Dan Visiting Sri Lanka
Ocean Stars Trustee Revd. Dan Haylett is in Sri Lanka for 10 days
OceanStars :: Monday 6th February 2017 :: This Story
He is visiting our Ocean Stars Lanka Team on the ground.
On his first day he met members of the Ocean Stars Lanka Committee who support our the work of Diana, Kiruthika, Pooja and Jeraleen.
On Sunday 5th February 2017 Revd. Dan attended a church service at Urani Methodist Church where he spoke about the link that Fleet Methodist Church has set up with Mandur Methodist Church.
During the week Dan will be visiting preschools and collecting data and meeting our new students.
Ocean Stars Lanka receive their first visitors for 2017!
Dilanee’s Auntie Sakun and Uncle Neville from Toronto Canada...
OceanStars :: Wednesday 1st February 2017 :: This Story
They received a warm welcome when they arrived on Tuesday 31st January at the Ocean Stars Lanka Office by our Ocean Stars Lanka Team, Diana, Kiruthika, Pooja and Jeraleen. They will be spending two days visiting our projects and getting to know Ocean Stars operations on the ground.
If you are interested in visiting Sri Lanka or any of our projects do get in touch.
Charity Quiz Night hits the Headlines
Thank you to everyone who came and supported our quiz night for Ocean Stars Trust
OceanStars :: Sunday 22nd January 2017 :: This Story
Quiz night raises £ 778.00 for work of Ocean Stars in Sri Lanka.
BIKE SRI LANKA - Pedalling for Preschools
On the 26th of December 2013, Sophie Stevens & Pete Oswald began a 27 day mountain bike tour around Sri Lanka. The goal was to raise enough money to replace a roof on the Karaveddy Preschool in the Eastern Province, an area badly effected by Civil War and
OceanStars :: Thursday 12th January 2017 :: This Story
We just found this beautiful video from 2 years ago - Sophie and Pete on their mountain bike tour around Sri Lanka. Their goal was to raise enough money to replace a roof on the Karaveddy Preschool in the Eastern Province - which they did! Pete & Sophie rode 1274km, climb over 8100m and raised over $5466 NZD - a fabulous effort.
You can see the results in the video! https://vimeo.com/92173997
Visiting Sri Lanka
Find out about Jenny Dixon's experience volunteering for Ocean STars in Sri Lanka
OceanStars :: Thursday 5th January 2017 :: This Story
At half term I had the privilege of joining a group of 35, including 18 youngsters and 4 teachers from a secondary school in Fleet (team 1), who went to work with a charity called Ocean Stars, based in Batticola in east Sri Lanka. I was part of team 2, who visited the 15 pre-school groups funded by the charity in remote areas where the is otherwise no provision for free early schooling.
The Ocean Stars Trust was started after the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004, when the whole of the east coast of Sri Lanka was affected by this while still suffering in the Civil War with the Tamil Tigers. More than 5000 people lost their lives in Sri Lanka in the tsunami. Team 1 worked in secondary Schools, bringing fresh ideas, enthusiasm and laughter into lives devastated by events. In 2 school half the students were left as orphans and 1 teacher lost the whole class. The school had to be rebuilt and a counsellor is always on duty.
Team 2, working in pairs, each spent a morning in a pre-school group, basing songs, games and craft work on the story 'Rainbow Fish', which was read by us and translated by an interpreter. A friend and I went to the newest school - just a building beside a road, with concrete floor and open sides above shoulder height. No water, no toilets, little equipment, but happy, co-operative, well-behaved children who readily joined in with everything we had organised for them. Our parting gift to every single child a teddy bear, lovingly knitted in Britain. (These are given every year, so contributions are always welcome.)
On two mornings we travelled by tuk-tuk to a small village where a community centre has been set up for women who have been left as head of the household. Here they can meet, relax and make things to sell. A teacher comes to teach tailoring and another to instruct in the use of the three computers housed in a shipping container held aloft on what will be the toilets. They are also hoping to provide English lessons. We worked on the concrete floor and the water for tea had to be collected from the village, but a well was opened while we were there and the toilets will come in time! Solar panels on the roof of the shipping container provide power. We showed the ladies (originally a group of 15, but word must have got out and the numbers increased to the top 20s!) how to make greetings cards using several different methods and were pleased with the skill showed and the colours the combined.
