Empowerment Highlights 2020

January

Essential School Supplies Programme Concludes

Our longest running annual campaign concludes the island-wide distribution of Essential School Supply Packs to rural, disadvantaged children. They are now ready to face the new school year fully equipped with the essential school supplies they require!

Ocean Care Initiative – Dive For Good

In 2020, the Dive For Good Centre focused more on environmental initiatives. On the 18th of January 2020, five of our very own certified divers, scoured the ocean floor for 4 hours, for trash of every kind. They were able to collect a staggering 20KG of trash from just one area. This included plastic, fabric, polythene, timber, rubber, fishing nets and much more. Our successful dive awakened us to the magnitude of the pollution levels in the oceans of Sri Lanka. Hence, Ocean Care was initiated with the hope that we could in some way help mitigate the tremendous amount of pollution harming our seas. Our second Ocean Care Campaign was successfully completed on the 7th of March with the sponsorship of Majestic Whale Encounters in Australia. A staggering 32.9 Kg of trash was collected from the seabed around Seenigama. We hope to continue this initiative until the Seenigama seas are pollution free.

Trustee Roshan Wijerama Visits

We were delighted to welcome our trustee Mr. Roshan Wijerama and his beautiful wife Melissa from USA to the Foundation of Goodness in Seenigama where he was able to hand over some Essential School Packs to eager young students and officially declare open our newly renovated TT facility funded by his fellow FoG trustee from USA, Dr. Naj Nagendran.

OYOB Australia Reception

Yesterday, Kushil Gunasekera, Chief Trustee of the Foundation of Goodness, was welcomed to Melbourne with a warm reception by the Foundation of Goodness’ Melbourne chapter in Australia. At a delicious Sri Lankan dinner at Upali’s Restaurant, long-term and new supporters came together to hear Kushil’s stories and learnings, generously hosted in-kind by Upali’s and facilitated by the Doing Good Foundation and OYOB Property Group.

WokBox ‘Eat to Feed’ Campaign

Our friends from WokBox.lk launched a campaign called ‘Eat To Feed’ from Dec 24th to 30th, 2019 where 10% of their profits during the period went towards providing a meal for the Navodya Special Needs Centre facilitated by the Foundation of Goodness. The children were absolutely delighted with their meal and co-owner of WokBox, Nabeel, was there in person on the day to share an enjoyable afternoon with the kids and even brought along some items off of Navodya Home’s request list purchased with his personal funds.

It is always such a joy to work with warmhearted donors who go the extra mile to bring joy to others.

Trustee Murali’s Support for SL Deaf Cricket Association

FoG Trustee and cricketing great Muthiah Muralidaran made a donation towards the Sri Lanka Deaf Cricket Association in the SL vs. India Deaf Cricket Tournament where the Sri Lankan Team came out winners. This was especially poignant as the team was captained by Gimadu Malkam from our very own Sports Academy! Prior to playing against India in the Deaf Cricket Series, a thrilling cricketing encounter took place between the Deaf Cricket Club and the FOG Club team on the 18th of January 2020 giving players on both sides to test their skills against each other. We wish the team all the best in their future endeavours!

Women in Sports

Women’s football has been growing in popularity and recognition all over the world, in the recent past. Furthering our endeavours in rural sports development, the 15 players of our Under 15 women’s football team in Mathagal, Jaffna have begun practices! We wish them every success!

Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2020

The Under-19 Cricket World Cup is currently underway in South Africa and we are immensely proud of our team who beat Japan by 9 wickets two days ago! What makes this team so special to us is that 4 of their players, have regularly attended our Tokyo Cement Sponsored South Coaching Camps. Moreover, 3 of the players have received our MCC Scholarship. We hope they continue to bring glory to Sri Lanka.

We are also immensely proud of one of our very own cricketers, Ravindu Rasantha, on being selected into the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup team. Ravindu trained at the FoG Sports Academy during his time at Dharmasoka College and a participant of the Tokyo Cement Group rural cricket development training camps. We congratulate him on his tremendous achievement and hope he continues to bring glory to Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 Team

4 outstanding ladies from our Seenigama Ladies Cricket Squad have been selected to represent the Sri Lanka National Team for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup which commences on the 15th of Feb 2020! Congratulations to Kaveesha Dilhari, Umasha Thimeshani (Seenigama Ladies Captain 2019 ), Anushka Sanjeewani and Satya Sandeepani!

Ramesh Mendis Scores A Triple Century

Beneficiary Ramesh Mendis representing Moors Sports Club became the 2nd Sri Lankan right handed batsman to score a first class triple century after Trustee and cricketing legend Mahela Jayawardena. Ramesh also scored the 3rd fastest triple century in Sri Lanka domestic arena.

