| January Highlights
Foundation of Goodness in the Month of January:
5,110 beneficiaries
across 100 villages island wide
via 30 empowerment activity sectors, free of charge
costing Rs. 10,346,467.47 (USD 72,232.62)
Number of value addition initiatives from around the world to improve the quality of rural disadvantaged communities:
15 innovations
You can now follow Kushil on LinkedIn, Twitter (@KushilFOG) and Instagram (kushilfog) for daily inspirational quotes that will add value and brighten your day with unique insights (over 100 quotes for managing your expectations).
Chief Executive of one of our principal donors, the Marylebone Cricket Club, Derek Brewer, visited the MCC Centre of Excellence in Seenigama to personally see all the sectors in action, serving thousands of beneficiaries every month.
We are delighted to announce that Gourmet Goodness spices were featured on the Sri Lankan Airlines magazine and are now available for duty free sale on board the flights. Gourmet Goodness spices are a special sustainability income generation venture introduced to support FoG’s humanitarian services. Please visit them at gourmetgoodness.lk
The new Business Process Outsource Centre building sponsored by Sri Lanka Cricket Inc (New South Wales) with funds raised from the Tsunami Aid Project was declared open, harnessing the talent of rural youth to carry out back office operations for a New York based client whilst working in the comfort of their own environment.
The Pahalagama (Ampara) Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Plant sponsored by FoG Trustee and legendary cricketer Mahela Jayawardena was declared open. This plant provides clean water for the 600 people living in Pahalagama as well as those in the surrounding region.
FoG celebrated the graduation ceremonies of the following courses:
202 ladies from Women’s Enterprise and Empowerment Courses-
- Beauty Culture - 32
- Dress Making - 35
- Patchwork - 8
- Saree Work - 30
- Screen Printing - 18
- Beeralu Lace Weaving - 1
- Curtain Making - 20
- General Cookery - 23
- Bakery - 35
231 students graduated from Educational and Business Skills courses:
IT (94) -
- MS Office - 31
- Graphic Design - 22
- Web Design - 7
- Kids Computer - 34
- Electrical Installation & Maintenance - 9
- Tamil Class (Adults) - 20
- Tamil Class (Kids) - 30
- English Class (Adults) - 27
- English Class (Kids) - 28
- Photography - 8
- Diving - 15
These newly acquired skills will make a significant impact towards improving their quality of life in the future.
The Goodness Rhythm Dance Troupe performed their annual concert, bringing together all the dancers from our beginner and advanced traditional dance classes for the second year running, in a stunning display of well-honed skills showcased how talented these rural youth really are.
FoG completed nationwide Essential School Supplies deliveries for 3,236 rural students with serious financial struggles so that they could start the new school year for 2016 fully prepared to excel at their studies. Our greatest hope is that this will help the children build a bright future and escape the cycle of poverty they are currently trapped in. Each and every donor who helped us reach our goal is gratefully acknowledged.
The Jaffna District U19 Cricket Team and U20 Netball Team visited Seenigama with a pit-stop in Colombo as part of a student exchange programme organised with the sponsorship of the American Centre. The teams had a delightful time in Seenigama playing friendly matches with the Sports Academy Teams, using the gym and pool and interacting with other youth from the South including some special programmes with the kids from the FoG Tamil Classes in an effort to promote friendship and reconciliation.
A third group of volunteer tourists from OxAdventure, Kuwait visited Seenigama, refurbishing the Kuleegoda School IT lab including painting the building and furnishing it with everything from computers to ceiling fans, before handing it over to the students prior to their departure.
The LBW Trust continues the sponsorship of 175 scholarships for university students. FoG delivers a total of 812 scholarships nationwide.
The donation of 10 secondhand computers was facilitated by Dushan Soza, Managing Director- Sri Lanka of WNS Global Services with the aim of expanding rural youth’s access to IT and computers were distributed to deserving beneficiaries, which is an essential step in bringing the world to their fingertips to expand their knowledge.
