Sister Alex and the tsunami widows

Sister Alex is a nun from the Sacred Heart Catholic convent in Galle. She has spent many decades devoting her life to helping the poor in Asian countries and has now returned home to Sri Lanka. Every day, many people queue outside the convent waiting for help from her for money for food, medicines and other daily expenses.
After the tsunami of 2004, many women lost their husbands, their homes, their possessions and, in some cases, some or all of their children, as well as other family members. Sister Alex and her fellow nuns have initiated various projects to try and support some of the widows who depend on her help.

  • Greetings cards - Handmade cards are currently being made by the widows and we would like to develop this project by providing a UK market. We need volunteers to sell them and to transport them back to the UK, when visiting Sri Lanka.
  • Mushroom farm - A section of the convent grounds has been set aside to grow mushrooms for sale locally.
  • Produce - Part of the convent garden is used to grow fruit and vegetables for sale locally and a new initiative is to create compost to recycle convent waste and increase productivity.

These projects, while successful, don't make enough money for the many people involved. Sister Alex always appreciates donations of money, which she can then distribute to the daily callers at the convent, often desperate for support. 100% of all donations will go directly to the needy.

Some of the widows' stories

  • Priyadashani was widowed at the age of 25 and left to support a daughter, Arunodi, then aged 4 and twin boys Lahiru and Paselu, then aged 2.
  • Fatima's daughter and son-in-law died in the Tsunami, leaving her with three grandchildren to support, then aged 9, 8 and 1. She is 58 years old and has serious heart problems.
  • Nadika's husband went overseas for work and hasn't been heard from since, leaving her with a daughter, aged 10 and a son aged 4. The family live in a leaky wooden hut that costs 20 pounds a month in rent.
  • Chandrani lost her husband and son in the Tsunami. Her remaining son is 15 and she is recovering from chemo after developing cancer.

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