As one of the Foundation of Goodness sponsored cricketers from such a young age by way of a scholarship from the MCC, our heartiest congratulations go out to a promising cricketer Ramesh Mendis from Dharmasoka College, Ambalangoda who has represented Sri-Lanka under 19 World Cup, Emerging Team and SL A Team.

Cricket Coaching Camps Begin

It is without a doubt that cricket is an integral part of Sri Lankan culture and we have recognised that many rural boys and girls harbour dreams of representing Sri Lanka someday. The monthly coaching camp at the Sri Sumangala MCC Lords Cricket Ground in Hikkaduwa is conducted by renowned cricket coach Hemantha Devapriya. 12 coaching camps were conducted in the South and another 12 in the North and East throughout the year.

February

Hoppers London Collaboration

We are delighted to announce our partnership with Hoppers London who over the next couple of months will be hosting fundraising campaigns and charity dinners, alongside adding a discretionary £1 on every bill at their restaurants. 

Hoppers London then joined the FoG family, as the sponsors of the Mahawilachchiya Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre in Anuradhapura! This Centre empowers over 700 rural children, women and youth every year.

The Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Visits

Every year we welcome many curious visitors who come to understand our holistic, rural development model. Among such visitors was His Excellency David McKinnon, the Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, who did us the honour of visiting our MCC Centre of Excellence in Seenigama. Guided by none other than our Founder/Chief Trustee Kushil Gunasekera, he learnt all about the work done by the Foundation of Goodness via our 10 empowerment divisions. He also visited the Sports Academy, Bryan Adams Swimming Pool complex and the Women Empowerment Centre!

Reconciliation Cricket Camp – North and East

The Foundation of Goodness was proud to work with the Harmony Centre of Kattankudy (Batticaloa District), to organize a cricket coaching camp on the 29th of February with the view of promoting peace and harmony among communities! 60 aspiring cricketers from the rural locality took part in the all day training camp to hone their skills.

Plates of Goodness #1 on TripAdvisor

Our sustainable income generation venture, Plates of Goodness, was rated #1 on TripAdvisor’s Things to Do In Hikkaduwa! With Plates of Goodness, you can learn how to make an authentic, mouth-watering Sri Lankan meal from scratch! This is a social impact experience where 100% of what you pay for this experience goes towards humanitarian activities conducted by the charity, Foundation of Goodness.

The Jaffna Ladies Cricket Team

Women’s Sports is picking up all over the world and we too at FoG are striving to support and encourage rural girls to engage in sports. Thanks to a kind donation of cricket equipment from Mario.R.Perera and his friend Brett from Australia, the FoG ladies cricket team in Jaffna has been fully equipped to continue their training!

Grant for the Mini Surrey Oval in Seengama

A huge thank you to the Surrey County Cricket Club for providing further funds for the upkeep of the Seenigama Surrey Oval, which now has two brand new sight screens, dugouts and an astro turf! The old turf was carefully removed and donated to the Jayanthi Primary School Hikkaduwa. We hope it helps the aspiring cricketers in that school receive better quality cricket training!

March 

MCC Dinner/Fundraiser in the UK

Founder and Chief Trustee, Kushil Gunesekara attends the MCC banquet, in honour of MCC President and FoG Trustee Kumar Sangakkara, as a fundraiser for the empowerment activities of the Foundation of Goodness. 

OYOB Dinner – Australia

The 4 outstanding ladies from our Seenigama Ladies Cricket Squad who were selected to represent the Sri Lanka National Team for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup were felicitated by the OYOB Property Group in Australia during their time in Melbourne!

International Women’s Day Celebrations

International Women’s Day 2020 was celebrated under the United Nations theme “Each for Equal”  at our Centres island-wide.The Foundation of Goodness is privileged to have trained and empowered over 6,000 women across a number of disciplines from business and vocational training, education and sports to go on to work in industries such as beauty, food, IT, BPO, electrical and professional sports over the past 21 years.

Renuka Malkanthi Alwis Music Academy 

The Foundation of Goodness initiated the ‘Renuka Malkanthi Alwis Music Academy’ in Seenigama with the musical instruments donated by Dr. Lankanatha from UK as an endeavour for music therapy and to develop the musical talents and abilities of rural villagers whether they be school children, school leavers or our very own staff members.

UK Armed Forces Cricket Academy Visit

Before the Coronavirus halted our activities, the UK Armed Forces Cricket Association visited the MCC Centre of Excellence in Seenigama, as a part of their tour of India and Sri Lanka! They enjoyed a guided tour of the many sectors in Seenigama, took part in a beach cleaning programme, learnt to make a delicious, healthy Sri Lankan meal at Plates of Goodness and even participated in a friendly game of cricket.

