In 2004, Sri Lanka was hit by a tsunami that destroyed the Southern province, taking with it, many people's lives, jobs, and hope for the future. Working in Matara was a particularly eye opening experience because many of my students and co-workers lives had been altered in some way by this catastrophe. The many stories of the people I interacted with day to day prompted me to learn more about what people are doing in the community to make a difference in the lives of the people who were most affected by the tsunami.
Early on in my grant, I was introduced to a cultural affairs officer at the State Department at a Fulbright function. She put me in contact with an organization called the 'Foundation of Goodness', that was helping rebuild the community of Seenigama. As a diver, I was able to volunteer with their newly opened dive shop and take tourists on ship wreck dives that revealed a lot of history and beauty of the country. The dive ship was located in Seenigama, which is believed to have been more heavily affected than other places in Sri Lanka due to the illegal coral mining that had been taking place as a source of income for many people in the village. Today, the foundation has set up a place for people in the village to take professional development courses such as conversational english, computer technology, and home economics, as a way to get back on their feet and financially provide for themselves.
The foundation's most successful project has been a diving academy that trains deep sea divers to get them jobs in the Middle East, that are usually able to support entire families on one income. As a way to keep deep sea divers in Sri Lanka, the Foundation has opened up a dive shop that takes tourists on dives on the south western coast. The dive shop helps protect the local oceanic ecosystems, prevents coral mining, and provides some financial support to the foundation. Volunteering with the foundation allowed me to educate tourists about the tsunami and its affect on Sri Lanka as well as more deeply interact with the people of the South. It was easily my most enjoyable side project in Sri Lanka and I would love to get future Fulbright scholars involved!