Lankan woman with French husband
helps tsunami victims

 
A Sri Lankan woman with her French husband in a herculean effort succeeded in mustering the support of individuals, neighbours and relief agencies across France, to procure material assistance to Tsunami victims in her motherland.
 
Colombo born Ionie Victoria- Silliere is a qualified English teacher who had been residing in France for the past 30 years. She is married to Pierre Silliere. Her family and relatives live in Colombo.

On their return from London after spending Christmas with their family Ionei and Pierrie contacted the Sri Lankan Embassy and SriLankan Airlines in Paris. Their objective: together with their friends and family in Normandy to do something to help the Sri Lankans affected by the Tsunami.
The contact with the Sri Lankan Embassy and Airlines was as a reassurance with regard to custom clearances and safe delivery of humanitarian items from Paris to Colombo respectively.

Soon relief material kept pouring chiefly helped by an article about the couple's mission carried in QUEST FRANCE the largest national newspaper in France. Inquiries for relief came from maternity home in Toulouse, a travel agency in Granbville, a group of pharmacists in Caen, a hospital in the Manchy county and an Insurance Company in Paris.

The couple also decided not to limit their efforts to only within France and in early January two national TV channels (TF 1 and FR 3) covered their activities followed by the radio network (RTL,RMC,Radio Bleue). This was followed simultaneously with family and friends in Normandy organising collection of medicines for first aid treatment and their
 
 
 
  delivery to Paris. The couple even chartered two planes with first aid material for the victims.

In all, about 40 tonnes of brand new and sorted medicines were air freighted to Sri Lanka. In the tsunami recovery period the Sillieres were invited by schools, associations, sports clubs, etc. In all 5000 meters were covered by them in Normandy at the end of which they had collected 40,000 euros. Pierre and Ionie usually come to Sri Lanka to visit their family and friends. This year however for 6 weeks it was not really a holiday for them.

Together with Alliance Francaise in Colombo they dispatched copy books for Jaffna schools, spent Rs.800,000 for the refurbishment of the Maternity Section of the Balapitiya Base Hospital, Rs. 1 million for completion of Matara Rahula College swimming pool and Rs. 300,000 for SHECEM-a Montessori school for child victims of Tsunami from a camp in Moratuwa.

They also shipped 40 beds and 6 wheel-chairs to the Kalmunai Base Hospital - a donation made by hospitals in the Manche County in Normandy.