2017 RECAP

2017 was another big for the Foundation of Goodness, combining the longevity of our existing programmes with new expansions to our services spreading across the island, including setting up 3 Village Heartbeat Centres in the North for the very first time.

JANUARY

This year, FoG Founder/ Chief Trustee Kushil Gunasekera was one among ten to receive the ‘Outstanding Sri Lankan Role Model’ Award by Sri Lanka Unites (a youth leadership movement for hope and reconciliation) during the commemoration of their 10th Anniversary.

Barbara Dietrich from Germany who works with children with special needs conducted regular visits to the Foundation of Goodness where she would conduct physiotherapy programmes at the FoG Medical Centre, giving differently abled children specialized care which they find hard to access in rural Sri Lanka. Barbara, together with our Sports Academy coaches, also organised some special swim sessions (at the kiddies’ pool) and cricket coaching programmes to help the kids improve their mobility, coordination, motor skills and get moving while also having fun and has also introduced weekly dancing classes for children with special needs.

A total of 391 students graduated in January after successfully completing their courses at the Women’s Enterprise & Empowerment Centre (195 students from 58 villages), IT Centre (105 students from 51 villages), Business Skills Centre (68 students from 31 villages) and the Diving & Training Centre (23 students from 16 villages) during the second half of 2016.
While the Foundation of Goodness already extends the use of it’s Bryan Adams Foundation Pool facilities to disabled beneficiaries to aid in their recuperation process, we have now also introduced a special Table Tennis programme for them to have fun while learning balance, mobility and regaining their equilibrium after the loss of limbs.

FEBRUARY

The Foundation of Goodness was delighted to have opened its 7th Village Heartbeat Project Empowerment Centre in Mathagal, Jaffna- the first VHP Centre to open in the North. Our most heartfelt thanks goes to the incredible Rajiv & Kiran Radhakrishnan for the donation of their ancestral property, without which it wouldn't have been possible to establish this centre and Mr. Ashan Malalasekera, Chairman of Arinma  Holdings who sponsored  the entire building cost and renowned architect, Mr. Anjalendran who provided the architectural drawing to resurrect VHP building free of cost, helping make the dream of a VHP Centre in the North, a reality

The special needs unit at the Dehigahalanda Maha Vidyalaya in Hambanthota, attended by 22 special needs and differently abled children, was renovated and refurbished by the Foundation of Goodness together with the CIMA Students Society and the School Relief Initiative with the kind sponsorship of Dr. Nagendran from USA

MARCH

Rashantha Devanesan for organizing a sale for her brand Kadambari Jewelry in Singapore with proceeds directed towards supporting monthly running costs for the Foundation of Goodness’ 7th Village Heartbeat Project  Empowerment Centre in Mathagal, Jaffna.

The Foundation of Goodness had a special programme for all the Women’s Enterprise & Empowerment Centre students and staff members on the 8th of March to commemorate International Women’s Day with speakers including Sociologist Dr. Shanthikumar Hettiarachchi, Financial Consultant Mr. Prithiviraj De Silva, Musician Sunil Perera and Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Ramani Nanayakkara to pay tribute to all women. Anchor Milk donated 300 packets of Milk Powder (250g each) as gifts for the ladies in attendance.

The Spirit of Soccer 'Mine Risk Education' workshop in partnership with the Foundation of Goodness took place in Jaffna to spread awareness about mine safety through sport, to children and youth in the North and East in the aftermath of the Sri Lankan civil conflict, to ensure  their safety and wellbeing. This is the first phase of the programme during which 20 coaches were trained in mine safety messaging through soccer. Later in the year, these coached will begin awareness programmes for students in the northern region.

APRIL

Household items including 22-inch flat screen TVs, bar fridges, side tables, bed frames, wardrobes, cork boards, shaving cabinets, book shelves, mattresses, PVC chairs and padded chairs were donated to 53 struggling and poverty stricken families working in the estate sector (Sheen Estate and Madakumbura Estate in Pussellawa) made possible by Mr. Scott Walker from Australia with kind coordination by Mr. Bill Deutrom. This contribution also coincided with the 150th anniversary of the Sri Lankan tea industry.

