Mobile library service launched to assist tsunami affected students

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 May 2005, 16:29 GMT]
Foundation for Co-Existence (FCE), with financial support from the People in Need (PIN), a non-governmental organization headquartered in Czech Republic, started a mobile library service in Trincomalee district to assist tsunami-affected students and others who have no access to libraries and reading rooms, sources said.

The inaugural event was held Monday in the Trincomalee Town Hall with Mr.K.Sivapalan, Attorney-at-Law in the chair.

Mr.Petr Navrat, Financial Manager of the PIN mission in Sri Lanka was a special guest to the event. Mr Navrat launched the mobile library service by cutting the ribbon.

Mr.Y.Jeyamurugan, Co-ordinator, FCE, said the mobile library service will help encourage reading habit in the community and will especially help students affected by tsunami.

FCE volunteers are seen with their Co-ordinator Mr.Jeyamurugan and other guests in front of the mobile library.

Mr.Petr Navrat of PIN and Mr.K.Sivapalan.

About three thousand books in the Trincomalee public library had been damaged in tsunami when tidal waves on December 26 entered the library building, he said.

The mobile library.

Under this project a vehicle has been provided to FCE to conduct mobile service to remote villages, Eachchilampathu and other areas. "We will be taking the vehicle to welfare centres where tsunami affected students are sheltered as our survey conducted had shown that sixty percent of students prefer borrowing textbooks through mobile service", Mr.Jeyamurugan said.

Mr.A.Yatheenthira, President of Social Development and Research Association, and Mr.S.Sivapathasuntheram, senior librarian of the Trincomalee public library, also spoke.