New Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres

Sri Lanka’s Nuwara Eliya District is famed for its picturesque views, flourishing tea estates and awe inspiring waterfalls. The colder climate also makes it a favourite destination among local and international visitors. However, among the beauty of this district are rural communities that struggle everyday to afford their basic necessities. 

This district is home to some of the poorest rural Sri Lankan communities, consisting mostly of tea estate workers and daily wage earners. Due to the lucrative tea trade and the need for cheap labour in order to maintain the competitive price of Sri Lankan tea, these communities are often marginalized with little or no support to elevate them from a vicious cycle of poverty. 

It is against this backdrop that the Foundation of Goodness recently established not just one but three Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres in Ragala, Kothmale and Hatton, to bring our holistic rural development model to these rural villages. Our empowerment Centres provide free educational, vocational and sports courses such as English Language training, dressmaking, computer training and STEM education, and act as the nerve centre of the village by empowering its population. These new skills provide a step up for rural beneficiaries to better their lives and open new doors of opportunity. 

On the 5th of March 2022, the Foundation of Goodness together with Founder Kushil Gunasekera and Centre sponsors, our Trustee Muthiah Muralidaran, Muthiah Prabagaran and Snackings (Pvt) Ltd declared open the Kothmale and Hatton Centres. The Kothmale Centre has registered over 1721 rural villagers from 20 villages while the Hatton VHE Centre will empower 359 villagers from 9 villages. On the 6th of March 2022, the Centre in Ragala located in a tea estate was opened, which will benefit 1150 rural villagers from 14 villages in the rural locality. 

These Centres will benefit over 3200 rural Sri Lankans from 43 villages, bringing them access to opportunities brought by the Foundation of Goodness, such as access to educational scholarships, overseas competitions and mentorship. We thank the immense support of our donors for making these Centres a reality. The number of Centres now stands at 14 located across Sri Lanka, empowering over 8247 rural beneficiaries from 148 villages across Sri Lanka.