Small Acts of Kindness ...

Often when faced with seemingly 'huge' problems it is difficult to know where to start. For example, the project Duncan is working on will in a comparatively short period of time (less than a year) provide 18 - 23,000 permanent houses at half the cost of other donor built programmes. If you anticipate that an average of 3 people will be provided with shelter per house, then you are looking at say 69,000 individuals. Now that sounds enormous, but is actually only a drop in the ocean of what is needed here in Sri Lanka, never mind in Banda Aceh.

Similarly, when faced with the plight of 'domestic' animals trying to subsist it is tempting to throw your hands in the air and just ignore the suffering, thinking to yourself 'what can I do?' But I am pleased to report that in the face of this enormous problem there are several 'individual actions' taking place. From the chap who every morning comes to feed the steadily growing pack of hounds in the building site next door, to the guy who brings down two tupperware containers every night to the three (very contented) cats that live by the pool, to Sebastian, a gregarious, curly haired Berliner, who together with his girlfriend jumped on a plane a week after the tsunami and hasn't left (more of his actions in a moment). We met him in a coffee-shop in Hikkaduwa, the 'local' surfbreak about 3 hours south of Colombo.

Now that may sound an innocuous statement - "meeting in a coffee-shop", but I can assure you that finding a coffee-shop (by which I mean espresso coffee) anywhere out of Colombo is very, very unusual. And this brings me to another 'small act'. Said coffee-shop is run by an Australian from Noosa, called Jack. And Jack is a 'Jack', if you know what I mean. His career has spanned a number of different roles from taxi driver, to builder, to house mover etc and I get the distinct impression that he has seen things that would make your hair curl! To give you a visual, he's about 6", rugged in that Aussie way, a chain smoker, and one of the politest and most accepting individuals I've ever met. So back to his 'small act'. His coffee-shop not only serves great coffee, but is actually a means of providing decent employment prospects to the locals in an area where the traditional industry (tourism) has been decimated. Having arrived immediately post tsunami, Jack worked to provide temporary shelter to the locals. And when the immediate necesseties had been met he set about a more sustainable plan. He rented shop space, shipped over a four arm espresso machine, and now brings in 20kgs of coffee beans in his rucksack every time he goes back and forth between Oz and SL! It is staffed by locals that he 'sponsors' to work in his shop for 450rps a day. Not only do they learn a 'trade' (barista), but they're earning at least 150rps more than the average lay person.

So whilst satisfying the insatiable expat demand for a decent 'brew', Jack also does his bit. Unsurprisingly this den of philanthropic endeavour is where we met Sebastian, who turned up to the coffee-shop with a box containing not 1, not 2, but 5 puppies! They were dumped on his doorstep a week prior, about 2 weeks after he had paid for the veterinary treatment of a dog with a broken leg that also, surprise, surprise just 'appeared' on his doorstep ....

Inspired by these 'small acts', DY and I gave some cash to Sebastian for his endeavours and I am now trying to coordinate the 'desexing' of the pack of mutleys on the building site and the cats by the pool!!! Poor things I hear you say, but it really is the only way to cut the carnage in the longer term, and where better to start than in our own back yard. But in a country where veterinary care does not as a rule include desexing (post tsunami the international animal agencies had to train local vets how to conduct the operation), and where 'traditional' attitudes mean that male dogs aren't 'male' without all their 'bits', it's an uphill struggle. Add to that the logistics of trying to catch several animals that are very wary of humans ....

Anyway I'll keep you posted as to whether I manage to cajole or bribe (!) the local vet to pay a 'house visit' and do an open air surgery - I can't think how else we'll manage it.