Hope
Dawns
in
the
Vanni
-
Sri
Lanka,
October,
2004
by
Dr
Sam
Muthuveloe
"Thank
you
for
coming
to
our
remote
village,
to
meet
us
and
give
us
comfort
through
your
medicines
and
the
gift
of
spectacles,"
said
an
old
lady
named
Letchumi.
It
was
dusk
and
as
the
sun
was
rapidly
disappearing
over
the
horizon
and
the
gentle
warm
wind
of
the
east
was
blowing
with
thunder
clouds
gathering
overhead,
this
patient
who
had
trekked
three
hours
to
get
to
our
remote
Rural
Primary
Medical
Centre,
stood
erect
with
her
gnarled,
working
hands
clasped
together
in
front
of
her
chest,
head
slightly
bowed,
dressed
in
her
best
colourful
festival
outfit,
face
marked
with
deep
furrows
reflecting
years
of
hard
labour
and
civil
war.
There
was
something
majestic
and
yet
beautifully
simple
about
her
manner.
I
was
deeply
moved
to
my
inner
being,
as
I
realised
what
she
represented
amongst
the
people
we
had
come
to
serve
and
what
she
had
just
said.
This
took
place
at
Wadi
Vadi,
a
distant
agricultural
village
in
the
region
of
Pooneryn,
an
hour's
drive
on
a
broken
cart
track
road
from
Kilinochchi,
a
small,
yet
busy
town
of
the
Vanni
district
in
the
Northern
Province
of
Sri-Lanka.
"Your
very
presence
here
has
indeed
made
a
difference
to
our
lives
and
gives
us
hope
that
we
have
not
been
forgotten
by
the
outside
world,"
this
old
lady
went
on.
Sri-Lanka
the
resplendent
island,
once
referred
to
as
the
Garden
of
Eden
of
the
east,
named
'Serendipity'
by
the
Arab
traders
of
centuries
ago
and
famed
for
its
famous
Ceylon
Tea
and
cavalier
Cricketers,
has
been
in
conflict
with
itself
for
almost
50
years.
Since
independence
from
the
British
colonial
rule
in
1948,
two
distinct
racial
groups
of
people
have
not
been
able
to
resolve
their
differences
in
respect
to
political
ideology
and
state
governance
of
the
people.
Failed
political
agreements
of
the
late
50's
and
60's
later
led
to
a
bitter
civil
war
that
commenced
in
the
early
80's,
lasted
almost
20
years
and
left
over
70,000
dead
with
untold
damage
to
the
infrastructure,
economy
and
the
very
lives
of
ordinary
people.
Like
in
all
wars
it
is
the
innocent
civilians
caught
up
in
the
middle
who
face
the
brunt
and
hardships
of
the
viciousness
of
the
conflict.
It
is
to
this
group
of
disadvantaged
and
neglected,
hapless
people
that
the
Hope
Medical
Team,
UK
sought
to
bring
relief
and
comfort
through
care
and
concern.
It
is
to
individuals
like
Letchumi
who
feel
despondent
and
without
hope
that
we
desire
to
bring
hope
and
comfort
in
practical
ways.
Letchumi's
story
is
a
particularly
sad
one.
Her
husband
was
shot
and
killed
by
the
forces
in
the
late
80's
while
tending
to
his
paddy
field
at
midday
and,
just
a
month
after
his
death,
her
two
sons
who
were
taking
shelter
during
an
air
raid
were
killed.
Her
sorrow
and
grief
are
immense,
her
tears
have
known
no
limits.
Heartache,
malnutrition
and
poverty
are
etched
all
over
her
body.
She
looked
well
advanced
for
her
years.
At
only
55,
she
looked
like
someone
in
their
early
80's!
On
several
occasions
she
had
been
"internally
displaced,"
moving
from
place
to
place
with
her
meagre
belongings.
We
came
across
a
number
of
very
similar
stories.
The
Team
The
team
comprised
three
doctors,
Julian
Pedley,
Peter
Hill
and
Sam
Muthuveloe,
and
four
in
the
Vision
Team,
Nigel
Gibson-Horrocks,
Jonathan
Pedley,
Eileen
Weston
and
Jacqui
Watson.
This
team
worked
hard
and
tirelessly
for
the
fortnight
in
Sri
Lanka,
starting
at
sunrise
and
concluding
at
sunset.
The
demand,
as
always,
outstripped
our
resources
of
personnel,
time,
medicines
and
spectacles.
