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Grace Transitional Housing Project Trincomalee, Sri Lanka Madeleine Caughey and Sahr Yazdani, University of Michigan, June 10 – July 2, 2017 Overview The Grace Transitional Housing Project aims to provide the orphans housed at Grace Girls’ Home the opportunity to transition from dependent to independent living, while simultaneously becoming functional women in society. Grace Girls’ Home, located in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, serves as a sanctuary for many who experienced the turmoil of the Sri Lankan Civil War, which resulted in their loss of shelter, nourishment, and familial support. In addition, many of these girls have developed post-traumatic stress disorder, contributing to significant absences from their school careers. They aspired to become doctors, engineers, teachers, but due to aforementioned circumstances, have been forced to search for vocational jobs, and must confront the stress of adulthood at a much earlier stage. Grace Girls’ Home supports them holistically by addressing their physical, mental, and social health through extensive work with academic tutors, psychologists, and other healthcare professionals. The directorship of the Home consists of two boards of directors who work in unison, one based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the other in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka. The University of Michigan’s Medical School and Ross School of Business have established a myriad of projects designed to contribute to the betterment of the Home and surrounding community. The inevitable transition for the girls from the Home to Sri Lankan society has been discussed extensively by those involved with these undertakings, but a means of addressing this transition has yet to be established. We believe the necessity of a transitory environment and acquisition of life skills is acute, and therefore, we are dedicated to creating the multifaceted Transitional Housing Project. The haven, built on the foundation of mutual love and support through their family at Grace, will provide these young women the opportunity to gain independence, while Mēmpāṭṭu Tiṭṭattiṉ (The Empowerment Program), will educate and advocate for the girls’ success as dynamic members of Trincomaleen society. Objectives The main catalyst of the girls’ debilitating anxiety is the uncertainty of their futures as their absence from schooling has frequently rendered them unable to pass their higher education exams, consequently reducing their occupational opportunities. They fear the inability to break out of their impoverished lifestyles will impede upon both their acquisition of the necessary skills to be functional members of society and their potential to establish families in circumstances unlike their own. The Transitional Housing Project provides a comprehensive approach to alleviating the girls’ apprehension by addressing the physical and psychological aspects of the crucial transition into Trincomaleen society. We plan to transform a vacant building on Grace Girls’ Home’s property into six residential suites, each consisting of a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen, thus establishing independent environments for the girls. To provide them support for the sustenance of their households, we have established Mēmpāṭṭu Tiṭṭattiṉ (The Empowerment Program) which, with the knowledge and support of Rotary Club of Colombo, will impart essential skills such as marketplace proficiency, financial literacy and societal engagement. As the Grace girls have never assumed these responsibilities, we will devote a significant portion of our time towards education and practice, providing frequent opportunities for exposure to new and different situations resulting in engagement within Trincomaleen society. Additionally, many of the girls’ ambition in life is to provide for their families, a luxury that was previously not afforded to their parents. We hope that as the girls begin married life, they recognize their opportunity to reside with their spouses in these complexes, establishing a strong familial foundation and providing their spouses necessary exposure to their unique upbringings at the orphanage. This housing complex will bestow upon the girls the invaluable opportunity to comfortably adjust to living and working independently, while simultaneously benefitting from the love and support the Grace Home emanates. Combined, the Transitional Housing arrangement and Mēmpāṭṭu Tiṭṭattiṉ will instill in them a sense of confidence about their abilities, resulting in a culmination of inner peace at the prospect of their futures and determination to succeed after their time at Grace comes to an end, replicated in generations of Grace girls to follow. In the interest of the holistic Grace community, the Transitional Housing Project will demonstrate to the younger girls that continue to reside at the orphanage that others are cognizant of the dire need of assistance with their transition into Trincomaleen society. Many of them