The needs assessment for the 2006 initiative in Sri Lanka was completed in July 2005 by the GEF Director of Asia, Liz Berry. After extensive preliminary research, Liz, her husband Don Gips and their three boys traveled to Sri Lanka, where twenty years earlier, Don spent a year working on community development projects. During their travels throughout the tsunami-affected region, Liz was able to identify and forge partnerships with four exceptional community leaders, who are working on behalf of vulnerable children. One of these leaders is Father Paul Satkunanaygam, who has a stellar record of humanitarian service in the war zone of Eastern Sri Lanka. He oversees eight orphanages and the Butterfly Peace Garden for children of many ethnic and religious backgrounds who have been traumatized by the civil war. Along with all of our international partners at GEF, Paul shares our belief that literacy is the key to helping alleviate poverty.
IMPROVING THE LIVES OF ORPHANS AND
|
|