The
camaraderie,
cohesiveness
and
support
within
the
team
for
the
task
of
bringing
relief
and
comfort
to
the
needy,
despite
the
challenging
ground
circumstances,
were
without
exception.
The
choice
of
venue,
publicity,
monitoring
of
patients
and
organising
the
local
logistical
support
were
in
the
hands
of
our
hosts,
who
excelled
in
every
aspect.
We
were
moved
by
the
generous
hospitality
of
these
ordinary
people
who
gave
from
their
meagre
resources
to
a
point
of
embarrassment.
Travel
The
team
undertook
a
punishing
pace,
criss-crossing
and
travelling
the
country
of
Sri-Lanka
in
two
simple
Toyota
Hiace
vans.
The
uncarpeted,
pot-hole
impregnated
roads,
the
muddy
cart
tracks
and
bouncy
rides
all
contributed
to
a
mission
with
a
difference.
The
vehicles
took
a
battering,
as
did
the
bodies
of
the
pale-faced
occupants,
who
had
given
up
choosing
the
side
of
the
vehicle
that
had
any
suspension
left.
The
Sri
Lankan
motorists
are
a
breed
apart,
who
have
their
own
interesting
highway
code
and
road
courtesies.
Vehicles
may
have
faulty
brakes,
but
they
sure
do
have
a
state-of-the-art
horn
fitted.
Tooting
the
horn
is
a
national
past-time,
with
secret
messages
passed
between
drivers,
which
could
range
from
conveying
'thanks,'
to
'beware
I
am
coming
at
you!'
or
'watch
out,
the
local
cops
are
behind
the
tree
with
their
speed
camera!'
Often
we
thought
the
person
at
the
wheel
used
the
horn
to
feel
their
way
round
the
hairpin
bends
on
the
mountain
ranges
like
a
partially-sighted
person
using
a
white
stick!
Quiet
Times
&
Reflections
As
a
group
of
volunteers
who
share
a
common
Christian
faith,
we
met
regularly
for
morning
quiet
times
and
evening
reflections.
We
were
blessed
from
above
and
strengthened
for
the
day's
work.
We
disciplined
ourselves
to
say
grace
before
meals,
realising
how
much
our
hosts
had
sacrificed
for
our
comforts.
The
times
spent
together
in
listening
and
sharing
with
one
another
was
a
source
of
spiritual
encouragement
and
strength.
Debriefing
at
the
end
of
the
day
enabled
us
to
conclude
our
special
concerns
and
plan
for
the
next
day.
Samanala
Estate
Farm,
Norton
Bridge,
Maskeliya
This
is
nestled
in
the
beautiful,
lush,
green-carpeted,
tea-growing
hill
country
of
Sri-Lanka.
We
felt
at
home
in
the
morning
mist
and
chill,
which
gave
way
to
the
bright
beating
sun
at
midday.
The
folk
we
saw
were
from
the
tea
estates,
working
long
hours
under
trying
conditions,
contributing
to
one
of
the
leading
foreign
exchange-earning
products
of
the
faltering
economy.
They
were
from
both
the
Sinhala
and
Tamil
communities
and
from
across
the
religious
spectrum
of
Buddhists,
Hindus,
Christians
and
Muslims.
Disease-like
malnutrition
and
poverty
is
no
respecter
of
persons.
Kilinochchi,
Vanni
The
Vanni
is
jungle
terrain,
mainly
dry
and
flat
with
limited
rainfall.
Interesting
wild
life
did
roam
freely
in
these
jungles
at
one
time.
The
Chola
imperial
kings
of
South
India
in
centuries
gone
by
imported
wild
elephants
for
combat
purposes
from
these
regions.
Paddy
cultivation,
cash
crops
of
chillies
and
vegetables
were
produced
here.
The
coastline
and
fresh
water
lagoons
gave
up
its
exotic
fish
and
prawns
that
graced
the
tourist's
dining
tables.
All
this
changed
with
the
20-year
civil
war
that
saw
some
of
the
most
vicious
guerrilla
fighting
ever
seen
in
Asia.
The
once
fertile
and
vibrant
area
is
now
without
its
basic
infrastructure
of
electricity,
water
service,
functioning
schools,
hospitals
or
factories
of
employment.
Centre
for
Health
Care
We
were
invited
by
the
CHC,
an
umbrella
organisation
that
is
registered
under
the
government
of
Sri
Lanka
with
its
main
headquarters
in
Kilinochchi.
CHC
seeks
to
improve
the
health
care
of
the
population
at
large
in
the
NorthEast
through
various
worthwhile
programmes
and
projects
while
coordinating
the
work
of
the
NGO's,
foreign
individuals
and
liaising
closely
with
the
Department
of
Health.
