Chairrman distributes Biycles in Batticaloa at senior school (above) and Hari Children's Home (below)

“Batticaloa Sewalanka has been performing a very valuable and important service without pomp and pageant. Sewalanka has not only given hope but also concrete contribution to the Tsunami recovery efforts of the people of Batticaloa and its future generations”. Explained Mr. S. Chandrakumar, President of the Hari Children’s Home in Batticaloa in his recent letter to Sewalanka Foundation’s Chairman thanking him for the support provided to the home.

Sewalanka Batticaloa Foundation provided bikes, school books and other essential items to the children of Hari Children’s Home as part of Sewalanka Foundation Appeals Fund Micro-Project No. 9.

The Appeal Fund was launched the day after the tsunami devastated the Sri Lankan coastline. It was in response to international friends, partners and colleagues who wanted to donate directly to Sewalanka Foundation’s relief efforts.

Since then the Appeal Fund has grown into a Micro-Project initiative, where District Directors source small projects directly from their communities. These are then placed on the web for support. In the case of Hari Children’s home, the support was provided by Withinfield’s Primary School in England.

“I am extremely proud that through our web-based initiative a small school in English can provide direct support to orphans in Batticaloa. As a development organization, this gives me the greatest joy as it is about communities helping other communities directly” says Mr. Harsha Kumara Navaratne, Sewalanka’s Chairman.

Mr. Navaratne also attended the distribution ceremony and provided words or encouragement to the orphans. “When you handed over those bicycles as children it made a big change and hope in their lives and we are very thankful to you for it. The students have been given much encouragement and hope for their future when you told them about your life story” thanked Mr. Chandrakumar.

Hari Children’s Home was established as an orphanage in 1985, to provide shelter and security for up to 25 Tamil boys who had lost one or more of their parents due to the civil conflict. This children’s home is situated in Kallady, an area severely affected by the tsunami. Fortunately the orphanage itself was left undamaged, but children of the home have been affected by the tsunami with some of the children having family members experience the total destruction of their homes, loss of possessions and injury.

Further details on the projects seeking support can be found in the Appeal Fund section of the website.