We are in the village of Audangawa, in central Sri Lanka. It’s a day of celebration, that morning we inaugurate the association’s third computer center “Rebuild and Live”, created just after the 2004 tsunami by Patricia Wickramasinghe. Even the French ambassador made the trip.
“Initially, the association aimed to give a roof to the victims of the tsunami, and that turned into a much more educational component, with the construction of a first kindergarten, then a computer center, and that snowballs: we are very busy.”
Patricia Wickramasinghe, creator of the association Reconstruire et Vivreat franceinfo
The association works only thanks to private donations
And it was a French tour operator, Michel Salaün, who financed the brand new building, air-conditioned and equipped with a dozen computers, inaugurated that day. Cost of the operation: 25,000 euros. And it’s not a luxury: the 2,500 students of the nearest high school have 15 computers at their disposal, and the 450 neighboring college students, only one!
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Language barrier
Once the Covid-19 pandemic is over, the idea for the Frenchman is to make his investment in the village an additional asset to make new customers want to come to Sri Lanka:
“You have to attract customers to destinations beyond the price aspect, discovery and beauty of the landscapes. People are always looking for something proactive. Going to visit this village with this school, the reception of the population, it is something our customers are looking for today.”
Each group Salaun indeed spends half a day in the village.
Write to him: [email protected]
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Go further
His association “Rebuild and Live”.
Find this chronicle on the app, the website and the international mobility magazine “French abroad.fr”.