Asian Tsunami Boxing day 2004. Message to Rose Charities Sri Lanka from Rose International Chair

 MESSAGE FROM ROSE CHARITIES INTERNATIONAL CHAIRMAN TO ROSE CHARITIES SRI LANKA AND MEMORIAL THOUGHTS ON THE ASIAN TSUNAMI 5 YEARS AGO

HEARTIEST CONGRATULATIONS on the occasion of your Center's 5th Anniversary Celebrations.  IT is also to
commemorate the 5th Anniversary of Kalmunai Sri Lanka Medical,Psychological.Social Support Group for child survivors of the 2004
Tsunami tragedy.

Anniversaries offer the opportunity to reflect upon where we have been and where we are doing. Since your Center's inception,the dedicated
and loyal volunteers of ROSE CHARITIES SRI LANKA have worked together as a team to improve the lives of individuals in your community and
around Sri Lanka .

Your commitment to providing quality service  has given our international global village of ROSE CHARITIES VOLUNTEERS distinguished
reputation and is a prime example of what has kept  Rose Charities International running for more than 10 years .


AS  we celebrate  our achievements, we will continue to look to the future for opportunities to improve and
expand our community based service projects and activities .

I am sure that you will continue to encourage membership growth and retention of volunteers and to develop
leadership skills amongst your volunteers .

CARRYING on the Rose  Charities  tradition of humanitarian service to the community with quality center
volunteers is testament to your commitment to our motto-  PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE .

I am confident  under the dynamic and exemplary leadership of your CEO Anthony Richard and his team  of faithful ,dedicated and committed band of volunteers,your Center will have another GREAT YEAR of
humantarian service to the community in which we live in .

DECEMBER 26 2004 is a day of solemn prayers and remembrance of Tsunami victims as Asia including
SRI LANKA marked the 5th Anniversary of one of history's worst national disasters when an underground
earthquake unleashed a devastating wave that killed more than 220,000 people in 13 countries .

AN estimated 31,000 people were killed in Sri Lanka while a million were driven out of their homes .

WE pause to pay our tribute of love, affection and respect to the memory of all those who died in the
tragedy .

WORDS are futile at a time like this to assuage the anguish of families and friends of victims . We can only
bow our heads  and say to ourselves :

IS THERE BEYOND THE SILENT NIGHT AN ENDLESS DAY ?
IS DEATH A DOOR THAT LEADS TO LIGHT ?
WE CANNOT SAY, THE TONGUELESS SECRET LOCKED IN FATE
WE CANNOT KNOW, WE WATCH AND WAIT .'

MAY the families of victims derive some measure of comfort  in the knowledge that we share their
grief

Lawrence Cheah.    Chair. Rose Charities International