to confirm he received it and he said to call back on Wednesday and he will let us know. Did we say too much? Did we explain our plans correctly? Does he really care if they are helped? All these questions flood our minds as we wait another two days to see if we can give a few more desperate souls a little bit of hope for the future.

October 8, 2007 Our most recent contact with the District Secretary in Kantale seems to retain the same confusion as our meeting earlier this week. They are not saying we cannot come into the area but they are not giving us a letter to say we can either. Sometimes the actions of others do not have a black and white but a grey answer. This allows the people involved to have the pleasure of denying the situation should anything happen that causes negativity. In my world it is called, not sticking your neck out. So, we are still looking for a way to achieve our goal and help the displaced Tamil women from the war torn north. I was asked if I would give up on this idea and continue to concentrate on the women in the south and I am sure that my response was not what they expected….. “We will not give up until they are no longer in need, north or south.” Somehow, some way, we will figure out a way to make the “Pieces For Peace” program happen, we will find an avenue to let the woman and children that have had their homes and lives destroyed by war, know that we care about them and that we are there to make a difference in their lives.

October 26, 2007          I have written in my journal before about how precious all of our volunteers are to us but this will be the first time I write about a volunteer who has never been to Sri Lanka at all. On the 9^th of August, I was in Nova Scotia at the hotel talking to a group of people about the Work For Widows program and showing them the products that they make in the hope of selling a few items. A woman that was standing with the group spoke up and said, “This is it, this is just what I have been looking for! I want to be involved, I want to help.”

That was my first introduction to Jodi Faith. Jodi is a gospel singer who was in Nova Scotia on a music tour. She came to the hotel to try the new restaurant with the people that she was staying with. That night she said she needed to think about how she was going to do this and the next morning she arrived with plans in place and from there as they say…. the rest is history. Jodi bought over a thousand dollars in product that day as her samples, created a fax order form and set the plan in motion. She was going to take orders from all of the people she meets when she is on tour and send them to us to fill. It was a whirlwind of a morning but one I will never forget. As of today, our dear volunteer Jodi has her own full stock that travels everywhere with her in the trunk of her car. She tells everyone she meets about our program and is one of the largest distributors of the product that supports each and every woman and child of Work For Widows. Jodi’s dedication and commitment to Work For Widows once again gives me faith in the human race and hope for the future of our program. She is an inspiration and a wonderful ambassador. With Jodi’s help we continue to grow and as I have said before… thank you is just not enough.

November 18, 2007 Today we hosted the first ever High Tea at the hotel. It was a lovely day with all of the proceeds going to a local Canadian charity called The Rosanne Himmelman Foundation. The foundation helps support cancer patients in Nova Scotia with some of the necessities required for people who cannot afford them when they are ill. The magical part of the afternoon was when we announced the sale of the Christmas tree ornaments that hung beautifully on the tree in the dining room. Two hundred of the latest design of ornaments that were made by the WFW ladies were for sale with the proceeds being shared between the two organizations. Everyone there bought an ornament and we sold 192 ornaments in total. My only wish was that the ladies of WFW could have been there to see the sale of their work. I was so proud to tell the guest purchasing the ornaments about each lady that made them and just how much it would mean to them to know that they cared. It was a remarkable day for it was the first time that Work For Widows not only helped the women in our program but others in need as well.