A donor from a highly respected corporate institution who walked in to tour the FoG facilities in Seenigama was so inspired by the programme that he decided to donate the total cost of USD 65,000/- towards generating solar power to meet the entire electrical needs at the MCC Centre of Excellence and Sports Academy as his contribution towards this effort to uplift rural communities.

Two large tourist groups from Spain visited the MCC Centre of Excellence and Sports Academy in Seenigama to learn more about charity & development as well as enjoy a variety of local immersion programmes and fun activities including cricket, creating their own spice mixes, painting traditional wooden masks and enjoying local cuisine in an effort to combine tourism and charity as a way of enriching their travel experience.

MAY

The second edition of the Only Good News Paper, the only tri-lingual paper to be distributed free of charge published by the Foundation of Goodness in partnership with Anchor Milk entered circulation. 
Following the devastating floods and landslides caused by the South-West monsoon the Foundation of Goodness immediately delivered Phase One of its relief plans including the distribution of water and meals to those stranded, deploying FoG’s boats to conducts aid & rescue operations and the distribution of dry ration packs with further relief efforts to follow in the coming months.

Renowned Sri Lankan athlete and Asian Games Gold Medalist Mr. S. L. B. Rosa visited the Foundation of Goodness’ MCC Centre of Excellence and Sports Academy, taking the opportunity to share his story with our beneficiaries in order to encourage and motivate rural athletes to succeed.

FoG Founder/ Chief Trustee Kushil Gunasekera had the opportunity to speak on the topic of ‘Sports for Rural Empowerment’ at the Loughborough University 'Sport for a Better World' Research Symposium held at the Commonwealth Secretariat located in Marlborough House, London and share his experiences with international dignitaries.

100 pairs of 'Shoes that Grow' - sturdy shoes that can be adjusted in size as children grow, were donated to little ones from the estate community in Galaha- Central Province in partnership with Michael Jackson's Legacy – UK.

With the kind sponsorship of Penn Street Cricket Club – UK, the Foundation of Goodness was able to help rural poverty stricken students stay in school and complete their education by supporting them through the donation of school supplies and bikes (to help them travel to and from school) which included 102 Essential School Supplies Packs to students from Kilinochchi and pre-school items to Udayasooriyan Pre-school in Mullaitivu, 300 shoe vouchers to students from the Tharanikkulam Ganesha School in Vavuniya and 27 bikes to students from Jaffna and Mannar (all in the Northern Region) as well as 70 Essential School Supplies Packs to students in Theldeniya (Central Region).

JUNE

We were delighted to have FoG’s Goodness Rhythm Dance Troupe place 1st at the National Youth Award- 2017, qualifying to participate at an all-island competition.

JULY

The Foundation of Goodness completed it's 2017 Flood Aid activities as follows;
The donation of 1,000 emergency meal packs (Galle District), 75 grocery packs (Kolonnawa- Colombo District) and 100 subway meals (Sedawatta- Colombo District).Cleaning 48 wells in the Galle Region & 51 wells in the Matara Region.
Repainting classrooms at the Hiniduma School- Galle District

The donation of 36 footwear vouchers to children who lost their possessions in the flood (Kolonnawa)- a special initiative by a young girl who requested donations towards this worthy cause in lieu of gifts for her 12th birthday.

Repainting classrooms and furniture at 9 pre-schools and 1 school in the Galle and Matara Districts (Sponsored by Roshan Liyanage’s Facebook Fundraiser)

500 Essential School Supplies Packs donated to students in the Galle and Matara Districts (Sponsored by Roshan Liyanage’s Facebook Fundraiser).

