The Current

Issue date: 9/22/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Courtesy of Jody Miller Second graders from Macaldeniya (from left to right) Keethika, Charmili, Lakshika plant vegetables in the new school garden.

Media Credit: Courtesy of Jody Miller Macaldeniya 2nd graders Nirojani and Thilageswary learn to make handmade paper.

Tens of thousands of people were killed on December 26, 2004, and thousands more died from disease and malnutrition in the days and weeks following, after a volcano erupted under the Indian Ocean. Massive tidal waves, reaching as high as 50 feet, crashed into the coastlines of 11 countries. The tsunami, which wrought particular devastation on the island nation of Sri Lanka, is considered to be the worst tragedy in that country's history.

UM - St. Louis faculty and students formed the Operation Teardrop Campaign specifically to aid those whose lives were damaged by the tsunami. Professor Jody Miller of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice founded the organization shortly after the tsunami hit.

"I have both personal and professional ties to Sri Lanka. After the tsunami I really wanted to do something [to help]," said Miller, who is the project coordinator of the Operation Teardrop Campaign. Miller works closely with Professor Lynn Staley, of the English Department. Staley's students created the title and logo for the Operation Teardrop Campaign. She and her students frequently brainstorm ideas on how to raise necessary funds.

The campaign works to improve educational opportunities for children.

"We helped the tsunami-affected school. It was primarily a dominant ethnic group. [Now] we are trying to target a different population in the country," Miller said.

The school that the organization is currently aiding is Macaldeniya Tamil Vidyalayam, a primary school on a remote, impoverished tea estate in the central hills of Sri Lanka. Miller said that the children who live on the estate live under conditions comparable to those of indentured servants.

"At the moment, what the principal [of Macaldeniya Tamil Vidyalayam] and I are trying to do is raise enough money to open a preschool, computer room and library," Miller reported. "The kids love computers and being on computers. I hope it's a way out so that the kids won't continue being laborers on the estate."

Summer 2008 was successful for Operation Teardrop Campaign. From May 8 to June 28, they held the "What I See" fundraising exhibition and silent auction at Gallery Visio. On display were Macaldeniya childrens' self portraits from an art workshop that was held last January.

The proceeds from the exhibit will go towards various projects for the school.

Operation Teardrop also held an art workshop in June. The students made small drawings of life on the estate. Those drawings have been used to create note cards which are for sale at various venues around the UM - St. Louis campus.

A handmade papermaking workshop was held in July for the children of the Macaldeniya school. The workshop taught both teachers and children how to make recycled paper. The children even collected flowers from neighboring villages to add to the paper.

"The kids had a blast!," Miller enthused. "Now that the teachers have also been trained in how to make recycled paper, they're having students collect paper refuse from their homes, and will hold their own paper-making workshops at the Macaldeniya school once a month beginning in January," she continued.

Also, the Macaldeniya Organic School Garden was completed in late July. The school's 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students prepared the garden beds, and now each grade has its own garden bed. The grade with the best-kept and most productive garden bed will win new backpacks filled with school supplies and story books. Some of the vegetables the children are growing are leeks, carrots, beans, beets and okra. The vegetables will be sold to the children's parents, as well as other estate workers.

"At the same time the students are learning about horticulture, they're also enjoying one period a day out in the sun and fresh air," Miller emphasized.

Operation Teardrop Campaign has recently accomplished even more for the school this past summer. New toothbrushes and toothpaste were given to each student. The school purchased its first printer, and also received new filing cabinets. New technology and equipment could not help with ancient relations between humans and wildlife, however; an elephant made its way into the school during the night and turned one of the filing cabinets into an object that looked similar to an accordion.

The children enjoyed a Saturday matinee movie, after the classroom windows were covered with curtains and sheets. The children were able to enjoy English-language cartoons and homegrown milk and rice treats. Also, Miller and her husband will be supplying the school with cows, which will provide fresh milk to the students daily. Miller's plan includes hiring the children's parents to take care of the cows.

"In anticipation of this program, which will begin on my return in January, we had a cow shed built on the estate," said Miller.

Operation Teardrop receives its funding solely through donations.

"Actual funding comes primarily from folks on campus, folks around the St. Louis area and some of my network of colleagues around country," said Miller. "Karen Heimer did the garden. This year her kids are doing a clothing drive. We provided the students with school uniforms last January, but they wear their clothes until they practically fall off," she noted.

Miller observed that although the Operation Teardrop Campaign has as its goal the improvement of the lives of Sri Lankan schoolchildren, she has benefited as well. "It's a great organization to be involved with," she said. "You're able to learn something in the process about a part of the world you didn't know anything about." But involvement in Sri Lanka has not been an entirely positive experience, Miller cautioned.

"The only downside is that Sri Lanka has an ongoing civil war, so we can't bring students over. The political situation doesn't allow it. I go all the time and I'm safe, but the university can't take on that kind of responsibility," Miller said.

Currently, renovations are underway in three new educational sites. A pre-school, a school library and a school computer room are works in progress."We've secured funding - with our deepest thanks to a donor who wishes to remain anonymous - for the cost of the building renovations," Miller said.

Despite the generosity of donors both named and anonymous, additional fundraising is needed to complete the project. For example, a salary of approximately $100 per month is needed for the pre-school teacher. Also, funds are needed to purchase books and shelving for the school library, and computers have yet to be purchased for the new computer room. They cost approximately $300 each.

Miller said that she understands it is difficult for students to make financial donations, but students can donate their creativity in brainstorming new ways to raise the necessary funds.

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