Navod Paranavitharana Smashes Records

We are immensely proud of Navod Paranavithana who is the Sri Lanka Under 19 World Cup opener and captain of Mahinda College, Galle for shattering batting records when he became the first schoolboy to score a quadruple century in a school match yesterday! Navod is a recipient of our MCC scholarship and is a frequent participant of our Tokyo Cement cricket coaching camp! Congratulations to Navod Paranavithana.

VHE Mahawilachchiya Table Tennis Course

Our newest Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre in Mahawilachchiya proudly kick-started a table tennis course for 50 aspiring boys and girls from the rural locality.

April

Good News Campaign & Kindness Challenge

As the World reeled from the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Foundation of Goodness initiated a Goodness campaign along with a Kindness Challenge, urging everyone to focus on good news and become more compassionate towards those suffering due to the pandemic.

COVID-19 Treatment Equipment to Hospitals

In Batticaloa, Eastern Sri Lanka, the Kattankudy Base Hospital (KBH) was recently converted into a Coronavirus Treatment Center (COVID-19 Unit) and although several coronavirus patients are currently receiving treatment at the KBH, the hospital lacks adequate facilities for both the patients and staff.

The Foundation of Goodness is privileged to have the opportunity to collaborate with the Koddaimunai Sports Village Batticaloa to donate a stock of nebulizers and personal protective medical equipment via the Kattankudy Harmony Centre to the KBH at the Kattankudy Police Station, Kattankudy.

The items donated by Mr. Puvanasingham Vaseeharan include:

PPE Kit Heavy Duty Units with Head Cover – 100 

KN 95 masks – 101 

Industrial Nebulizer – 27 

Goggles – 58 

The occasion also highlighted unity and harmony between the religious groups in Sri Lanka coming together at a time of need as a Tamil gentleman, who has been supporting development work in Jaffna, was the kind donor of this equipment and it was coordinated by Sinhalese intermediaries to make the donation to a predominantly Muslim community.

Furthermore, Dr. Rez Rahim from Australia together with Dr. Danushi Ganegoda, friends and well-wishers raised funds to donate a Philips MX450 Multipara Monitor and 3 Nasal High Flow Oxygen Systems to the Colombo National Hospital Intensive Care Unit along with two stands, essential and life saving equipment that will help any Sri Lankans in battling respiratory illness. 

These truly magnanimous gestures went a long way towards ensuring the health and well-being of critical sufferers, helping them to pull through and return to good health.

Goodness Capsule Campaign

Our Founder Kushil Gunasekera under the Good Life Institute, initiated the Goodness Capsule series, as a ‘viral remedial action’ in order to help people cope with the many changes brought about by COVID-19. It offered new reflections and perspectives under quarantine lockdown. 

Island-wide Essential Grocery Pack Distributions

Heart specialist Dr. Kushwin Rajamani from Perth, Australia begins a campaign to provide essential grocery items to those in trying circumstances in Sri Lanka, due to the COVID-19 pandemic creating job loss and economic hardship. At the end of the campaign 1500 families all over the island benefitted thanks to the generosity of Dr. Kushwin.

May

Centres Set To Reopen

As restrictions eased in Sri Lanka, our Centres islandwide geared up to open once more! Daily uninterrupted maintenance work was carried out during the COVID-19 lockdown period at all our centres in order to maintain our high standards. 

New Trustee

We were honoured to welcome Mr. Jitto Arulampalam to our board of Trustees, joining many other remarkable individuals who have put the needs of those less fortunate before their own. We look forward to empowering more rural, disadvantaged individuals with his support.

Sam Atukorale’s Cricket Donations

After being stuck in transit for nearly 2 months due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we finally received Dr. Athukorala’s generous donation of second-hand cricket gear, many school items for children and cricket clothing! These were distributed to our Centres island-wide once they opened.

The Goodness Agriculture Initiative

The COVID-19 pandemic put into perspective just how important agriculture, food security and self-sustainability is.The Foundation of Goodness and its Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres launched the Goodness Agriculture Initiative, with Founder Kushil Gunasekera inaugurated the launch at our Head Office in Colombo by planting a tree. This initiative aims to incorporate more knowledge on agriculture and the environment at all our Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres island-wide.

Medicine Donations

Our Medical Centre in Seenigama offers free health check-ups and medicine to rural Sri Lankans, many of whom cannot make their way to Government hospitals. We salute Dr. Kushan for his generous donation of 43 different types of medicine, to replenish our medicine stocks!

June 

FoG Face Mask

The Foundation of Goodness introduced special reusable face masks with a 97% bacterial filtration efficiency level which were also emblazoned with good values so that the mask was good for your body, mind and the planet! All proceeds from the sale of these masks were towards supplying essential grocery packs to rural Sri Lankans struggling amidst the pandemic.

