Following the tsunami that ravaged India and Sri Lanka in 2004, the Humpty Dumpty Institute, which was co-founded by Connie Milstein, Ralph Cwerman, William Rouhana Jr. and Michael Sonnenfeldt, began several programs in the area that continue to help the area’s inhabitants today.
In 2009, the HDI received funding from the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China and was able to start a series of health education and medical care programs that assisted 10,000 women and children living in 14 remote villages. These programs were very important to the people in the Batticaloa and Jaffna districts of Sri Lanka as recovery and rebuilding efforts normally took precedence over healthcare and education.
To best help the residents of these regions, the HDI relied on its signature holistic approach to development and built two permanent medical clinics that would support 36 mobile medical units. Held at the permanent medical centers were training sessions focusing on vaccinations against disease, psychological treatment for post-tsunami stress disorder, pre- and post-natal health and much more.
“We greatly value our humanitarian work done in Sri Lanka which has impacted the lives of those caught in the tsunami,” said Cwerman, co-founder and current president of HDI. “The many programs that we have carried out have offered these communities and its people a chance to better lifestyles and life changes for their futures.”
Since its start, there have been 4,694 visits to the mobile medical clinics and ear, nose and throat clinics. Sixty-seven health training sessions have been held in six villages and have been attended by 4,380 individuals. HDI has also overseen literacy programs, built wells and water catchment systems, constructed latrines for local schools, provided playground equipment and delivered educational materials to schools.