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From Villanova with love
The tsunami stirred the lives of people around the world. Far away in the small Italian town of Villanova, Sri Lankan-born Lorraine Holsinger Giardini watched with horror the tragedy being relayed on the television news channels. She was overcome with emotion as she recognised the Sinhala letters identifying Galle on the screen showing helpless women and children being swept away by the waves.

Lorraine was comforted by her family, local parish priest and friends who rallied round and urged her to visit Sri Lanka. The local newspaper Voce Di Romagna carried an article on January 16 about Ms. Giardini since she was from Sri Lanka. People flocked to her home with spontaneous contributions. One month and a week after the tsunami, Lorraine was on her way back to the land of her birth - she had left in 1969 following her marriage to Guilio Giardini (who was at the time working as part of the team constructing the Sapugaskanda oil refinery).

Lorraine had no clue where she was heading to in Sri Lanka until a fellow Sri Lankan from Gampaha at the Milan airport mentioned the little fishing village of Payagala. On reaching the village she found a small medical camp run by a group consisting of a Filipino doctor, two nurses from Portugal and Australia and two young Sri Lankan girls, resident in the US for over ten years and joined them in their work.

Lorraine was keen to keep the children occupied so that they get over the trauma caused by the tsunami. The camp catered to all the children and residents living in temporary shelters in the vicinity of the parishes of St. Joseph's, St. Mary's and St. Francis Xavier - irrespective of religion.

She thus made arrangements to have a DVD player and projector donated on behalf of the people of Villanova so that they could at least watch a film once a week. She was also able to donate school stationery for the children during her stay.

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