La Sentinelle Group, through newspaper sales, made a very generous contribution to the Rotary Club of Port Louis collection for the relief of the victims of the Boxing Day tsunami, now some time ago. There was also support from children of L'Ecole du Nord ? a collection there that came very much from the heart.

After the tsunami, the situation was somewhat chaotic in the various countries, as is only to be expected. The Port Louis Club decided to help tsunami victims in Sri Lanka, as there seemed to be less support there than in some other countries. And, of course, the situation was made more complicated by the political situation there.

An initial donation of US$5,000 was rapidly made to the central fund set up by Rotary Clubs in Sri Lanka, for educational purposes. However, the Club was not entirely happy about general funds and wanted to be involved in a specific project, where an end result could be identified. It was also only prepared to work in collaboration with other Rotarians, as a way to make sure that the funds were used properly.

<B>There was so much to be done</B>

Those helping the relief effort were as overwhelmed as anyone else, there was simply so much to be done, and the Rotary Club of Port Louis decided to wait a while to see what was really needed. In Trincomalee, a camp has been built to house the refugees. They now have a roof over their heads but there were no proper toilet facilities there. Paying for toilets, of course, may seem less inspiring than providing educational facilities but the Club decided to help this particular project as there was a real and specific need. Ironically, one of the very first projects ever funded by Rotary was for the provision of public toilets in Chicago, a hundred years ago.

The villagers are delighted with their new facilities. The Club paid a first tranche of US$5,000 last year and we have just sent our final contribution of a further US$5,000 as many of the toilets have been built and work is nearing completion.

The Rotary Club of Trimcomalee itself is also involved with funding this project. The project is a good example of Rotary clubs around the world working together. And we will, of course, bring readers more news on the project once it has been completed.

<B>Michael BOOTLE</B>