fall victim to bullying within their schools, targeted for their low socioeconomic status as residents of the orphanage. They envision the older girls as their role models, and in supporting the growth and success of the older girls of Grace, we hope that this admiration flourishes, and the younger Grace Transitional Housing Project Trincomalee, Sri Lanka Madeleine Caughey and Sahr Yazdani, University of Michigan, June 10 – July 2, 2017 girls will be exposed to a generation of independent, successful women from the orphanage, helping to mitigate their own aforementioned anxieties. Additionally, the Transitional Housing Complex will be a source of revenue for the Grace community, as the residents will be required to dedicate a portion of their salary towards rent, thus developing economic sustainability, as these monies will be earmarked for the ongoing costs of the program. If proven a successful model, the comprehensive program may be implemented in diverse regions, including various orphanages in the greater Trincomalee area as well as in other developing countries. Project Activities During our trip to Grace Girls’ Home in 2015, we discussed with the girls their intentions for their respective futures, and recognized the lack of transitional preparation provided by the orphanage. In the summer of 2016, as a group of volunteers from the University of Michigan and greater Ann Arbor community traveled to the Home, we recruited an individual to scout the potential site and record measurements, photographs, and videos. Additionally, we have been in contact with reliable construction companies that have done work for Grace previously, and have already collaborated to establish blueprints and budgeting plans for the Transitional Housing Complex model. Moreover, we have consulted with the girls’ main caregiver at Grace, Angela Sivarajah, to gain insight as to who would benefit the most from involvement in the program. We plan to dedicate a majority of our time to the implementation of Mēmpāṭṭu Tiṭṭattiṉ, preparing the girls to become functional members of Sri Lankan society, while also overseeing the construction efforts. To ensure the success of the Transitional Housing Complex in coordination with Mēmpāṭṭu Tiṭṭattiṉ, we will consistently oversee the progress via an ongoing communication system. Our current involvement with Grace includes weekly Skype calls, which will continue with the designation of time to discuss their growth within the project, confirming that their rent payments are completed on time, their residential and occupational statuses are untroubled, and address any concerns they may have. Implementation of this project will be supplemented by the general caregiver, Angela, as well as the Grace psychologist Dr. Arumai in coordination with University of Michigan psychiatric professor Dr. Alan Krohn, to monitor the psychological effects of the girls’ independent living. Partnerships Grace Girls’ Home is a well-known organization to many residents of Ann Arbor, due to the myriad projects being implemented by University of Michigan Medical School, Ross School of Business, and Rotary Club of Ann Arbor. The Home has also partnered with a number of Trincomaleen businesses to provide the girls’ occupational opportunities, establishing their monthly incomes. These businesses include JKAB Hotel and Amarate Bay hotel, as well as a local shipping company. Relevantly, the University of Michigan Medical School and Ross Business School have established a Diabetes Clinic for the general Trincomaleen community, and we have partnered with them to secure jobs for the girls as medical assistants. We have confirmed the potential and cohesiveness of Transitional Housing in context with these other projects, as we constantly strive to contribute towards the Home’s betterment. Our preexisting relationships with the young women at the orphanage coupled with the support of both boards of directors and Rotary Club of Colombo enables us to achieve the goals of our project, benefitting the Grace Girls’ Home for generations to come. Implementation and Sustainability Prior to arriving in Trincomalee, we will establish the respective components of Mēmpāṭṭu Tiṭṭattiṉ in consultation with Rotary Club of Colombo, and continue to use Angela’s unique insight to identify the first residents of Transitional Housing. The project will take place between June 10th and July 2nd, during which time we plan to execute Mēmpāṭṭu Tiṭṭattiṉ and simultaneously initiate and oversee the construction efforts of both Ann Arbor and Trincomaleen community member volunteers in coordination with Mr. Fazleabas’ company. Upon returning to the United States, we will continue to monitor the construction progress through Angela and the staff members at Grace, who are equally as invested in the outcomes of our projected complex, as well as the girls’ success within Mēmpāṭṭu Tiṭṭattiṉ. We plan to arrange a follow-up trip to monitor the progress of the members of the Transitional Housing Project in March 2018. .

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