Shyam Bhatia Cricket Bags Donation

50 cricket bags were donated to the Foundation of Goodness by Shyam Bhatia from India through his ‘Cricket for Care’ Initiative. 47 rural schools as well as 3 FoG sponsored sporting programmes from across the island including Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu,Mananr, Anuradhapura, Batticaloa, Amapara, Monaragala, Hatton, Nuwara Eliya and Galle benefitted from receiving this equipment to help develop their game.

The 14th Anniversary of the Lahiru Preschool

The Lahiru Pre-school at the MCC Centre of Excellence in Seenigama celebrated its 14th anniversary. We salute our dedicated staff who work hard to provide a wonderful foundation for rural kids as they begin their educational journey.

Staff Training by .LK

In a world revolving around information technology and as more activities move online due to the pandemic, it is imperative that our Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre coordinators, teachers and FoG staff, be tech savvy. Therefore, we have begun Joomla video training conducted by .LK.

Planetary Health Education Course

This year, the Foundation of Goodness was happy to announce the introduction of two new compulsory courses at all our Centres; the Planetary Health Education Course and STEM activities. The Planetary Health Education Course creates awareness on important issues that are often ignored at schools but are so important to the holistic development of our beneficiaries. This includes lessons on COVID-19 awareness and mental health education. A huge thank you to Dr. Anusha Seneviratne who had volunteered at FoG, for designing this timely programme for us.

Olympic Day Celebrations

We participated in the #UnitedbyEnvironment campaign by the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka by planting a tree! In 2020, Olympic Day was celebrated on the 23rd of June, under the theme of “Plant a Tree for a New Lease of Life”.

World Environment Day

Our Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre in Thirukkovil, Ampara distributed 100 plants, including coconut, chillie, pomegranate, and lemon to our beneficiaries. These plants were donated by the Peoples’ Collective For Climate Justice, in lieu of World Environment Day 2020!

Father’s Day Celebrations

A special video series by our beneficiaries and the children of our Trustees was published in the run up to Father’s Day, titled ‘Appreciation from the Heart’. The messages which were in all three languages and came from our Centres island-wide, touched the hearts of Father’s everywhere. 

July

Dental and Medical Clinics Re-open

The Dental Clinic at the MCC Centre of Excellence in Seenigama opened after months of closure due to the COVID-19 health regulations. Dental Care is often inaccessible and unaffordable to rural Sri Lankans. We are thankful to one of our biggest supporters, Dr. Kushwin Rajamani from Australia, for allowing rural Sri Lankans to receive high-quality dental care, completely free of charge. 

Our Medical Centre at the MCC Centre of Excellence also opened once more to offer both laboratory and pharmaceutical facilities, free of charge, to many beneficiaries in the area who are unable to make it to the government hospitals. The medical centre also extends its services to multiple local elders homes and maternity clinics!

10th Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Plant

The 10th reverse osmosis water purification plant situated in Vankalai Mannar was opened and will bring much needed clean water to rural Sri Lankan villagers in the area, upon completion. Graciously sponsored by Pimp My Tuk Tuk this plant supports 1700 families, reaching approximately 6800 beneficiaries and is the 4th RO plant established by the group.

Essential Grocery Supplies – East

Dr. Kushwin Rajamani’s donation has enabled a distribution in the East of Sri Lanka, in Kattankudy, towards many people living below the poverty line. The distribution, facilitated by the Harmony Centre and FoG, was done by the Mosque Federation, who selected the beneficiaries the most in need. These essential groceries bring much needed and timely relief to the community, who are preparing to mark Eid al-Adha, a muslim religious festival, on the 1st of August.

Dixon Ashley Mendis Memorial Award 2020

The Dixon-Ashley Mendis Memorial Educational Scholarship Award, which is awarded annually to those with the best results for the GCE Ordinary Level examination was given this year as well.

Meth Sewa Receives New Sinks

Thanks to our FoG family, brand new sinks for the dining hall of the Meth Sewa Foundation special needs home have been installed after many delays due to strict health regulations because of COVID-19. They also enjoyed special alms giving for the 120 children & adults and 10 caregivers!

August

Essential School Supplies Programme

The 21st edition of the Essential School Supplies Programme launches. The Essential School Supplies Programme (ESSP) is one of our longest initiatives to uplift rural disadvantaged communities. This year many rural families are struggling more than ever before due to economic hardship caused by COVID-19. The campaign was extremely successful, thanks to our outstanding donors more than 4200 children will be equipped with all the essential supplies to start the new school year.

Sujatha Special Needs Home Patronage

The Foundation of Goodness begins supporting the Sujatha Special Needs Home in Kalutara by way of numerous initiatives geared at improving the standard of life for their 85 residents ranging from ages 4 to 92, many of whom are differently abled.

One Sri Lanka Foundation Donation

A prevailing problem in the North of Sri Lanka is the lack of clean drinking water. The people of Othiyamalai, Oddusuddan in the Mullaitivu District live without access to clean drinking water. However now, more than 235 people from 81 families can benefit from this tube well, facilitated by the Foundation of Goodness and sponsored by Mr. K Suriyakumar from the One Sri Lanka Foundation in the USA.

