Lankan philanthropist in Germany assists children affected by tsunami

by Wyman Hettiarachchi

Mrs. Dulika Pieris, a Sri Lankan domiciled in Germany has voluntarily come forward to provide financial and other assistance to school children and undergraduates who have lost their parents and faced various other hardships due to the tsunami.

This assistance will be channelled through a special scholarship fund set up by her at the request of the National Childrens Information Centre of the Mulleriyawa National Child Education Foundation (NCEF).

Apart from this a consignment of school uniforms and educational equipment provided by her was distributed among school children of low income families in various parts of the country by Ven. Bandagiriye Somawansa thera, Director, NCEF recently.

Ven. Somawansa said children needing this type of assistance should forward their applications through the respective Divisional Secretaries to the Director, National Child Education Foundation, Mulleriyawa New Town.

Ven. Somawansa thera said Mrs. Pieris has also set up an institution named "Luwana" with the assistance of teachers and students of the Bonn International School to facilitate this assistance programme.

She has also set up a pre-school for tsunami affected children at Ahangama in the Southern Province. Mrs. Pieris is assisted in this work by her husband Neil Pieris of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Bonn and her father-in-law Wilson Pieris.