We
worked
from
the
Rural
Primary
Medical
Centres
of
Thileepan,
and
ran
our
Clinics
at
Iyankankulam,
Wadi
Vadi,
Pooneryn,
Puliyankulam
and
Mankulam
in
the
Vanni
District.
The
healthcare
staff
running
these
centres
were
mature,
able
and
resourceful
people.
They
were
deeply
committed
to
the
local
population
and
had
undertaken
a
series
of
health
awareness
programmes
engaging
the
population
at
large
and
co-working
with
the
children
at
schools.
We
were
impressed
to
learn
that
the
Vanni
district,
that
led
the
tables
for
mortality
figures
from
malaria
in
1997,
now
has
shown
zero
figures
for
the
last
four
years
alongside
a
sharp
decline
of
morbidity
figures
following
effective
public
participant
vector
control
measures
of
the
mosquito.
There
was
a
sense
of
deep
desire
and
dedication
amongst
the
people
of
the
region
to
improve
their
lot
and
to
acquire
knowledge
and
skills.
One
could
see
agriculture
picking
up,
the
impressive
reforestation
programme
and
small
industries
sprouting.
If
given
the
opportunities
and
facilities,
growth
in
this
area
seems
assured.
The
team
assessed
the
vision
of
about
1,200
persons
and
gave
away
about
1,500
spectacles
in
all.
About
2,500
persons
were
seen
for
their
medical
concerns,
examined
and
treated
carefully.
Health
promotion
and
disease
prevention
were
emphasised.
We
gave
away
important
and
practical
medical
equipment
and
books
as
well
as
medicines.
There
is
much
more
to
be
done.
The
Need
There
is
a
need
for
small
teams
of
professionals
to
visit
on
a
regular
basis
to
encourage
and
enhance
the
Rural
Primary
Care
Centres.
The
healthcare
personnel
who
work
at
these
centres
need
a
professional
development
plan,
specific
and
sensitive
to
their
local
requirements.
This
would
require
an
ongoing,
rolling
teaching
programme.
There
is
an
urgent
need
for
professional
counsellors,
psychologists
and
psychiatrists
to
respond
to
the
deep
emotional
trauma
and
fall-out
from
the
bitter
20
years
of
civil
war
that
gripped
the
helpless
population
that
was
trapped
and
displaced
on
multiple
occasions.
Hands-on
practical
clinicians
such
as
teams
of
Primary
Care
Physicians,
Dermatologists,
Dentists,
Dental
Hygienists,
Ophthalmologists,
Opticians,
Otolaryngologists,
Audiologists
and
Physiotherapists
would
all
find
themselves
immensely
useful.
Mission
Accomplished
Since
my
return
to
the
UK,
I
have
often
been
asked
the
question,
"Was
the
mission
a
success?"
I
have
struggled
to
give
a
coherent
answer,
as
different
people
understand
the
word
success
in
different
ways.
Like
beauty
being
in
the
eye
of
the
beholde,
so
it
is
true
of
success.
We
were
invited
by
our
hosts
to
bring
professionals
to
treat
the
needy
and
to
train
and
equip
the
local
healthcare
workers
in
their
ongoing
work,
which
we
did
to
the
satisfaction
of
our
hosts.
We
have
now
been
invited
by
our
hosts
to
bring
more
teams
at
more
frequent
intervals
to
encourage
the
local
medical
services
and
to
assist
in
the
reconstruction
of
the
fabric
of
the
fractured
community.
All
members
of
the
October
Team
have
volunteered
to
return
to
Sri-Lanka
to
continue
the
work
of
the
Hope
Medical
Team
working
alongside
the
nationals
to
bring
hope
and
comfort
to
the
needy.
Hence
it
is
reasonable
to
conclude
that
the
mission
was
accomplished.
Soli
Deo
gloria
For
and
on
behalf
of
Hope
Medical
Team
UK
-
October
2004
21
Lower
Stonehayes
Gt.
Linford
Milton
Keynes
MK14
5ES
UK
STOP
PRESS
----------
STOP
PRESS
----------
STOP
PRESS
HOMSA
DINNER:
Thursday,
24th
February
2005,
7.30pm
Wilton
Hall,
Wilton
Avenue,
Bletchley,
Milton
Keynes
Tickets:
£20
available
from
Dr
Sam
Muthuveloe
on
01908
661166/668829
or
Margaret
Whiteley
on
01908
670