December 5, 2007 It has been over a month now since my departure from Sri Lanka . The weather here is cold and snowy and makes me miss Sri Lanka more everyday. But more than the weather makes me want to return. It is the women and children of the program and the wonderful team that is still there keeping my dream alive. Today, I received an email from Arlene of the Canadian High Commission informing me that Angela Bogden, the High Commissioner of Canada to Sri Lanka , has approved us for the funding of the Pieces For Peace project through the Canada Fund. This means that the dream of assisting the Tamil women displaced by the war is coming closer to a reality. I sat and read the email three times just to make sure my eyes were truly reading the words correctly. Pieces for Peace began after listening to the women in our southern region areas talk about their thoughts about our journey to the north of the island to help the displaced Tamil people. Their distaste for the Tamils made me realize that once again, prejudice and hatred are born from not really knowing another person but only hearing blather of another culture. Our goal is to train 20 women from the Northern region in the art of jewelry making and then begin to create a series of 10 designs in different colors that will be made in two sections. One half of each necklace will be made by the northern women and the other half will be made by 20 of our southern women. The two halves will be exchanged so that the other women will complete the piece. With each woman’s work a letter about themselves will be written and translated each week in the hopes of both groups of women learning about the other and realizing that they are the same in many ways. They are both scared for the future, they both know poverty they both are raising their children alone and they both have lost their homes. Their only real difference is the ethnicity. If as they say “Prejudice is Ignorance” then help them learn and hopefully help to reduce the hatred. It may seem like a few village women can not make much difference but what about their children and their children’s children……

December 21st, 2007 Today my diary is not about Work For Widows but about a wonderful woman whom I had the pleasure of volunteering with on the fun bus that we ran through our main organization, Impakt Aid. Arabella Churchill came to join our team in Sri Lanka with her team from England . She has run a children’s charity called Children’s World International for years. Her love for children and her dedication to those in need has been the milestone of her life. When I first heard that Arabella, the granddaughter of Winston Churchill was going to join of team as a volunteer, I could not have imagined the caring, kind yet strong willed and straightforward woman that came through the door. I enjoyed our time together and learned so much from her in such a short amount of time. Even though she was with us for a different program her advice has influenced me in the Work For Widows program and for that I will always be grateful. Yesterday, Arabella passed away after a short battle with prostate cancer. But I know that through all of those that loved her and through all of those whom have been touched by her just like me, she will always be there in our hearts and in our philanthropy. 

January 18, 2008 I write to you today from my seat on Sri Lankan airlines as I make my way back to Sri Lanka. The next few weeks will fly by once again as all the times I have spent with the Work For Widows team and the widowed women and children involved in the program. It still amazes me that 3 years ago yesterday the Work For Widows program began. We have been faced with so many things in the past three years from dealing with the losses our women experienced, trying to locate enough beads to keep them going, to searching for enough funding to keep the program alive that it seems like only yesterday not three years ago that we gave our first packet of beads to a young woman in Moratuwa to try and keep her hopes alive for a future for her and her unborn child. As I walked towards the gate to take my flight in Toronto yesterday after spending the day’s lay-over from Nova Scotia with my daughter and my grandson Maclaine, my heart felt as if it was splitting in two. As he ran into my arms to hug me and asked me not to go; I realized that even with all the love I have for my husband, my daughters and especially for my little Maclaine; nothing can keep me from returning and fighting for the rights and the lives of the women in our program and for many, many more just like them.  

 

January 28, 2008 Today I will write once again not of the wonderful women in my program but of a wonderful person who helps to keep the program alive for the women and children who need it. Jane Hamilton has been a volunteer with IMPAKTaid and Work For Widows for three years. She has faithfully come to Sri Lanka every year to help in whatever way she can and is always there with a smile and a laugh even when you think there is nothing to smile about. She will sit for hours sorting out boxes of unpacked jewelry and ensuring the right tags go on the right products, she will load crates into the van that are almost as heavy as she is, she will sit for hours in the van to help with the run and there has never been a time that Jane has said I can’t or I won’t. I am so pleased to be here with Jane this year and to be able to spend some time with her. Jane’s dedication and passion to help other people is inspiring to me and all of the IMPAKT team. Even when Jane leaves to return to England she does not stop volunteering for she packs her bags every year full of product to sell anywhere she can and every dime returns with her the next time she arrives. To IMPAKTaid, Jane is a dedicated volunteer, to the IMPAKT team, Jane is a trusted part of the team and to me, Jane is my friend. A friend I am honored to have.

