About Project

Project description

In consequence of the tsunami that has taken place in the Indian Ocean on December 26th, 2004 the Global Education Network of Young Europeans (GLEN) set up the special project “Tsunami Relief – Support and Report” in Sri Lanka. The GLEN Team consists of three participants from Poland, Latvia and Germany. They were based in Thirukkovil inside the Ampara District, the most affected region by the tsunami.

The GLEN Team was working together with the local NGO SWEIDO Vision (Social Welfare, Economic and Industrial Development Organisation). The organization is now focused on tsunami recovery activities in the Ampara district.

During the first weeks of the project the GLEN Team observed the situation in the Ampara region in order to find out needs of tsunami affected communities. As a result 2 needs become clear to the GLEN Team:

1) Social activities with tsunami affected children in temporary camps - in few camps no activities were done by any organization.

2) Geography Education - many tsunami affected people were afraid of ocean and expecting new tsunami without knowing reasons for tsunami.

Therefore the work of the GLEN Team 2005 in Sri Lanka was focused on 3 topics:

First - social activities with tsunami affected children in temporary camps included playing on the beach and building sand castles, singing songs and dancing, painting and drawing, swimming and doing sport games, and other kind activities and entertainment.

Second - geography workshops in the Ampara District. Many people, who have been affected, did not understand the reason for the tsunami and started to believe in rumours about new tsunamis. The geography workshop about the tsunami increased the basic knowledge about the reasons of the tsunami by using visual materials like hand painted and interactive maps, as well as globes. The target groups of the workshop were teachers in the project area, youth groups and school classes in the age between 12 years and older as well as interested public.

Third - report function, to inform people in home countries about developments in tsunami affected areas of Sri Lanka and progress of the GLEN project. Project webpage and mass media in home countries are means to do so.

Beside those topics the GLEN Team was supporting the local NGO SWEIDO Vision to improve its overall work. Main activities consisted of workout and production of new corporate identity materials including the design of a new logo, printing materials with help of the Latvian marketing agency “Barracuda”. Also some facilitating activities were completed including purchasing and setting up new office printer, creating and setting up new email addresses with corporate web address and others.

The three GLEN participants started their work in Sri Lanka on July 28th, 2005. Their activities in Sri Lanka ended in December 2005. After returning to Europe the participants distributed their experiences by creating photo exhibitions and held lectures for the interested public.

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