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November saw the launch of SwimLanka in Batticaloa. The district has suffered greatly from the political situation and was for many months inaccessible, so we were especially pleased when we arranged for a pool to be opened on the beach at Batticoloa town. Batticoloa district lost nearly 3,000 men women and children to the 2004 tsunami, with a further 1,091 persons missing, so the importance of this location is paramount. We are unable to state whether this location or indeed further locations in the area will remain possible as the situation changes daily. At least this window of opportunity gives us a chance to help as many children as possible.
Also Zahira College in Gintota, near Galle, had it’s second graduation ceremony. Julian, Justin and Ravin attended from SwimLanka along with Robert Drummond from Friends Of The South. Kathy Meek, Stuart Bogey and Janine Magrath, all heavily involved when the tsunami struck Unawattuna on the South coast attended the ceremony. Once again the children of Zahira College showed their unrivaled hospitality.
The permanent swimming pool in Galle took another step forward with a final meeting at the Lighthouse Hotel. At this stage we hope to see building start in the New Year, with the foundation stone to be layed at the end of December. Due to the size of the land, the pool will be a four lane, 25m pool purely with teaching children to swim in mind. We hope this will be the first of many around the coastline of Sri Lanka as we enter into the second stage of the project.
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