Special Needs Unit Registration

Registration begins for the special needs unit of the MCC Centre of Excellence. Rural Sri Lankans with special needs need immense support and care. We were blessed to have Dr. Prithiviraj (CEO of Humedica), who has stepped up to support the unit.

Delft Island Visit

Our Founder, Kushil Gunasekera and a team from FoG, visited the island on the 20th of August 2020 to meet with the NGO Humedica Lanka who had reached out to us about supporting the population on Delft Island, to look at potential new humanitarian projects. The meeting with the Delft Divisional Secretariat revealed that the residents are in urgent need of proper schools to educate their children, a constant supply of clean drinking water and access to electricity. We also discussed how the Foundation of Goodness could improve sport and tourism infrastructure on the island, in order to create sustainable sources of livelihoods for the island residents.

Our first project on the island was the donation of 100 essential grocery packs for the locals, thanks to the generous support of Dr. Sangarappillai Asokan and facilitation from Humedica. Discussions are now underway for a potential Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre on the island and a variety of other projects which will empower this under-served community.

CAN Market

The first CAN Market took place from the 28th to the 30th of August at the Colombo City Centre! This initiative aimed to support rural entrepreneurs by providing them with an opportunity to meet customers at the very heart of Colombo.

Apart from supporting the event with a Help Desk, FoG also spoke to the vendors in order to understand their strengths and weaknesses and see how they can add value to FoG and vice versa! FoG Trustee and legendary cricketer Muthiah Muralidaran graced the event as the Chief Guest.

Our Women’s Empowerment Division from the MCC Centre of Excellence also visited the CAN Market to get inspiration for their own creative endeavors.

Business Processing Outsourcing Centre Opens

The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Centre opened after closure due to COVID-19. This is where former students of our programming and IT courses are employed by internationally recognised firms, giving them valuable work experience and opportunities. We currently employ 27 qualified individuals, who have all graduated from the programming/IT courses provided by the FoG. 

Stray Friendly Animal Welfare Launched

The Stray Friendly Animal Welfare programme was launched to take care of the stray cats and dogs in the vicinity of the MCC Centre of Excellence. Three phases have been carried out, with a special meal made and distributed to the stray animals.

#FacesofExchange

Our Founder, Kushil Gunasekera, was recognised by #FacesofExchange!

World Humanitarian Day

At FoG we mark many special days, teaching their importance to our beneficiaries all over Sri Lanka. Last week, our Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre in Ampara came together to mark World Humanitarian Day! They learnt the importance of being humane, shared chocolates with friends and made an oath to be exemplary humanitarians. The FoG staff at the MCC Centre of Excellence marked World Humanitarian Day 2020 with a special act of kindness. They personally prepared a meal for the stray animals of Seenigama and distributed it! Our Founder, Kushil Gunasekera also spoke on 20 years of Humanitarian efforts to empower rural disadvantaged communities in Sri Lanka.

STEM Activities

This year, the Foundation of Goodness was happy to announce the introduction of two new compulsory courses at all our Centres; the Planetary Health Education Course and STEM activities. STEM education activities are designed to apply science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in contexts that make connections between the classroom and the world around them. For example, the primary level pupils engaged in making balloon rockets using simple material, to learn about the force produced by expelled air for dynamic power, while others built simple machines from cardboard.  Our beneficiaries have thoroughly embraced and enjoyed the STEM activities conducted so far, as they required innovative thinking and teamwork, and they have gained invaluable knowledge.

Water and Electricity Connection

Sugath Pradeep Kumara and his family live in a rural village known as Buttala in the Monaragala district. They lived in a half built house with no water or electricity. However, thanks to the generosity of the FoG family, they now have both electricity and water connections! The family is immensely grateful to our sponsors Saktha Amaratunga, Swarna & Srikanth and Athula Krishantha (formerly a staff member of the Foundation of Goodness) & Duleeka, together with their friends, for their support.

September

Good Life Centre Opens

The launch of the first Good Life Centre under the Good Life Institute took place today in Kahawa, Seenigama!

In line with the vision of the Good Life Institute, the Good Life Centre’s core focus is to inculcate good values in children from rural villages to be more responsible towards the community and environment. Alongside offering children support on school subjects, the Centre will deliver STEM education, an English Reading Programme, the Goodness Agriculture Initiative and the Children’s Good Values Initiative free of cost.

Striving in academic studies should go hand in hand with instilling good values into children’s lives from a very young age. The Good Life Centre hopes to be a vehicle towards instilling a sense of empathy, integrity, and reliability amongst the youth of Sri Lanka so that they can take these skills into the adult world to make it better.

