Dear club members, dear other club supporters,
I hope you all had a good and healthy start to the new year, the ‘20th Rosenkinder year’. And who would have thought it, we still have a proper winter. Here in the north, we have now got used to constant sub-zero temperatures and sometimes lots of snow. This makes the prospect of snow-free temperatures above 30 degrees from 5 February 2026 all the more appealing. It will take a little getting used to for the body, but a fully packed 30-day Rosenkinder appointment/project calendar will quickly distract Gudrun, Jürgen, Renate, Sonja, Ulrike and me and keep us busy.
As always, you are welcome to follow our ‘adventures’ in real time on our homepage and also on Facebook with a daily project diary. Just take a look or save this link to the Rosenkinder homepage.
For the status and some current events in our projects, see below:
Current project “Rosenkinder” Sponsorship in cooperation with the Lions Club Aluthgama/Bentota
Three sponsorship meetings are on our agenda. A reunion of our approximately 70 sponsorships in beautiful locations such as the Kotapola Temple, the idyllic Briefgarden, and also in Colombo. Of course, we will also personally welcome some new sponsored children who have been suggested to us. We are particularly looking forward to seeing the sponsored children who have successfully completed their schooling or studies this year. For example, these three: Chalani (Management Business Communication), Dimuthu (Medicine), Prabhashini (Law),
all from the Kotapola region and from the poorest backgrounds. Chalani studied in Trincomalee in the far north-east and is already working as an assistant at the university in Colombo. Dimuthu and Prabhashini graduated with honours. How wonderful – we are delighted about these successes, but also look forward to meeting all the other sponsored children soon.
Current project special education at the Anula Wijerama Children Home in Balapitiya in cooperation with the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress (ACBC)
January was a busy month at our girls’ children’s home in Balapitiya. We had visitors from Germany. Petra Gerlings and Ursel Kramer spent four and three weeks respectively in Balapitiya and had a packed schedule. Petra had many detailed one-to-one conversations with the older girls about their future after Anula. Matron Nilani, Asitha from the committee, and the Probation Office (Youth Welfare Office) were also involved. Ursel, a super talented hobby craftsman, took care of open repairs such as the sanitary area, but also a large project such as the repair and renovation of the ‘Rosenkinder’ playground. Everything was completed and turned out really nice.
We will be able to officially inaugurate the playground on 9 February, as the foundations first need to dry out and settle. Petra and Ursel also organised a two-day trip with the girls and some accompanying adults. For the girls, it was a most welcome distraction from their everyday life at home and at school. The girls’ tearful thanks as they said goodbye are documented here on behalf of the entire Rosenkinder support community.
Children Home for blind and deaf-mute Children in Mahaweewa in cooperation with the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress (ACBC)
After Melanie Bierut, now Jacobine Wöhlbrandt. Yes, the girls and boys in Mahaweewa have had and continue to have visitors and help from Germany. I have already reported on Melanie’s successful visits, most recently in Member Information 80. Jacobine has now been in Mahaweewa for a week. It is her first stay, so there is excitement and anticipation on all sides. There was an official reception by the committee, but also by the girls and boys at the boarding school. Jacobine had to settle in quickly, because due to short-term teacher absences, she was able to get involved in school lessons right away.
After school and on weekends, there is a lot of playing at the boarding school. She has reintroduced elastic band jumping. We will visit Jacobine in Mahaweewa on 12 February. There is already a lot of anticipation and excitement about this. The presentation of gifts will be particularly impressive this year. During her visit last year, Melanie and the committee inspected the rooms and beds of the girls and boys at the boarding school. It turned out that 24 of the 56 mattresses urgently needed to be replaced. On top of that, there are 56 pillows. At our request, the committee is now on a shopping trip. Pictures and more will be available soon in our diary.
Current project “Rosenkinder Hostel” at the Vocational Training Center in Panadura in cooperation with the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress (ACBC) and „planned“ Projekt „Rosenkinder Hostel 2“ beim Boy Children Home in Payagala in Zusammenarbeit mit dem All Ceylon Buddhist Congress (ACBC)Other projects
The first cohort of 2026 has moved into the Rosenkinder Hostel in Panadura. Eleven girls have started their training at the neighbouring state training centre. Eight girls are taking the ‘Textile Quality Control’ course. This means that they will subsequently complete a paid internship at a textile factory in Panadura, after which they will have the opportunity to secure a permanent job. Three girls are enrolled in the ‘Daycare’ course, which involves caring for young children. We would describe this as a nursery. Because many women have to return to work quickly after giving birth in order to support their families, daycare places are in high demand. Today, just an archive photo from our visit to the textile factory, the future potential workplace of the eight girls. Photos of the girls will follow soon from our visit to the Rosenkinder Hostel in Panadura on 24 February 2026.
Of course, a visit to Rosenkinder Hostel 2 is also on our itinerary. Hopefully with construction activities resumed.
other current projects
Care for the unborn Child
This project also kicked off the new year 2026 with its first monthly meeting on 2 January. To ensure that the agreed ‘team strength’ of 10 was reached again after the end of the 13-month support period for mother and baby, our helper Indaka from the Lions Club Aluthgama Bentota took on two new pregnant women. We will meet these pregnant women in the picture and the other nine in person on the day after our arrival on 8 February 2026, as well as on the day before our departure. We owe two ‘Care for Unborn Child’ sessions to our loyal helper, who will then continue the job more or less on his own until the end of the year.
Disaster relief following Cyclone Ditwah in November 2025
In my last member information letter in December, I was able to report that our 73 sponsored children and the projects in our homes were probably not fundamentally affected by the terrible disaster that left over 600 people dead and approximately 20,000 families homeless. Thankfully, this was confirmed. Unfortunately, however, we received bad news from the dance school in Amunagama near Kandy, which we regularly support. Kandy is located in the central highlands and is therefore one of the areas that was severely affected. The dance school building was directly affected because one of the retaining walls was torn down by the floodwaters and a landslide. This needs to be repaired quickly to secure the building. Unfortunately, the families of four of the more than 100 dance students fared much worse. Their homes were not only flooded but also partially destroyed by landslides. In two cases, repairs or reconstruction are even prohibited by the authorities because the homes are located in a so-called ‘red zone’. These families must live elsewhere temporarily until the situation is clarified. The other two families were able to start repairing and replacing lost items immediately. The Rosenkinder board reacted immediately, of course, and helped by providing funds to repair the wall in the dance school and also to a considerable extent to the four families affected. Our itinerary already included a two-day stay in the countryside at the dance school for culture, music and dance. Now, of course, we have added visits to the four families who were severely affected. Once there, we will see and explore what and how Rosenkinder can continue to help. It is certainly tragic, but of course a very important part of the trip. Here are some pictures of the affected houses and the handover of money by our local helper Janaka.
Other information
As previously announced, the year 2026 is of particular significance for our association. It marks a milestone birthday – we will be turning 20 – and we intend to celebrate this appropriately from 13 to 16 August 2026. So, if you are interested and able, please reserve the dates and join us in Uetersen to celebrate our anniversary. In addition to an official anniversary celebration with other invited guests on the first day, two charity concerts are planned and our friend Dr Umes Arunagirinathan will also be there. Of course, there will be a special members’ party on 15 August 2026. We are also planning the annual general meeting.
However, the town of Uetersen has already honoured our association and our 20 years of social commitment with a very nice article in the town’s annual magazine. I am happy to enclose the article with this member information.
That’s all for today. Stay healthy and happy, and continue to be loyal supporters of the ‘Rosenkinder’.
Your
Dieter Kaske