ABDF

Second graders at Irunuroovil

Irunuroovil (i-ru-NUR-ow-ville) is a rice farming hamlet located some 30 kilometers west of Batticaloa, deep in the interior jungle of the District. The population is scattered over a wide area, and the “downtown” of the hamlet consists of the school, a small temple, and two shacks selling basics such a snacks, onions, and sugar-packet size packages of laundry detergent. There is no mobile phone service, no electricity, no clean water, and one narrow dirt road that is more of a sand track than an actual road.

ABDF first visited the school in late 2007, shortly after the military offensive had driven the LTTE from the area, with the idea of installing a water pump so the villagers could have clean water. Just a month or so after the offensive, the school was a wreck; everything moveable, even the grills on the windows, had been looted, school records had been dumped outside and carried into the jungle by the breeze, and the toilet had been demolished. As it turned out we were unable to carry out our project; the security situation quickly became extremely unstable, what with bands of militia roaming about and running amok, and the government forbidding all foreigners from entry into the interior of the District. It wasn’t until 2009 that it was safe enough to work in the closer-in parts of the interior, and not until this year, 2010, that foreigners were allowed into the remote areas.

The school has slowly been improved since 2007

Prabha, our local partner on our various water tank projects, teaches at the school in Irunuroovil, making the long, long commute from Batticaloa town every day. It was he that approached us with this fencing project, and the unique story behind it.

The school abuts the jungle, which rears up directly behind the newly-rebuilt toilets. There are, among other animals, wild elephants. These fellows frequently cross into the school grounds on their way to the village, the houses of which lie mostly on the opposite side of the road. In doing so they do a lot of damage, seeing the school infrastructure more as something fun to easily knock down, rather than move around. The simple solution is a barbed wire fence, which the elephants don’t seem to like, made with cement posts. The problem has been, in the past, the barbed wire and cement.

Elephant damage

The LTTE occupied Irunuroovil for many years, and during this time, cement and barbed wire, seen as military assets by the government, were banned from import into the area (there was a small list of what could cross into rebel territory: food, medicine, etc). Thus the only way to get these materials into the LTTE area was by smuggling. This is how the current fence around the school was built.

Showing off classroom tools

Cement was smuggled through the line of control in Ziploc gallon-sized bags, a bit at a time. Once enough cement was brought in, each post was made. The ratio of sand mixed with cement directly bears on the strength of the cement; in this case the ratio was high and the result of poor quality.

The rolls of barbed wire were dangled off the sides of small boats which one by one slowly and silently floated through the front lines down the shallow rivers which crisscross the jungle. Sometimes this would take days, as the smugglers often had to lie still, or even retreat and start over, to avoid patrols. The result was that, between the soaking and the scorching heat, the barbed wire quickly rusted, and is now falling apart.

The World Food Programme provides a daily lunch of rice and lentils

Now there is no problem bringing these things into Irunuroovil, and so Prabha has asked us to replace the barbed wire, as well as six of the cement posts. ABDF is happy to help the school, and hopes that this will help keep the grounds pachyderm-free.

Project Completed - May 12, 2010

I’m happy to announce that the school fence in Irunuroovil was successfully repaired and re-wired last Tuesday and Wednesday, the 11th and 12th.

The jungle abuts the school grounds on two sides.

The project turned out to be very community-based. Extending over two days, all the work was done by Inrunuroovil parents, the principal, teachers (including out partner, Prabha), and the older students themselves. On both days some of the local wives got together and cooked lunch for everyone.

The first day consisted of clearing a narrow swath of jungle away from the edges of the school perimeter to allow work on the fence. Then those cement posts which had fallen but were still intact were set upright. Lastly, the few broken posts were replaced with new ones. The second day saw the actual wiring of the fence. As we had wanted to make the fence as stable and secure as possible, we had purchased a set of wire twist-clips that are used to tie down the wire at each post. This prevents the wire from slipping either up or down.

Students helped prepare the barbed wire

The overall result was a fine-looking, very sturdy fence around the entire property. The principal ad teachers, as well as the local DS (Divisional Secretary) were very pleased with the result and wish to thank ABDF and its supporters for getting the fence done so quickly and efficiently.

Even the older students pitched in

On our part, we would like to thank the school at Irunuroovil for giving us the chance to help the kids of the area, and for showing such hospitality and efficient cooperation. We particularly want to thank Prabha our partner who, as he always does, manages to find us very worthwhile projects and puts in the time and energy to make them work. We look forward to working further with Prabha, and with the school at Irunuroovil as well.

Compare this to the picture of the broken fence above. (Shot at a different angle.)