Cologne, September 18th, 2020Dear readers, dear friends, After more than a year of successful work in our association, I would like to inform you about the successes and present the development of the association idea from the perspective of initial experiences. The main goal of the association is characterized by "help for self-help" - it is about promoting personal commitment and not making "money gifts" (which can be fatal in Sri Lanka) and to give help where it is urgently needed and where it ( in accordance with the goals of the statute). After my retirement in 2011, I was able to fulfill an old wish and built a house in the middle of nature in southern Sri Lanka. Since then (apart from the Corona slump this year) I have been living more than half of the year on the outskirts of the small village of Jamburegoda near Weligama, 10 minutes from the sea. Leading such a life - away from tourist customs - is only possible by living together with the people of the country in order to gain intensive insights into their way of life. For me, the most important partner was Sampath Chamara, who looks after and cares for "house and yard" all year round. A few years ago, neighbors approached Sampath with a request: They wanted white fabric for their children's school uniforms because many parents could not raise enough money for it. Although Buddhists do not celebrate Sunday as a holiday, there is a Sunday school that all the children in the village attend. There are no classes in public schools on Sundays. Then the monk and lay people of the village give instruction in the teachings of the Buddha. At that time there were 112 children. I then donated the necessary sum of money and the fabric was purchased. The villagers took this as an opportunity to organize a small festival on the temple area with songs and dances by the children. Together with village dignitaries, teachers and the policeman, I was allowed to hand each child a packet containing the white fabric. Grandmothers, mothers, aunts and sisters later made the uniforms out of it. My personal contact with the board of directors of the association https://www.tsunami-kinder-matara.de/ was a great help for my first donations. I am now a member of the association and over the years a very thriving cooperation has developed with successful support and new ideas for Jamburegoda. I would like to express my special thanks to the Management Board, Mr. Bernd Mertgen and Ms. Edeltrud Pinger. Traditionally, the "Tsunami Children Matara" association has a clear focus on supporting large schools in Matara and providing personal help through sponsorships for children. A village like Jamburegoda has completely different priorities when it comes to the needs of the people. And a non-profit association can only act within the framework of its statutes. So in 2019 I decided to found my own association with a statute tailored to the needs of Jamburegoda. The successes of the first year of the existence of our "Promotional Society Help for Self-Help" are encouraging, also or especially in times of Corona. And at this point I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the "two pillars" of the association: the donors from all over Germany and Sampath Chamara and his wife Pamoshani. Nothing would be possible without the flow of money from the donors and also not without the active help on site in Sri Lanka. The young married couple knows people's concerns and they enjoy the trust of the villagers, who trustingly turn to them when they are in need and when it comes to creating a better life together. I cordially invite you to visit our homepage and of course I hope that your donations will continue to make this success possible. I think a very big advantage of our activities is the complete transparency: All donations are used directly for the statutory goals, no money "trickles away" in an administration, everyone involved works on a voluntary basis! With warm regards (still) from Cologne, from September 10th, 2022 back in Jamburegoda!Harald HochgräfePS.: Many donors have already been there in Sri Lanka. We hope and wish to welcome you soon - it's worth it!