How Dedunu came to life
Welcome to Dedunu,
Sri Lanka is a country with beautiful landscapes, beaches and a very interesting culture and history. During my first trip to the country, I realized very quickly that two weeks were not nearly enough to see all the island had to offer. Since 1990 Sri Lanka has been my destination of choice for more than 20 times. Many things have changed – two story buildings have replaced the mud huts that I had encountered in 1990.
Prosperity has found its way into the tourist hot spots in Sri Lanka. But many people still suffer, because it doesn’t reach them. In 2002 I had already decided to found an institution to help children without means. After the tsunami that took place around Christmas in 2004 and left the world in shock, we suddenly found ourselves right in the middle. I straight away decided to organise help for the people in Sri Lanka. I called relatives, friends and clients, because we had connections to people on the island that could buy and distribute whatever was necessary right where it was needed. We also reached out to the press and made it onto the cover of the newspaper the following day. After that the telephone wouldn’t stop ringing and we quickly accumulated 10.0000,00 € in aids. This was the moment – there wouldn’t be a better time to act.
The article in the newspaper included the information that I had been thinking about founding a children’s home, I received a call of. People started reaching out, offering to help. The day after, we met with the Ellman’s couple who would later become two of the most important people two. After that everything developed in the blink of an eye, faster than we could have imagined. This however, was prove that with many supporting hands the load feels lighter and you can achieve so much more.
Werner Müller
Chairman