CandleAid and its recent projects
Elmo at the opening of a school library.
Source:Island
I am a lighthouse rather than a lifeboat. I do not rescue, but instead help others to find their way to shore, guiding them by my example.
That Modern Affirmation is a good beginning for my article this Sunday. Facts, figures, persons and acts of goodness crowd my mind as I sit down to word process my Sunday Island column. Thus the quotation to get me going. However, I need to change the ‘I’ in the quotation to ‘we’ which includes Capt Elmo Jayawardena, Dil Jayawardena and all those who work with CandleAid. Also, I must add that they are often rescuers too in dire situations of persons, but their goal is more to help others to help themselves.
Most certainly and definitely Elmo and Dil are shining, brilliant examples of who good human beings should be. They are unique in their caring for others and giving of themselves completely to help the less fortunate. Gordon B Hinckley’s assessment applies to these two wonderful people: The happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others. Elmo and Dil ARE a very happy twosome.
CandleAid Sri Lanka
This name is known throughout our country and in many parts of the globe where people of Sri Lankan descent live, as an excellent and very functional organization that dedicates itself to the betterment of people’s lives. Founded in 1995 by Capt Elmo Jayawardena even before he retired from piloting and training pilots at Singapore Airlines and returned to Sri Lanka, it carried the name Association for Lighting a Candle -AFLAC. In 2007 it changed its name to CandleAid Sri Lanka with the very expressive slogan
“It is better by far to light a solitary candle than to curse the darkness.” Candle Aid is founded on the conviction that every person can do something to help another irrespective of contending issues. Thus CandleAid helps anyone and everyone – of all religions, races, ages and gender, who it gets to know needs assistance.
From the very beginning Capt Elmo’s wife Dilrukshi – known to all as Dil– was co opted and soon became the livewire of the organisation as inevitably happens when a woman is strong and dedicated. She carries the designation ‘Executive Director’ but is much much more: managing the office, finances and all else with Coordinators and volunteers to help. She handles all admin matters and heads the Planning Committee alongside Elmo. It can truly be said she is the wind beneath the wings of the Founder President of CandleAid, and thus the driving force of CandleAid.
In this article, as stated in the title, I will write about three recent projects undertaken and very successfully being carried through.
Eradicating ‘fol toppi and fan cake’
The quizzical title above is how Capt Elmo introduced CandleAid’s latest project started at the beginning of 2023. It is, to quote Elmo, “an ‘out of the box’ programme to teach English to anyone who wants to learn.”
The programme covers eight weeks initially and continues to a further eight weeks of advanced training. It is entirely the brainchild of Capt Elmo. To me its most distinguishing features are its being innovative, brilliantly simple and practical. It has worked and shown positive results. To quote Elmo: “The first batch of six has finished and so has the second batch of six. The ones who went through the whole course and successfully learnt to speak English were five. Seven fell off on the wayside, but, maybe they learnt something. The five who passed speak and write better English than I ever expected. We are now on the look out to share this course with others. The course is given to any and everyone and it is free.”
Course content includes weekly reading a certain number of chapters of a prescribed book, usually a novel; essay writing of more than 100 words on a given subject; and translation of 25 Sinhala words to English. The most innovative is the telephone connections they make with Talk Mates and chat with them for prescribed periods of time. I can vouch for the often stunning success of this part of the course since I volunteered to be a Talk Mate.
I know professional males who have also offered their time, ears and voices; and persons as distant as in New York. London and Singapore, who have responded to Capt Elmo’s call for volunteer conversationalists. Elmo gave us instructions too with the reminder that though he never taught English, he has been teaching pilots for more than 50 years!
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My best Talk Partner was a graduate from a remote area who improved marvelously in her conversation in English. Of course she stumbled for words, used Sinhala words sometimes, but easy rapport existed between us and we chatted. Another was a young man, rather diffident, and yet another – a mother of three whose conversations were invariably family centered. But they chatted and improved. And I loved it.
They were certainly not confined to mere telephone talking. They had to complete set assignments like paraphrasing a stanza from a poem and analyzing it. One of my talk partners worried much about one particular poem but went into the internet and came out with a stunning assessment. They wrote set essays too. All written work was marked by Elmo. They also had to report on Sundays to their assigned Coordinator.
To quote Elmo: “CandleAid is slowly expanding the project. No one pays anything and no one gets paid anything. This is a simple way of operating on ‘Collective Kindness.’.” He ended his note on this new project thus: “This entire course is totally dependent on dedicated students and dedicated Talk Mates and Disciplined Program Organizers.”
Special Food Programme
In mid 2022 CandleAid realized they had to respond with assistance to people who were sorely affected by the prevalent economic situation in the country. They noted that those who had three meals a day reduced intake to two, and thus those who had been able to have only one solid meal a day went hungry. Hence the idea to distribute dry goods rations worth Rs 10,000 to the poorest of the poor. As Elmo writes in the fourth Interim Report on the Programme: “The painful impact was on the worn out shoulders of the poor. The worst affected were children. They were fighting a battle that was not theirs to fight. CandleAid initiated a special food programme which went into fast track action.”
The first lot of food packs were distributed on July 6, 2022; distribution handled by volunteers in different areas of the country. The number of willing volunteers is now 97. The money for foodstuff buying no sooner the idea was announced, poured in from locals and overseas donors.
CandleAid sent round to all donors a short report accompanied by photographs of distribution across the island; and accounts. A total of 1271 families have received dry ration packs and three schools given cooked midday meals. Total money collected amounts to fourteen million of which twelve million plus was spent on food packs and over one million on cooked meals. That surely is stupendous help given when poverty stalks much of Sri Lanka. The programme is on-going
Library Project
CandleAid from its inception for the last 20 years has been donating and improving school libraries in remote parts of the island. A boost to this programme was given by three ladies visiting with a massive donation of three million rupees left in her will to CandleAid by late Mrs Marie Pitiyage, a retired teacher of Methodist College, Colombo, who taught English language and literature.
Her expressed desire was that the money she left be used to install English book libraries in rural areas. Needless to say, the project was set afloat immediately; the first school library opened in Sinnakkadai, Mannar, on March 28, 2022; the most recent at Marie, Lindulla, on May 16, 2023. The recent report written by Elmo ends in his inimitable style: “That is indeed how Jane Eyre, Robinson Crusoe and the Merchant of Venice visited rural villages in Sri Lanka.”
He also addresses the benefactor thus: “Mrs Pitiyage, wherever you are, CandleAid wishes we had a way to tell you that your generous gift and wonderful intentions have been adhered to perfection. Your benevolence made a tremendous contribution and enhanced the knowledge of young school students through reading in English, as per your expressed desire.” He wishes her Blue Skies which is his unique manner of ending all his correspondence!
CandleAid most certainly creates Blue Skies for many. Over here for benefiting recipients, willing donors and volunteer workers; overseas for those who are given the opportunity to help a fellow human being in much loved Sri Lanka.