Finding Dreams Special Needs Unit

Finding Dreams, is our very own Special Needs Unit at the MCC Centre of Excellence in Seenigama! It was declared open yesterday by our Founder Kushil Gunasekera, Zonal Education Director Mrs.Geethani Wijegunasinghe and Humedica Lanka CEO Dr.Prithiviraj.

Finding Dreams will offer a special, well rounded education to our 12 beneficiaries, which will include vocational skills, sports, speech therapy and general knowledge, completely free of charge.

11th Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Plant

We are pleased to announce the soft opening of our 11th Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water Purification Plant! This RO plant located in the Murunkan village of the Mannar District will benefit more than 6800 local residents from 1700 families. A huge thank you to Dr. Kushwin Rajamani for ensuring clean drinking water to this rural community!

Peanut Farming Project For War Widows

Dr Kushwin Rajamani, whose generosity extends to all, is now supporting a new project to provide war widowed women with an income by enhancing peanut production and processing practices for better yields.

Peanuts are not only a sustainable and nutritious crop, but they can be highly profitable in the Eastern Province and beyond.

The 20 war widowed women from the Ampara District, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka had previously worked as labourers in peanut farms.They will receive provision of farming tools, land and grains along with an educational intervention designed to facilitate and empower the women responsible for growing the peanuts!

World Clean Up Day

The students at the Dive For Good Centre conducted a special beach clean up on the 19th of September in lieu of World Clean Up Day! They were joined by Founder Kushil Gunasekera. The Dive Seenigama, Dive Lanka Centre conducts various environmental activities to protect the Ocean and the beautiful Seenigama coast. We also believe in instilling the value of giving back to the community, in all our beneficiaries!

10th Anniversary of the BPO Centre

We celebrated 10 years since the opening of our Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) Unit at the MCC Centre of Excellence in Seenigama with the provision of dry rations for five poor families.The staff who have been with us for over 5 and 10 years were shown our appreciation!

The BPO Unit is where former students of our Programming and IT courses are employed by internationally recognised firms, such as the John Keells conglomerate and Synergen Health, and are given valuable work experience and opportunities. We currently employ 27 qualified individuals, who have all graduated from the programming/IT courses provided by the FoG.

Ladies Cricket Stars

Congratulations to Umesha Thimashini and Kavisha Dilhari, who have been recognised as the Best in the World in the Under 21 category for ladies cricket!

We are immensely proud of both Umesha and Kavisha, who are both from the FoG Sports Academy in Seenigama!

Micheal Li Donations For IT

A kind donation by former volunteer Micheal Li, of AUD 1000, enabled us to eqip our IT section at the MCC Centre of Excellence with a new projector stand, a projector screen, 8 UPS, 5 computer mice, painting of the IT room, bamboo blinds, a wooden filing rack, blinds for the IT room, a crimping tool and a bluetooth speaker for presentations. 

O/level Certificate Distribution

Every year, to encourage our beneficiaries to continue working hard and to inspire the younger students to dream big, we celebrate and commend the achievers at major examinations. However, due to COVID-19 this was postponed until now! The beneficiaries who had passed the Ordinary Level Examinations in 2019 from all our Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres island wide, received certificates of recognition and praise!

Mini-Exhibitions for Women

Our Women’s Empowerment initiatives in the North continue to thrive. 35 students from the Sewing Course at the Sittandy VHE Centre in Batticaloa held an exhibition to showcase their skills called “Glamorous”! They had on display everything from handmade dresses to carpets. We also applaud the Women’s Empowerment Centre in Thirukkovil, Ampara, for hosting this mini-exhibition! The exhibition provided these hard-working ladies with the opportunity to showcase the skills they have learnt during our courses that are provided free of charge.

Mental Health Workshops

The 2nd session of the Planetary Health Education Course was conducted at our Centres island-wide, on the topic of Mental Health and how nature can be a solution for Mental Health Issues! The participants shared their thoughts and listened to ways to identify and combat mental health issues. The Planetary Health Education Course is part of our newly refined curriculum, introduced to provide a better quality of education for all our beneficiaries.

World Peace Day 2020

After a nearly 30 year civil war, the importance of Peace and Reconciliation has been widely recognised here in Sri Lanka. Our VHE Centres in the North and South of Sri Lanka marked World Peace Day last month, where students expressed their thoughts on peace through essays and drawings! The VHE Centre in Sittandy, Batticaloa in the East, released a dove and had a special presentation on peace and harmony as well.

October 

Kingsgrove Equipment Donations

Harry Solomons, who has contributed in various ways for the upliftment of rural cricketers, once again sent our stars, Kavisha Dilhari, Ramesh Mendis and Pulina Tharanga brand new cricket gear from Kingsport, Australia!

