Madam, - The Irish people deserve enormous credit for the meaningful role they played in the reconstruction of parts of Sri Lanka, in the aftermath of the tsunami at Christmas 2004.
Last week, during a visit to the Ampara district, where more than 5,000 people perished in the disaster, I officially opened some of the 65 schools which Goal has built with donations totalling €20 million from the Irish public.
At one such gathering an eminent local educationist said publicly that it would have taken the Sri Lankan government 20 years to achieve what Goal has achieved in 15 months.
True, millions of dollars donated from around the world remain unspent in the countries affected by the tsunami; thousands of survivors are still waiting for meaningful assistance. But I want to assure the Irish people who supported Goal that their generosity has earned the gratitude of the inhabitants of Ampara. - Yours, etc,
JOHN O'SHEA,
Goal,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.