Category: Sri Lanka

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Children’s education ‘on hold’ during the Coronavirus lockdown.

India

No major activities were planned at Boys Town Gummidipoondi during March, due to final examinations taking place. Regrettably, because of the subsequent curfew and lockdown, the examinations for students in the 6th, 9th, 10th and 11th Standards were cancelled and seventy two students had to return home to live with their parents/guardians. The 12th Standard examinations took place on the 24th of March, when the country’s lockdown was announced so ten students had to remain at the village with staff. Food and essential items were made available to them and everyone remained in good health and followed their usual routines. The students were also able to spend time in the grounds engaged in gardening activities and housekeeping tasks took place in the evenings. They have since been able to return home.

In June, the Government of Tamil Nadu announced the cancellation of public examinations for all students in the 10th and 11th Standards and declared that they have “passed” their examinations. The 12th Standard exam results should be out soon.

Sri Lanka

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, schools and pre-schools have remained closed, including our ‘Saplings’ pre-school in Ratmalana. Before lockdown, teachers managed to visit most of the families and gave workbooks to the children so that their parents could help them at home. Staff remain in regular contact with the families by telephone. Until the lockdown, there were twenty nine children attending the project – sixteen girls and thirteen boys aged between three and five years.

The Government has made a decision to reopen pre-schools on July 1st.

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A Caring Gift from the Rotary Club of Luton

In January 2020 our CEO gave a lunch-time presentation to members of the Rotary Club of Luton about the work of ICT and then more specifically, details of the ‘Saplings Pre-School Project’ at SERVE in Sri Lanka. Thanks to this project, children from impoverished communities and of three-four years of age, will have the opportunity to prepare for primary school education.

Afterwards, the president of the club, Kelly Blankley, presented us with a generous donation towards the work of ‘Saplings’. Through ICT, members of the club have been sponsoring the education of disadvantaged children in Sri Lanka for many years and we are very grateful that they have kindly decided to support this new programme. We would also like to thank all those present for making the session an enjoyable occasion.

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The ‘Saplings’ pre-school in Sri Lanka

Our work continues in Sri Lanka and we have pleasure in sharing news about a SERVE project for pre-school children called ‘Saplings’. Currently, there are 38 students aged between 3 – 4 years old from low income families in the Tamil community of  Ratmalana.

This pre-school is housed within the premises of the Hindu College Ratmalana. Our contact at SERVE was asked by the school to start this project because there were no pre-schools catering for low income children studying in Tamil in the area. The pupils will start Grade 1 of primary school when they are five years old and be entitled to free education.

Adithi is currently attending Saplings pre-school. She is five years old and joined the school in May 2018. Sadly, her father passed away in 2016. Her mother is a seamstress and she is the one taking care of Adithi and her elder brother.

When Adithi joined the pre-school she was shy and lacked confidence but now she is actively participating in school work. She is very good at drawing and is learning and using a wide range of numbers and letters in English and Tamil. We are happy to report that she is progressing to primary school at the Hindu College in January 2020. 

This SERVE pre-school project is the only opportunity for these children to develop their literacy, numeracy and social skills in order to be ready to start primary school at five years of age and help them to achieve their potential in the future.

Every gift, of any amount, helps to keep us close to these children so that they have a better chance of overcoming barriers to learning and the right to fulfil their dreams. So please help us to continue to be there for them. Donate now.

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SERVE Safeguarding and Eye-care Programmes.

SERVE is a Sri Lankan non-profit organisation working for the empowerment of the disadvantaged, especially children. SERVE has been in partnership with ICT for more than ten years. The project continues to support and empower children from poor, marginalised communities living in shanty towns and low-income housing schemes. 

At our children’s community centres we help children to complete their education successfully through bursarial support. In addition, our social workers also provide these children with guidance and counselling for the day to day psychosocial problems/abuse they may face at home, in the community and at school. We have also educated our community facilitators to create awareness among mothers about safeguarding their children from all forms of abuse, including sexual abuse. Two hundred families have taken part in this project so far.

In May 2019 our community eye care centre was opened in Moratuwa and can be accessed on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 9am – 4pm by the public. The project aims to help 500 children to receive free eye tests and spectacles in the coming year.

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A Success Story from SERVE in Sri Lanka.

Lakshan is from Moratuwa in Sri Lanka. He lost his mother when he was seven years old and he and his four siblings were brought up by his father and grandmother. His father was an unskilled, casual worker and the family faced many economic difficulties.

Lakshan attended a small village school but also joined the local SERVE Angulana centre when he was 8 years old. He enjoyed reading newspapers and using the library there and with the help of the centre co-ordinator and social worker, Lakshan did his school homework plus studied independently. He also attended computing classes and took part in children’s rights training programmes, leadership training programmes and child abuse prevention programmes carried out by SERVE.

When he was 10 years old, Lakshan was entered for the sponsorship programme on the recommendation of a SERVE social worker. After successfully passing school examinations he entered Prince of Wales College, Moratuwa. In 2017 he sat his GCE Advanced level examinations in the Commerce stream and did well in Accounting, Business Studies and Economics. Lakshan mainly used his sponsorship money to pay for additional educational coaching classes and to buy educational equipment and school clothing.

After leaving school Lakshan attended a two month spoken English course at Cambridge College in Kandy. Since 2018 Lakshan has been working in a private bank as a Marketing Officer, and in order to further his career, he is currently following a certificate course in Marketing at the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing. In the future, Lakshan hopes to complete his Marketing course and also follow additional courses in Banking.

Lakshan is very grateful that he has been able to overcome many challenges with the assistance of ICT and his sponsor through SERVE. He is proud of his academic achievements and the progression of his career until now.