Mangrove restoration is a painstaking process

Working for an NGO can be challenging. Between hectic field visits, talks with community members, endless reports and the added stress of the ethnic conflict, it sometimes seems that there is hardly time for anything else.

Of course it’s not all hard work at Sewalanka Foundation. One of the most rewarding aspects of work at an NGO is that you never know what will happen next. One day, just when you think that nothing but hours of toil in the field are in store for you, you might be asked to star in a movie. Sounds unlikely, but that’s just what happened to members of Sewalanka’s environment team whose mangrove project is so beloved by donor agency Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe that it commissioned a short documentary on the subject.

German filmmakers Elke Werry and Manfred Linke and a Diakonie staff member accompanied Sewalanka staff on a visit to the mangrove site, with a view to producing a 10-minute documentary.

For two days Sewalanka staff got a taste of Hollywood and although they enjoyed the experience, after three hours in the sun for just ten minutes of film, staff came to the conclusion that Hollywood actors should take a break and spend more time on field visits. “It’s more fun and less repetitive,” said Gayani from Sewalanka’s environment team. The film crew were able to capture not only the planting process for mangrove restoration but also village life, including a community meeting and a communal meal. The team was extremely happy with the results after two days and looks forward to receiving reports on the success of the mangrove seedlings in the coming years.

If you are interested in viewing the finished product, check http://www.youtube.com/user/diakonie in a few months. Diakonie and its sister project, Brad for Life, post all their documentaries online to reach a broader audience. You can currently see videos of the damage caused by the 2004 tsunami and projects they have assisted with in other countries across the globe.