From Laguna Blanca to Sri Lanka
By Jeff Jones
The churches, temples and schools are mounds of rubble. Brick shells of once-popular resort hotels are refugee camps. But amid the decimation after years of civil war, the children of Sri Lanka hold their heads high.

A pat on the back and a gentle tuck under the chin went a long way this past summer during one young Santa Barbara woman's humanitarian effort. Alissa Sears, a graduate of Laguna Blanca High School just three years ago, touched as many of the island country's estimated 60,000 orphans as possible throughout the month of July.

"I was raised in such a loving, supportive family that I felt like it was important to go and share that love and support with others less fortunate," said Sears, who joined a handful of others in the recently founded nonprofit Vision's Program. "Most of the orphans were either abandoned or their parents were killed. Many have lived through things most of us can't begin to imagine."

After the university senior heard about the fledgling volunteer program founded in Lancaster, Sears decided to take a break from her senior studies at UC San Diego. Toting about 80 pounds of books gathered during a book drive, Sears met up with seven others for the group's first volunteer journey. The town of Batticaloa served as the home base where the young visitors from near and far reached out to thousands of orphans.

Sears said each story was poignant. "One little girl's mom had died from a snake bite," Sears recalled. "Her father killed himself the next day. She went to live with her two brothers. She had to watch as they were shot and killed by soldiers. What was something to see was that she never complained." It took Sears some time to figure out that many in the orphanages saw beyond their own tragedies. The youngsters, especially this particular 15-year-old girl, were wise beyond their years. "She and others felt someone else had a worse story," Sears said. "Most were all about prevailing. They have such consideration for other people."

Sears slept on a cot, surrounded by upto 500 children from any given orphanage at one time. With little means at hand, the teachers did what they could to pass on kernels of knowledge. "We worked with the teachers at a spoken English workshop in hopes of passing on knowledge. The teachers and children could then proactively continue the task of improving their level of English."

Sears learned many ways to communicate during her four-week stay off the coast of India. Facial expressions and hand gestures crossed many barriers. Some of the volunteers spoke Tamil. A few were returning to their homeland. "Hundreds of thousands of people left in the 1980s," Sears said. "There was a mass exodus during the civil war. Fortunately there's a cease-fire now."

That cease-fire didn't shield Sears from some close encounters with the local infantry. "There are soldiers armed with machine guns and the barbed wire is everywhere," Sears said. "Many of the soldiers don't look over 15 years. We drove through fields of land mines. All the buildings have been destroyed. The schools, churches and temples are in shambles. But I wasn't scared. I wanted to make the best of the situation."

Sears worked from dawn to dusk at motivational camps set up by volunteers for the area's youth. Small groups went from orphanage to orphanage. "Each place we visited we put on dances and performances," she said. "It was amazing. They all seemed so happy in spite of what they'd been through."

That theme seemed to resonate throughout Sears' stay. Every now and then, especially during the upbeat times, Sears said she would forget for a moment where she was. Youngsters' questions would jolt her back to reality. "They would ask us how many military checkpoints we have in our cities," Sears said.

"We tried to explain this wasn't like everywhere and didn't have to be that way. We told them they could become the leaders and have peace." And in case some do become future leaders, Sears just may have a youthful picture to go along with a political career. She snapped off 24 rolls of film. Nearly 50 photos will be on display through the end of the month at the Montecito Remax Gallery at 1205 Coast Village Road.

"Every single photo has a story and I would love to walk anyone through them," Sears said. "They can e-mail me and I'll do it." Sears has thousands of promises to keep. The most important include returning to Sri Lanka next year. To make a donation or for further information contact Alissa Sears at asears22@hotmail.com. Courtesy Goleba Valley Voice

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