ABDF

Ah, to be a fifth grader again.

Each August, the Ministry of Education gives a nationwide test to all fifth graders. In actuality, it’s a poverty eradication program. Those that get above a certain score, which changes year by year depending on how many students are tested, receives 500 rupees (about $4.50) a month through the rest of their academic career; this amount goes up to 3,000 rupees a month for those who get into university. Given that a student can have an additional 13 years of education, over the long term this can mean a lot of money. The money is meant to be spent on school supplies and uniforms, and those from families above a certain income level are ineligible.

Needless to say that the exam is very difficult; it’s designed to winnow out all but the best students. If you are a child living along the coastal strip of Batticaloa, you have a lot of advantages; schools are much better equipped, and there are many after-school “tuition” classes you can take to bone up on the exam. As a result, town-living students get almost 100% of the money.

Mary Bernadad Sithamparappilai first met Project Director Bennett Hinkley a few months after the tsunami back in 2005, before ABDF was formed. At the time he was working with a group of independent volunteers engaged in projects to help deal with the tsunami crisis. Mary told her story, which has since been verified:

A view of Peace Village.

Peace Village is a tsunami resettlement village of 100 households, which officially opened in October 2007, almost three years after the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. Most of the refugees hail from the Kattankudy area, a predominately Muslim enclave 7 km south of Batticaloa. Before the current civil conflict, Christians, Hindus and Muslims lived side-by-side in harmony. In an effort to reintegrate the various religious groups, the main sponsors of Peace Village, Muslim Aid UK, mandated that at least 25% of the households be reserved for non-Muslims. As of October 2007, all households have been filled.