We are delighted to congratulate Chiran Ramawickrama from our photography course for winning 2nd place at the Mihirathi Arunella 2015, Best Photographer of the year category. A hearty congratulations also goes out to young Table Tennis player Sanduni Prabuddhika who placed 2nd at the South Asian Hope Week and Challenge Competition. Read more about her in our Success Story section below.
The Children’s Goodness Clubs performed their annual concert in a display of impressive skill and talent. The club members also visited the Galle Literary Festival with the enthusiastic encouragement of Volunteer English Teacher Rachel Dennis.
The students of Elizabeth Moir School visited the MCC Centre of Excellence in Seenigama for their annual community outreach programme and spent an enjoyable day volunteering and presented special gifts to the kids at Lahiru Pre-School.
The Community Psycho-social Unit had a special workshop with Sr. Canice regarding Child Development and Depression and had a special meeting with the parents of the Children’s Goodness Club to talk about relationships between parents and children.
Special programmes conducted by our volunteers this month include oral health programs by Jessica Gordon from New Zealand and long term volunteer Rachel Dennis from UK expanding her English Classes to the Under 17 Netball Team.
A special Netball Coaching Clinic was conducted by Jr. National Netball Coach Ms. Hyacinth Wijesinghe for 26 players to help them develop their skills and improve performance.
Barker College from Australia visited the Sports Academy for a friendly match to expand the experience of both the visitors and hosts and enjoy a great game of cricket. The team also made a donation to the Foundation for the purchase of 31 computers to strengthen our IT programme for rural students at 6 computer centers.
Ongoing monthly projects include Recycling4Smiles bi-weekly oral hygiene programmes initiated by Sonali Ranaweera- the remarkable 15 year old from USA who has now been contributing to FoG for 28 consecutive months, the sponsorship towards the Navodaya Centre for Special Children by FoG Trustee Muthiah Muralidaran and the monthly grocery packs donated to families in need by Sapan Nainani & his family and Gemma Nolan. We have also received special gifts for the children at the Anula Vijerama Girls' Orphanage by Julie Kent. Such projects provide ongoing care to ensure the continued well-being of a wide cross section of beneficiaries.
To learn about FoG’s recent visit to the North, please visit 'North Journey So Far'. Click Here.
Special community aid programmes carried out by our beneficiaries this month includes monthly visit to Wellawatta Elders' Home by the Medical Centre Team as well as a special visit to the Madampagama Elders' Home.
Many donors worldwide have gifted various items to benefit rural kids and youth including toys, books, and sports equipment to develop skills and improve the living standards of rural beneficiaries.
The Foundation of Goodness is delighted to have 26 volunteers with us in January from USA, Sri Lanka, France, UK, Australia, Kuwait and New Zealand, all of whom are adding value to our work.
25 Village Welfare projects amounting to Rs. 384,206.84 (USD 2,666/-) divided among areas such as Elders’ Home Renovation, healthcare, scholarships, sports, electricity, water and general welfare were facilitated this month to uplift the living standards of rural villagers to ease their burden in addition to the ongoing campus style of operation in place.
TOTAL BENEFICIARIES
16+ years in the South : 300,000+
5+ years in the North and East: 26,000+
Major Upcoming Events:
The Shelton Gunasekera Memorial Swimming Championship to take place in February.
NDF/ FoG Village Heartbeat Project to open in Gandara, Matara in February.
Two overseas cricket teams will be visiting the Seenigama Academy in February for Community Aid Sports Tours.
100 bikes to be donated to northern students by Jean Marc Beguin Champillon group.
Valentines Day Ball organised by Bayside Community Outreach, Brisbane (Australia) to raise funds for the Essential School Supplies Programme.
Decathlon beach games to be introduced in Seenigama.
FoG’s 5th, 6th and 7th Village Heartbeat Projects are under review to be introduced in Thirukovil (East), Eravur (East) and Kankasanthurai (North).
Tesco Charity Aid Walk to take place in Summer, 2016.
New enterprise avenues for sustainable income generation underway. |