 

February 3, 2008 Today, just like yesterday and the day before, I wait to hear about my military clearance as we get closer to our dream of having women from the north-east and women from the south-west working and learning together in the name of peace. So many pieces of the project are in place and now it is just the final procedures and government approvals and we are on our way.  Our designs have been drawn and the beads have been ordered. Our training schedules are completed and now we wait to go and meet the new women that will complete the project plans.  This project is being funded by CIDA through the Canadian High Commission and the Canada Fund.   Without the assistance of the CIDA group and their belief in our project, we would never have been able to achieve this dream, to reach these women, to help them. So, while I wait for our next step to become finalized, I think of how far we have come and how many women we have helped and how thankful we are to CIDA for giving us the opportunity to make even more of a difference.

 

February 12^th, 2008 Today, Jane Hamilton and I brought a part of the Work For Widows program to the children of the Sri Jayawardene Pura Vajira Sri Rehabilitation Children’s Home. Jane as you have read about in an earlier journal has been a strong supporter of the orphanage, IMPAKTaid and the Work For Widows program. Earlier that week, Jane had supplied the orphanage with massive amounts of dry food rations but wanted to give not just essentials but some luxuries to the children. Luxuries we take for granted like a bat and ball or a few sweets. We talked about a way that we could be involved and came up with a fun idea that made the day just that much more special for the children and also for me. The ladies of the Work For Widows program had been given a design to make that would hold incense sticks for the retail market. We felt after three years they would be able to make this simple container using a bit of sari fabric, a piece of PVC pipe, a few beads and to complete them a bit of glue to hold it all together. Glue has always been a major issue with our women but we thought that maybe, just maybe we have been able to surpass the problem with teaching the techniques of finishing products. Silly us, we were terribly mistaken. Glue is still a major problem! With 40 women making 10 tubes each, we had what you could only describe as a true disaster. From 400 tubes only 98 could be used for the retail market. What were we to do with the other 302? Stuff them full of toffee candy and give them to the children at the orphanage for fun. So, for five hours we sat filling the tubes and arrived with brightly colored tubes of sweet delights. It was wonderful. A product disaster was quickly turned into a morning of fun. The children all sat as we handed out the strange tubes and wondered what they were for until we popped off the tops of two of them and showed them the riches inside. Little mouths were quickly filled with toffee and smiles were all around the room. The young girls also noticed the small strands of beads tied to the tops of the tubes and the rest of the morning was spent tying the strands to tiny little wrist and a beautiful bracelet was born. A wonderful day shared with 150 children that showed even if a disaster is created a smile can still be found.

 

February 24^th, 2008 This morning I reached another milestone. It has been over three years since the Tsunami hit the island of Sri Lanka and today I walked for the first time on the beach. It was a feeling of achievement and of the evolution of life. Three years ago, I walked these beaches trying to understand what kind of god would allow such devastation. What would be so wrong with our world that we would have to endure the loss of homes, loss of lives and more than that the loss of hope found in every face. Today for the first time, I saw the beauty in the small shells lightly embedded in the golden sand, the white caps of the waves and the smiles on the faces of the people walking hand in hand or carrying a surfboard as they headed for the sea. I experienced the evolution of life just as I experience it each time I see the women of our program and the changes in each of them as they move forward in their own life journey. My knees shook as I first stepped past the edge of the limits I had never crossed but then I felt a calming feeling that told me we all can move on from this tragedy and survive. The women in our program will move on and raise their children and I am still with them learning each day to move forward myself.

