Giving kids a chance- a true story

Ruwini Jayawardana

St Ann Primary School, Hiniduma

Sharing the gifts with the students

Education is the road that children follow to reach their full potential in life. Yet many children in need around the world do not get a quality education where they can learn and develop.

This is mainly because they cannot obtain the resources needed for education. Many children in poverty stricken areas in Sri Lanka have to give up their learning process early in life to take up work to earn a few pennies and contribute to their family's economy or simply become a caretaker for their younger siblings while their parents battle with life.

This is where My Hope Lanka.lk stepped in. Its head Sujith Weerasinghe has been a torch bearer for the Olympic Games 2012. He is also a London Olympic Organisation Committee member. He had gotten the news about these children via an article published in the Lakbima newspaper and decided to do his bit to help the children at St Ann Primary School, Hiniduma.

"These students are from small huts scattered around the area. Most of their parents earn their daily wages by engaging in day to day chores. Many days they are not able to earn a sufficient amount to feed their family let alone buy school bags, books, clothes and shoes for them. The attendance is poor due to this reason. There are moments when the children too have to work to find more money for a living," the school's English teacher Amendra Konara explained.

Most of the children studying at the school are of mixed Sinhala and Tamil parentage. Therefore they are able to communicate fluently in both languages. They show great promise in learning the English language too under the guidance of Konara. Her dedication and efforts towards enhancing the lives of the children came to light recently at the National Youth Awards (Top 20) organised by the National Youth Services Council where she was adjudged as the best school teacher in the island.

It was a joy indeed watching the little faces break into a smile as the children were handed prizes of school bags, books, pencils, erasers, shoes and socks. All these gifts meant the world to them while such items are often brought every term and discarded even before they have been worn off by children from wealthy backgrounds.

The team also provided the children with other essential items like undergarments, handkerchiefs and ties. Around 40 children from the school as well as around six other children who have studied at St Ann's but have shifted to other schools in the region were given these items. Journalists from the Lakbima newspaper too joined hands in this worthy cause.

St Ann Primary School, Hiniduma, Deputy Principal P W Jayalath, M S R Irangani from the Regional Education Division, Hiniduma Police Inspector R L Sanath Ranjith and Sub Inspector of the Women's Division J H Chathuri Asanka were also present to share these memorable moments with the children.