950 Essential School Supplies Packs donated to students from Elpitiya -Galle District, Nupe- Matara District and Kolonnawa- Colombo District (Sponsored by the Federation of Sri Lankan Organisations of Queensland Inc. -FSOQ).

2 toilets were built at the Vijayananda Preschool- Thawalama in the Galle District (71 children) and one more toilet was built at the Singithi Preschool- Akurassa in the Galle District (24 children) (Sponsored by the Federation of Sri Lankan Organisations of Queensland Inc. -FSOQ)

220 Essential School Supplies Packs to children from Elpitiya- Galle District (Sponsored by Flood the Love Fundraiser- Upali's Melbourne)

28 students and 5 staff members from Harrow School who raised funds to build a library at the Foundation of Goodness' project headquarters- the MCC Centre of Excellence, visited us in July. During their time with us the students and staff personally got involved and helped build the library in addition to volunteering across a variety of our sectors including the pre-school and Sports Academy as well as enjoying a game of cricket with the FoG players and spending some time sightseeing in Galle.

21 students and 3 staff members from Richard Huish College joined us at the Foundation of Goodness over a 12 day period in July during which time they volunteered at a number of our sectors such as the pre-school and Sports Academy, conducted beach cleaning programmes and donated funds, sports equipment and 30 tablets/ notebook computers in an effort to uplift the lives of rural villagers. This is the third visit to the Foundation of Goodness by Richard Huish College.

The Northcote United Cricket Club led by Mr. David Talalla joined the Foundation of Goodness to visit the North during their tour of Sri Lanka. While previous groups who visited with Mr. Talalla have joined us at the Sports Academy in Seenigama (South), this is the first time that they have traveled to the North with us where they spent time at the FoG Mathagal Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre & the Valvagam Home for the Visually Challenged and even managed to enjoy some cricket with the Jaffna Combined Cricket Team and play netball with the Jaffna St. Patrick's College ladies. The group also donated funds and a variety of items including sports equipment, groceries and books to uplift rural communities.

A total of 480 students graduated after successfully completing their courses at the Women’s Enterprise & Empowerment Centre (227 students from 64 villages), IT Centre (175 students from 59 villages), and the Business Skills & Language Training Centre (78 students from 40 villages) and we wish them all success and good fortune in their future endeavors.

AUGUST

Monthly Cricket Coaching Programmes across the Northern Region have now been introduced by the Foundation of Goodness with the kind sponsorship of Tokyo Cement PLC, conducted by National Women’s Cricket Coach Mr. Hemantha Devapriya. The very first coaching camp took place this month in Jaffna with 35 students in attendance.

22 bicycles sponsored by the 2017 PMTT Charity Ride- Singapore, were distributed to students at the Mathagal Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre in Jaffna, and a further 75 bikes were also distributed in Kilinochchi to help rural beneficiaries who have no other means of transport to travel with greater ease with 7 more bikes distributes during the charity ride (15th - 22nd September).

SEPTEMBER

FoG's 8th Village Heartbeat Empowerment (VHE) Centre in Oddusuddan (Mullaitivu) was declared open in partnership with SriLankan Cares (the CSR arm of SriLankan Airlines) on the 1st of September, 2017. The VHE Centre offers classes in IT, English, Sinhala (link-language), Science and Maths as well as Women's Empowerment Programmes, Children's Good Values Initiative and access to a library and volleyball court.

The Pimp My Tuk Tuk Charity Ride 2017 took place from the 15th – 22nd September when 54 expat financial specialists working in Asia traveled around Sri Lanka (Colombo - Chilaw – Sigiriya – Trincomalee- Pasikudah – Arugam Bay – Hambanthota – Unawatuna) in tuk tuks for a truly unique experience while also conducting a variety of charitable development activities along the way including:

Their final stop before the ride concluded in Colombo was at the MCC Centre of Excellence and Sports Academy in Seenigama. The group also raised funds to sustain development and humanitarian activities carried out by the Foundation for the benefit of rural impoverished villagers.