 

March 1, 2008 Military clearance is becoming more difficult as the fighting increases. The UN has informed us that clearances will not be granted for certain areas but we have been cleared to travel into the Ampara district which is below the fighting line. The Ampara district is occupied by three ethnic groups; Singhalese, Tamil and Muslim. We have met with CIDA and the High Commissioner and have been given a contact in the area to assist us in locating and qualifying the women in the area. The travel plans are in place and we are getting ready to head to the north-east region of the island. We have been informed that things are very tense in the area and that we will encounter many military checkpoints. We have also been informed that the roads are in very poor condition and that the travel time will be a minimum of 10 hours. The team decides that our best time to leave Colombo is at 4:30am before the morning traffic congestion starts and so tonight will be another night with only a few hours of rest partly to do with trying to get everything ready before we leave and partly because of the excitement we are all feeling at the trip ahead. I just hope our enthusiasm is still there after we beat our bodies up on the road to the new women in our program….. Before I lay my weary body down to rest, I thought I would finish today’s entry. We have arrived in Ampara after a grueling 14 hours on the road and the team is exhausted but I can still feel the enthusiasm about tomorrow’s meeting and the opportunity to help.

 

March 5, 2008 Tonight I write as I lie under my bug net in my room in Ampara. Through our contacts at CIDA we were invited to be a guest of the group called Foundation for Co Existense (FCE) in the Ampara district of Sri Lanka. They arranged for us to meet ladies from the area for our “Pieces for Peace” project. No matter how warm the sun was on my back today, what I experienced chilled me to the bone. I met women who would not speak to one another simply because of their ethnicity right here in the same town, sitting in the same office. I met a young Muslim girl who has no chance at a better life because her husband left her and her 2 year old daughter, simply because another woman’s family offered a higher dowry than her family. She is abandoned with no hope for the future. I met another beautiful young girl who is Tamil and had great difficulty coming to meet us because she is a widow. She is not really allowed to be outside her home, she is not allowed to attend even a family wedding simply because she is only on the face of this earth to mourn the death of her husband. She came to us in hopes of securing a job that she can do at home in order to feed herself. She is alone, has no children and will never experience motherhood because there is no way another man will accept her as a spouse. From the 17 women that we met, my heart bled for each one of them and their plight in this world. They told their stories of how their husbands lost their lives either to accident, death or murder. Some explained how there husbands were butchered by the Tamil Tiger Rebels in their villages, right in their homes. But all of them had the same story in the end. They have no way to care for themselves or their children, if they are fortunate enough to have some.

 

Then something happened that took the chill from my bones and warmed not only my heart but the soul of the team. A young Muslim women graciously walked across the room and gently placed her hand on the cheek of a Singhalese women her age and softly said, “goodbye”.  Two different warring races meeting and a kindness was created. One thing kept running through my mind as I sat and watched these wonderful women…. You are not alone, there are hundreds possibly thousands just like you that need a program like this. I alone with my small team do not have enough hours in a day, enough money to help or enough beads to give you all hope.

 

Please be sure to continue to watch the website for updates to the journal as they are posted…

In actuality the program continues… lives are changed and hope remains…

because friends choose to walk with us on this journey of hope…

 

Please Help Us…

Help Them, Help Themselves!

 

For more information regarding:

Fundraising Events… Concerts…

FairTrade Shows…Awareness Affairs…

Ladies Night Out & Fashion Shows

 

 

We also need volunteers committed to help grow the program… One hand-beaded item at a time!

 

Please contact “International Ambassador” Jodi Faith ~ 403-580-6066

                                    

I Am There  by Jodi Faith

Dedicated to the widows, their children and grandchildren

& the many WFW volunteers who walk beside them!

 

 

When your heart is hurting for a love that's lost

Or rejection's reeling from a hardened heart

And the quiet tears don't seem to want to stop

I AM THERE.

When you’re grieving deeply yet no one cares

Or your baffled by the depth of love not shared

And the pain of loss tries to overwhelm

 I AM THERE.

And the love I have for you will never end

And the hope I offer you once more extends

To the deepest, darkest place within your soul. 

I AM THERE...  I AM THERE…

The sun will shine if you will lift your head…

Take my hand in yours – I’ll be your friend

Strength and Peace will fill that void within

And together we'll start to live in Joy again.

 

You’re not alone... No, I AM THERE.   

Every moment of every day…  Please know I care!