I can't believe my time in Sri Lanka has come to an end. I had such an incredible time, met inspirational and amazing people and truly got to experience the country (which I'll definitely be visiting again!).
For me my favourite project was the orphanage. It was the most challenging, enjoyable, emotional, frustrating and rewarding of them all (emotional roller coaster). They were all such incredible babies and little children and it was a joy to be around them, I couldn't help but get attached!
Unfortunately my last afternoon at the project wasn't a nice experience. There was only Rachel and I volunteering which is less than usual, so the staff immediately took advantage of this by stealing at least 20 of the 30 nappies that we brought (apparently they do this a lot then sell them on). This meant that almost all of the smallest babies had to have the cotton tie up nappies that fall off, resulting in wee and poo covering the beds, floors and Rachel's top!
As Rachel and I struggled to keep at least 12 agitated (and many poorly, one of which clearly had a bad fever and wasn't being treated) babies happy, all of the staff sat having tea, occasionally getting up to unnecessarily herd the older babies with a stick.
When we got home and told Janaka, a whole can of worms were opened. We learnt how corrupt the entire orphanage is, including the commissioner and matron. The orphanage receives thousands and thousands of pounds of funding each year from charities and yet most if it 'disappears' into thin air meaning that the poor babies see none of the benefits.
They receive bundles and bundles of clothes and toys, yet the babies have no toys and the toddlers have toys that should only be touched with gloves and a mask. And the clothes... there aren't even enough to go around and the clothes that are there have to go through the smell test. If I think they smell of wee, they're clean, if they stink, they're not. Something's not right there...
But worse of all, to keep the 70 babies asleep all night, so that the 2 members of night staff have a peaceful sleep, the babies are fed overdoses of cough syrup.. or worse.. au de cologne! It's sickening and the worst part is, it's not going to change.
All that can be done is for volunteers to actually spend their time there, trying to make it a better place for the babies and interacting with them so that they get some kind of stimulation. They literally only cry to be held, they can be so hungry that they're picking tiny crumbs off of my trousers or so thirsty that they're licking urine off the floor... yet their only cries are for a cuddle. It's unbelievably sad.
I also really enjoyed my time at the street kids project. The children are the loveliest most well behaved children I have ever met. The teacher is amazing and you can see how much she loves them and how much they love her. The project does so much for them, it's hard to get my head around that when they leave they're going back to a street not a home.
I also loved helping at the nurses school. It was so different to the other projects and challenged me in a different way. It was nice to chat and form friendships with the nurses, with them being around my age. You really feel appreciated and welcomed which is so lovely.
The whole experience has really brought me out of my perfect little bubble that I live in and I hope has changed me for the better. What Janaka is doing with these projects is really inspiring and I feel privileged to have been a part of it, if only for a short while.
Right now... The journey continues. Next stop, Bangkok!
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