One evening we all went to a school hall and shares lots of different activities with people with impaired hearing and on another occasion we were treated to an entertainment by the secondary students from Batti and from Fleet.
What a wonderful experience it was, and all instigated by a lovely Sri Lankan lady who left the island when she was 14 and who is quite sure that God has lead her to do this work and guides everything she plans.
May God continue to bless her and the work of Ocean Stars Trust.
If you would like to join us in Sri Lanka please contact us to find out more.
Quiz Night in Fleet
20th January - come and support our quiz night
OceanStars :: Thursday 5th January 2017 :: This Story
Ocean Stars Trust Invite you to join us at our Charity Quiz Night on Friday 20th January, 7:45pm at All Saints Parish Hall, Church Road, Fleet
Tickets are £10 per person which includes the quiz and pizza. Please bring your own drinks.
Tickets are avaqilable on the door or for more details contact Ruth 01252 614150 ruthhughes@btopenworld.com
Please come and support us and help to make a difference to the lives of children in Sri Lanka.
Volunteering Trips and Holidays to Sri Lanka
Jaydd organises Volunteering Trips and Holidays to Sri Lanka, as well as fundraising events for Ocean Stars Trust
OceanStars :: Monday 19th December 2016 :: This Story
JAYDD Limited (Private LTD Company Number 10346019) was formed in September 2016 and is the trading company for Ocean Stars Trust.
Jaydd organises Volunteering Trips and Holidays to Sri Lanka, as well as fundraising events for Ocean Stars Trust (Reg Charity 1110022). JAYDD also offers individuals, schools and other groups in the UK an opportunity to travel to Sri Lanka, and combines a sightseeing holiday with visiting a link school and/or volunteering in Sri Lanka.
For more information about holidays in Sri Lanka please look at the JAYDD website:
and e-mail us at: jayddlimited@gmail.com to plan your dream holiday experience in Sri Lanka.
Let JAYDD take you to Sri Lanka.
December 2016 Newsletter
It’s been almost two weeks now since we returned from our 2016 team trip to Sri Lanka. As on previous occasions, it is taking me time to settle back at home. My head is still full of the sights and sounds we encountered during our time there.
OceanStars :: Wednesday 7th December 2016 :: This Story
It was great to be back, to meet again with our Ocean Stars Lanka team who work tirelessly for us. We ask a lot of them and more than ever I am convinced of their commitment to OST and our dependence upon them as we seek to support and develop our work amongst the Batticaloa community.
As I travelled around the schools, I met up with many of the teachers who have become my friends. I taught in the classrooms and delight-ed in the smiles and laughter that I shared with the children. I was humbled by the sheer joy evident on a local man's face when he re-ceived his chickens, a gift bought from our gift catalogue. And like the rest of our team I was quite stunned to witness computer classes, sewing classes, English classes all taking place in Hope House, Ama-planthurai, a remote and very poor part of the Batticaloa district.
The work of Ocean Stars continues to progress, affecting and changing the lives of many living in remote and difficult circumstances in the North and East of Sri Lanka. We are very aware that this would not be possible without your support and on behalf of all the trustees, I thank you. Your gifts really are making a difference and changing lives.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Download the full December newsletter and see the 2016 highlights.
Bring & Buy Day
COFFEE, CAKE AND BRING AND BUY DAY CHURCH CROOKHAM, FLEET
OceanStars :: Monday 5th December 2016 :: This Story
COFFEE, CAKE AND BRING AND BUY DAY
WHEN: WEDNESDAY 14TH DECEMBER
WHERE: 2, NETHERHOUSE MOOR, CHURCH CROOKHAM, FLEET, HAMPSHIRE, GU51 5TY
TIME: 10.00- 1.00 PM 2.00-5.00 PM
Please come along and bring a friend.
October Trip to Sri Lanka
Meet the OST teams visiting Sri Lanka this Autumn.
OceanStars :: Tuesday 18th October 2016 :: This Story
CPS OST TEAM 2016
www.oceanstarscps2016.blogspot.com
OST TEAM 2 2016
http://ostteam2016.blogspot.co.uk
Also please like Beyond Boundaries fb page as we will have daily photo updates. We kindly invite everyone to add/like the page to get all updates daily as it happen, when it happen.