Where hope blossoms

Asia

Two homes for children in Sri Lanka, a girls home in Batticaloa and a boys home in Wellawaya, are seeking support. It takes just $2 a day to support the needs of one child in these homes!

Our vision is to make these homes self-supporting and extend their services to support many more children. These homes plan to leverage the land and resources available on campus to help improve the facilities. Eventually these homes aspire to become centres of excellence and hubs of community support, education, health, welfare, self-sufficiency and empowerment so they can help to rebuild the shattered communities around them.

The story

The prolonged and bloody civil war in Sri Lanka and the tsunami left nearly a hundred thousand people dead and millions displaced. The island nation continues to suffer the after-effects of the conflict — social and societal breakdown, poverty and trauma. And, as is often the case in violent conflicts, many Sri Lankan children have had to bear the consequences, leading to loss of parental support. 

The Art of Living, an international non-profit organization whose guiding principle is a stress-free, violence-free society, has been active in the country, providing relief and support to communities. The organization runs two homes that provide residential care to children, in Batticaloa and Wellawaya. Both the homes are approved and monitored by the Sri Lankan government.

Children begin a new life in an atmosphere filled with peace and joy in these homes. The homes are not just a place to stay and a source of nurturing for the children, they are also a provider of remedial learning, life skills coaching and uplifting yoga, and meditations. Children are encouraged to support each other and help in the daily chores around the home, and also to learn useful vocational skills such as computers and English.

Currently, the homes are serving 36 girls and 26 boys and are seeking your help to continue making a difference in their lives. It takes around two dollars a day to cover the operational costs for one child ($60 per month for a child), supporting their education and living expenses covering food, stay, school uniforms and tuition classes.

Supporting donations

The International Association of Human Values (IAHV), a sister organization of The Art of Living foundation, has supported this initiative from inception by seeking funds from Unibanco to cover the aftermath of the Tsunami. IAHV continues to provide a framework for accepting donations for the homes, too. Donations made through IAHV are tax-deductible in the United States.

Other ways to support

Both the homes at Wellawaya and Batticaloa have great potential to be self-sustaining. While boys’ home at Wellawaya has a gigantic auditorium that can be let out to raise funds, girls’ home at Batticaloa has 10 acres of land available for farming. Donations as a single amount towards these infrastructure projects will help the homes become self-sustaining in the long run. Below are a few infrastructure projects that we aspire to support at each of these locations.

At Wellawaya Boys Home

  1. Renovation of roof of auditorium that can be let out to raise funds
  2. Renovation of roof of the living room
  3. Renovation of kitchen
  4. Raising a compound wall for safety and security of children

At Batticaloa Home

  1. Renovation of living rooms of guests
  2. Renovation of main seminar hall, toilets
  3. Capital to take up farming activities in the 10 acres of land available

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