For a culture that is often so retiring, Sri Lanka maintains a curious passion for public performance. In the village we are repeatedly called upon to sing, and Moraketiara school is no different. Harnessing the potential of song as a medium for learning, therefore, has been an essential component of our English teaching strategy. After teaching the children the vocabulary for a given topic or subject area, we look to reinforce it through songs, which develop familiarity and pronunciation. Today, then, having studied colours and body parts, we sang the ‘Rainbow song’ and ‘Heads, shoulders, knees and toes’ with cheerful gusto. In this, two other Sri Lankan traits came to the fore:
tolerance and good humour. Both are absolutely necessary when I am exercising my vocal chords!

In the evening we and Lali, our magnanimous guesthouse owner and surrogate father, were invited to dinner with Joy and David, the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ruhuna, (Professor Ranjith Senaratne), and the two pairs of Durham postgraduates and alumni working in Sri Lankan schools, Duncan and Ros (in Palana), and Jason and Giulia (in Ahangama). It was fantastic to be able to meet up as a group, to encourage one another, and for Joy, in particular, I think it was a very proud moment, as the different strands of the project came together under one roof. For us, meanwhile, it is thrilling to know that our work is never in isolation, but fits into a broader plan for the development of the area – a plan, what’s more, that continues apace, gathering momentum, and growing, year on year. Next week, as we get involved at Ahangama, assisting Jason and Giulia with their week of sports and arts, we hope to exercise this same spirit of teamwork and co-ordination that undergirds the project, and is the key to its success.