Puthiyanagar Community Centre  

The Puthiyanagar Community Centre in rural Mullaitivu has been renovated thanks to the immense generosity of Dr. Kushwin Rajamani! Community centres such as these are integral for rural development, enabling the sharing of ideas and settling of disputes within the community. This community centre was in a dilapidated state but will now uplift the learning environment of 85 students, while benefiting a total population of 258 rural villagers from 82 families.

Children’s, Elders’ and Teacher’s day

Our Centres island-wide celebrated Children’s Day on the 1st of October! The Centres each held fun-filled events with small gifts, food and performances for the delighted children. Our rural beneficiaries do not always get the chance to attend a party, and they showed up dressed to impress in their ‘party clothes’.

On Teacher’s Day we appreciated our teachers island-wide for their devotion and dedication, especially during the difficulties faced teaching amidst a global pandemic! Many of our teachers went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that our rural students did not fall back in their education. Our Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres marked the day with heartfelt speeches of gratitude and performances by the students for their teachers!

This Elder’s Day, the Kuleegoda, Madampagama Elder’s Home was visited by the students and staff of the Music For Good course! They handed over flowers to the elderly residents of the home, played them their favourite songs and treated them to a delicious meal. The 23rd batch of the beginners Computer course also donated dry rations and other essential items to this home in lieu of Elder’s Day. Our Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres island-wide also marked Elder’s Day with special events.

World Animal Day 2020

To mark world animal day, the 3rd phase of our Stray Friendly Animal Welfare programme took place with the help of the little boys and girls from our Lahiru Pre-School!

A homemade meal, made with love, was distributed among 60-70 street dogs around the Seenigama, Thotagamuwa, Kalupe and Werallana villagers! This phase was sponsored by the parents of the Lahiru pre-school.

Open Swimming Meet

The Foundation of Goodness senior swimming squad participated in the XLVI National Sports Festival – Galle District Open Swimming Competition held on the 4th of October 2020 where 8 aspiring young swimmers tested their skills at the Dharmashoka College Swimming Pool in Ambalangoda!

Christies’ Auction of Cricket Memorabilia

We are happy to announce that Muthiah Muralidaran’s treasured, record breaking 503rd  ODI wicket ball, where he surpassed Wasim Akram in 2009 to become the highest wicket taker in one day games was auctioned for Rs. 2 million, the proceeds of which will help us support the many rural communities we empower, during this difficult time. We would like to thank our Trustee Muthiah Muralidaran, for his generosity and selflessness, which allowed him to part with such a precious symbol of his cricketing legacy. Murali has been our longest supporter and is a great humanitarian, contributing for various projects and welfare of rural communities across the country. Not everyone can part with such a treasure in aid of humanity, alleviating the struggles and hardships of others in need.

Nutritional Programmes

The Kahawa and Akurala Child Resilience Centres which began as psycho-social support centres for children who were affected by the Tsunami, now focus on improving the creativity, good values, environmental awareness and general life skills of children in the area. These areas are often under-prioritized by education systems but are vital for healthy mental development! Special nutritional programmes were also carried out to teach our beneficiaries how to eat healthy.

Power Plate Donation to the Sports Academy

Thanks to Nomal Wijeyaratne from Quantum Fitness the Seenigama Sports Centre is now the proud owner of a top of the line Power Plate Machine, which will uplift the standard of training of our aspiring rural sportsmen and sportswomen at the Sports Academy. This contribution will go a long way towards developing rural sports in Sri Lanka.

November

North Flood Appeal

The inclement weather caused by the Cyclone Burevi had affected thousands of Sri Lankans, mostly from rural areas in the Northern and Eastern region of Sri Lanka, who were already struggling to survive. Incessant rainfall has persisted even after the Cyclone has moved away, destroying many livelihoods.

Goodness Nature Cruise Launches

A huge thank you to our long-time supporters, Philip and Lisa Ball, for making the Goodness Nature Cruise a reality, during this difficult time!

The Goodness Nature Cruise has been successfully launched and is a one of a kind experience along the scenic Hikkaduwa lake.

The Cruise will open soon* for domestic and international tourists, with all proceeds going towards empowering rural disadvantaged communities in Sri Lanka!

Bat Repair Unit Update

A huge thank you to Philip and Lisa Ball, without who the three-phase electricity and drainage system for the Kingsgrove Sports Bat Repair Unit would not have been completed.

The bat repair facility, the brain child of our supporter Harry Solomons, is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka and will help rural disadvantaged cricketers to repair their cricket bats as most cannot afford to buy them new.

Thanks to our supporters, the unit is near completion!

Donation to the Mental Health Hospital

The Foundation of Goodness facilitated the provision of 30 mosquito nets by an anonymous donor to the National Institute of Mental Health in Mulleriyawa, Sri Lanka!

We hope this will uplift the living conditions of those at the institute.

