I am 22 years old. I was born during the war and I have two brothers. My father died during the war and I lived in a camp for displaced people in Vavuniya with my mother and brothers. Life got very difficult at the camp so my mother went to India with my two brothers. I went to live in Grace Children's Home in Vavuniya when I was 4 years old.

We were looked after by Mrs Nadarajah who was like my mother. There were 30 boys in the Home and we all called her Amma which means mother. She looked after all our needs and often worked alone without any help cooking for us and made sure the Children's was home was a home for us.

In 2005 Dilanee visited us at Grace Children's Home for the first time. She talked to us, did activities with us and came to church with us. This was the beginning of Dilanee and Ocean Stars in my life. Dilanee visited us twice a year even during the war when it was difficult to come to Vavuniya.

Every October Ocean Stars visited us with about 10 volunteers. They did activities, games, craft work with us. They gave us presents and growing up October was Christmas for myself and the other boys. We used to look forward to October and the Ocean Stars team visiting.

Their visits made me feel very happy. I felt cared for and supported by Ocean Stars growing up at Grace Children's home. Without my own family, Mrs Nadarajah and Ocean Stars supported me and gave me hope growing up.

I did my O' Levels, A Levels and I did a Diploma in Commerce. I did a temporary job for the government. I sat some government exams and then got the job working for the railways as Station Master.  I love my job. There is a lot of training and I earn a good wage around RS 35,000 a month. I work 6 days a week and my job involves travelling to Colombo often.

Ocean Stars has played a huge part in my life. Even after I left Grace they have been in touch with me and come and visit me regularly.

We all grew up at Grace Children's Home with Mrs Nadarajah and the help and support of Ocean Stars Trust. Dilanee from Ocean Stars was like our second mother. We always looked forward to Ocean Stars Team arriving every October. They bought us new clothes, shoes, toiletries and did lots of sports with us. 

On her second visit Dilanee and Ocean Stars bought 30 mattresses for our beds. We had never slept on a mattress. Ocean Stars gave us hope and supported us when we were growing up. This gave us the chance to study and do our exams.

We all live in Vavuniya and we have got jobs as construction workers, engineers, bankers and carpenters.

We still keep in touch with Ocean Stars through Social Media. Even though we are now working Dilanee still visits us every October.

We are very thankful to Ocean Stars for bringing light and hope and happiness to our lives and making our childhood experience a happy one.

2005

2017