Meet our team -- Madu

Although Global Abilities is beginning our work in Sri Lanka by building wheelchair-accessible vehicles, our long term goal is to help disabled individuals here achieve economic independence and be able to support themselves and their families.  GAF will help develop the program, but the vast majority of the work will be done in Sri Lanka by Sri Lankans.  One of my main tasks this trip is to assemble a team of bright, dedicated people to be the core of our Sri Lanka staff.  The first member of this team is Madu, our driver.   Madu drove our team all over the island when we came here last summer, and although a bit directionally challenged at times, he is reliable, courteous, and incredibly accommodating.  In addition to driving me around, Madu’s other task is to make me fluent in Sinhalese.  He is only twenty years old and is very shy, so I am constantly asking him questions to get him to talk.  The only English Madu knows is, “ahhh,…right,” which he says often, probably hoping that I would just stop talking.