Reusable Sanitary Packs

50 reusable sanitary hygiene packs for rural women were donated by the Jasmine Foundation. These reusable sanitary hygiene packs will bring timely and much needed relief to women and girls from rural Sri Lanka.

Eye Care Donations

1 Eye Testing Machine,1 Slit Lamp Microscope, 78 pairs of spectacles, 19 sunglasses, 1 pillow case, 1 pair of shoes, 9 boxes of contact lenses and an assortment of clothes (19 winter clothes, 7 gents shirts, 10 gents t-shirts, 2 gents trousers & 1 pair of gents shorts & 36 items of  ladies clothing) was donated donated by Shantha Gunasekara. The eye testing equipment was handed over to the Elpitiya Hospital in Galle, for the benefit of the many needy patients that go there to test their eyes. 

Star Cricketer Kavisha Dilhari Recognised

We are immensely proud of our beneficiary Kavisha Dilhari, who has been recognized as one of the world’s top 20 women cricketers to watch in the 2020’s!

She is just one example of the immense talent that lies dormant in rural Sri Lanka and of the true potential that can be reached with the right opportunities and support.

We wish Kavisha all the very best to continue to excel in her cricketing career and bring glory to Sri Lanka and to women’s cricket!

US Ambassador Recognises FOG

Lanka Premier League

We are delighted to announce that 6 of our beneficiaries were selected to play in the Lanka Premier League this year! Theivendiram Dinoshan and Viyakanth Viyaskanth from the North playing for the Jaffna Stallions and from the South, Tharindu Kaushal and Navod Parnawitharana for the Colombo Kings and Pulina Tharanga & Ramesh Mendis for the Dambulla Vikings! These boys have received training, equipment and are MCC sports scholarship recipients! 

7 years of Diving Business

We are marking 7 years since the opening of our Dive For Good Centre for both international and local tourists, as a form of sustainable income generation to support aspiring divers in the rural locality. All proceeds from these services go towards supporting a new batch of aspiring divers from the rural locality, creating new opportunities for empowerment.To date, 430 students have graduated from our training centre and 21 aspiring divers are currently enrolled in the course this year! 

Staff Training and Development

With our Centres temporarily closed due to COVID-19 health regulations, our staff has been working towards streamlining our activities and courses in order to provide the highest quality of education for our beneficiaries.

The staff from the MCC Centre of Excellence in Seenigama and the Dive For Good Centre participated in a leadership training conducted by the Director of the MCC Centre, Thanuja! They learnt about teamwork, leadership, developing interpersonal skills and much more.

December

Tube wells to Aalady in Jaffna

The Foundation of Goodness was happy to facilitate the construction of two tube wells in the village of Aalady, Uduvil (Jaffna District) graciously sponsored by Swasha Malalasekera, in lieu of her husband and FoG Trustee Ashan Malalasekera’s birthday.

These tube wells will help the 140 residents from 35 families residing in Aalady to gain easy access to the most essential commodity; water.

Sector Heads Yearly Review

The staff of the Foundation of Goodness from both Colombo and Seenigama, met up at the MCC Centre of Excellence, in adherence to health guidelines, for an yearly review of the very different year that has been 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to rethink our teaching and administrative systems and to look for innovative ways to continue to empower rural communities around Sri Lanka, who are struggling during this difficult time.

We hope to enter 2021, with new ideas, perspectives and the same relentless drive, to always exceed expectations.

16th Tsunami Commemoration

The staff of the Foundation of Goodness in Seenigama held religious observances, offered flowers and lit oil lamps yesterday, in remembrance of those who lost their lives due to the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004.

Many of our very own staff members had lost loved ones, that fateful day.

Whilst we respectfully remember everyone who perished in the tragic Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004, through the unwavering commitment of donors worldwide whom we remember with gratitude, we were able to rebuild stronger and better as the waves of compassion overpowered the waves of destruction, emerging from ruin debris and rubble not only to create a flagship venue in Seenigama where we started but also reaching out across the island through 10 Centres serving 31,500 beneficiaries annually, across 500 villages, free of cost.

4 Toilet for Aalday in Jaffna

When we visited Aalady, Uduvil in the Jaffna District, 140 people from 35 families had only 2 toilets and 1 tube well.

We are now in the process facilitating 4 more toilets, in addition to the 2 tube wells already provided, with the support of our kind donors.

However, this village still remains in need of more water and sanitation development, to uplift their standard of life.

Painting begins of the Sujatha Home

The Sujatha special needs home is all set for the new year, after a generous donation of paint that enabled the whole home to be painted anew. This has greatly uplifted the living standards of the 83 special needs residents at the Sujatha Home. This green was used particularly to calm and soothe those with mental health needs.

Depsite the many challenges this year, the Foundation of Goodness has overcome many difficulties to continue empowering rural disadvantaged communities, who are in need more than ever before.

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout 2020, to make a lasting difference.