Helping People to Help Themselves

The Inside Story

Little Bhagya is happy. Three years old she loves to walk to her pre-school holding her mother’s hand. Her mother, Pushpa Nandani smiles as she walks her daughter.

Happiness was the last she expected of life three years ago, as she watched her husband’s lifeless body. The sudden suicide of her husband took the 32-year-old woman by a whirlwind and tossed her about shattering all hope and dreams for the future. As she lay motionless, sapped of all courage and hope she is thinking of the responsibility on her shoulders - of providing for an infant and two children less than five years old. She had no job, and absolutely no one to turn to. The burden was too heavy for her to carry. Pushpa and her children would also have suffered the same fate… if not for DEDUNU or Rainbow (ARC EN CIEL) that shined on their lives. And now, three years later, Bhagya her youngest is in Pre-School, Gayani and Lakmal, her two older children are earning a good education in accepted government schools in the vicinity. Pushpa is happy again.

				What is DEDUNU or ARC-EN-CIEL?
				What is DEDUNU or ARC-EN-CIEL?
			Dedunu or Rainbow or ARC-EN-CIEL is an association established on January 19, 1990, and began with the creation of a Crèche for infants from the age 03 months to 03 years. The primary objective was to provide the opportunity for mothers, especially single mothers, to be gainfully employed during the day, whilst their infant child is cared for at DEDUNU. In 2003, after 13 years of establishment, it has grown to a full-fledged social service organisation with: · A Crèche and Day Care Service with a capacity of tending 50/40 infants under 3 years of age. · A Pre-School with a capacity of 50 children in the age group of 3 years to 5 years. · An After-School Care Service for children from the ages of 6 years to 12 years . · And other varied programmes providing Nutritional, Medical, Sanitary and Educational Care for these poor and needy children, and Counselling, Career Guidance and Awareness Raising Programmes for their parents. Dedunu was recognised for its services to the community by the Ministry of Social Services of the Government of Sri Lanka with the Registration No L27801, (under act No.31 of 1980 amended by act No.8 f 1998) on 11 July 2001 At present, Dedunu provides for over 30 Children from 3 months to 3 years at the Crèche and Day Care, 40 children at the Pre-School and 14 children at the After-School Care Services. Furthermore, 25 children from all these groups are tended for on Saturdays.

How a Dedunu day is spent:

Parents are assured that they could arrive at the Dedunu doorstep as early as 6.30 a.m. with his or her child and not be turned away. All of them arrive before 8 a.m. Cleanliness is a must here and parents and staff help children for a change of clothes. Every child has a bag for his or her clothes, which goes on a special rack. So are the shoes and other items from outside. At Dedunu, all are equal and dressed equal as well.

DEDUNU, 83, Sri Dhammadara Mawatha, Ratmalana, Sri Lanka.