Skills for Livelihoods
Our initial tsunami relief projects in Sri Lanka are off the ground!
A special thank you for the generosity and vision of the National Bank Financial and Counterpart International for providing access to quality education and technology to the students of Thirukkovil Kumara Primary School. Their tremendous efforts are making and will continue to make a lasting impression on the youth and their families in the Ampara district.
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The doors of the first vocational training center to rise after the devastation of the December 2004 tsunami have opened with much excitement. Built through a partnership with Free The Children and funded by the generosity Oprah’s Angel Network, the center is the first vocational training center in the entire country to be rebuilt following the tsunami. The opening ceremony brought together the entire community with students releasing doves as a symbol of hope. The center also serves to empower the women of the community as they will be learning skills, previously privileged only to men, which will transform the gender dynamics in the community. Following the opening of the vocational training center, Free The Children was thrilled to open the Thirukkovil Kumara Primary School. The elementary school will provide education to 200 youth in grades 1- 5. Rebuilt with seven classrooms, this school will provide young students with the opportunity to expand their knowledge and to become more valued members of their communities. Both buildings were constructed in the Ampara District, located on the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka, which was an area directly in the path of the tsunami that hit the island. Consequently, it is one of the worst affected districts of Sri Lanka recording the highest number of deaths, displaced persons, and the number of damages houses. The Ampara district has Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities. The worst affected were mainly Tamils and Muslims living close to the coast—many of them farmer and fisher families. Large sections of the low-lying coast were washed away. It is reported that villages and houses 100 meters inland from the sea were destroyed. In some cases tidal reached up to three kilometers inland. This is one of many necessary steps being taken towards rebuilding the lives of youth and their families in Sri Lanka. Free The Children is so excited to be a part of this journey of reconstruction and promise, providing education and vocational skills to a devastated community. As we celebrate our successes, it is important to recognize that there is still much to be done. Through Free The Children’s Adopt a Village program, youth across the globe continue to support necessary development projects in Sri Lanka such as clean water programs, alternative sources of income, health and sanitation programs and schoolbuilding to improve the lives of their peers around the world. To learn more about what you can do to help, check out the Adopt a Village page! |
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How You Can Help
Project |
Cost (US Dollars) |
|
| build a one-classroom school |
|
$7,000 |
|
build a washroom |
|
$500 per washroom |
|
support one teacher's salary and training for one year |
|
$1,200 / year |
|
furnish one classroom (chairs, desks, blackboards) |
|
$1,500 per Classroom |
|
supply textbooks |
|
$1,250 / class |
|
give one child a backpack full of school supplies |
|
$20 per student |
|
ship medical supplies |
|
provide $10 worth of medical supplies by donating $1* |
* Through a special matching program provided through a Free The Children partnership we purchase medical supplies at or below cost resulting in substantial savings for both us and you.
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