Projects

8. Happy/Sad Box Pilot in Hambantota (Southern Province, Sri Lanka).

Since April of 2005, Plan Sri Lanka has implemented the Happy/Sad Letter Box Project to promote the mental health and wellbeing of school children affected by the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami of December 26, 2004. The project has been coordinated through its Tsunami Disaster Response Program Unit (TDRP) office in Ambalantota by Ms. Kumudu Weththasinghe. Because of its innovative nature and its timeliness (in light of the disasters in New Orleans and Pakistan in 2005), the Happy/Sad Box Project has garnered significant international attention.

Now, more than a year after the tsunami disaster and nine months after the project began, Plan Sri Lanka perceived the need for an evaluation of the Happy/Sad Letter Box Project. In collaboration with the Fund for Relief and Development (FRD), an investigation was done planned into both the performance and potential future development of the Project.

FRD was commissioned by Plan Sri Lanka to carry out the evaluation. The final report was delivered on the 9th March 2006.