IRONKIDS Sri Lanka (affiliated with IRONMAN 70.3 Colombo, which will take place in 2018) was organized for the first time ever in South Asia with the kind sponsorship of Shangri – LA Hotel on the 30th of September, in an initiative spearheaded by Rajan Thananayagam from Australia with 135 kids from the Southern Province participating in the events which included track and swimming.

Used golf equipment including 90 clubs and 700 balls were distributed among caddies in Digana who originate from rural disadvantaged backgrounds but after being exposed to top golfers, learned the game and at times have even gone on to play in the international circuit. Their greatest hindrance is the inability to purchase the necessary equipment due to poverty and through this donation, we hope to empower them to excel through this donation which was made possible by Ms. Nirmala Dharmaraja with the kind facilitation of Dr. Naj Nagendran (both from USA).
Renowned Sri Lankan swimmer, Julian Bolling who represented our nation thrice at the Olympic Games and has won 15 Gold Medals at the South Asian Games, visited the MCC Centre of Excellence & Sports Academy to see all the work conducted by FoG. He returned once more in November to conduct a 2 day coaching clinic for the Sports Academy swimmers.
The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Camp - India took place in Seenigama on the 29th and 30th of September with 15 youth participating in the 2 day leadership, philanthropic and team-building programme which included an ocean adventure, craft workshop, cookery programme, sports initiatives and a presentation by FoG Founder/ Chief Trustee Kushil Gunasekera to learn about life skills and good values. The team were also enthusiastic to study the work carried out by the Foundation of Goodness to uplift local communities.

Professor Errol Wirasinghe from USA who is a trainer and consultant in Decision-Making and Negotiating held a workshop on the same subjects for 40 FoG Managers, Coordinators and BPO staff in Seenigama free of charge, as a way of giving back to uplift rural Sri Lankan communities.

A ‘Google for Education’ workshop conducted by Mr. Nathan Sooriyakumar from Australia and Dr. Charles from the University of Jaffna took place at the MCC Centre of Excellence for 33 teachers from the Galle Education Zone and included a special session with Krishni Goonesena, First Secretary, Development Cooperation, Sri Lanka and Maldives Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australian High Commission, Colombo who spoke on the importance of developing core skills (collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity) for future employment.

Students of the Foundation of Goodness Business Skills Centre participated in a special workshop to better prepare them to succeed upon entering the job market. The workshop included the following:

Peace Day Programmes in accordance with the Coaches Across Continents 'One Day One Goal' initiative were organized in both Seenigama and Kilinochchi. 30 kids participated in each event which were focused on teaching leadership skills and the value of peace through sports.

OCTOBER

Mr. Harry Solomons from Australia who has been a longstanding supporter of the Foundation of Goodness, organised a special fundraiser for the Foundation of Goodness in celebrating his 70th Birthday and the proceeds will go towards sustaining the Moneragala Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre for a period of 4 months.
80 solar power units from Red Dot Power - Singapore were handed over to families from the villages of Uda Galadebokka and Galamuduna in Hasalaka (Central Province) which are not connected to the national power grid to light up their lives. The project was sponsored by the PMTT Charity Ride 2017.
The Foundation of Goodness' partnership with Spirit of Soccer (SOS) initiated by British football player/ coach and founder of SOS Mr. Scotty Lee, to deliver Mine Risk Education to children and youth in the post-war North and East of Sri Lanka has now completed one year. This programme trains a minimum of 500 students every month on mine safety, in an effort to avert the dangers posed by unexploded land mines.

The Community Psycho-social Unit organised a unique programme for the Special Needs Dance Class to celebrate World Mental Health Day and Counselling Day, including two dance performances and speeches by the students, parents and their teacher.

NOVEMBER

The Foundation of Goodness’ 9th Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre in Murukandy, Kilinochchi District (Northern Sri Lanka) sponsored by OYOB Property Group, Australia was declared open on the 30th of November by Chief Guest Aynkaran Sivaratnam (Chief Financial Officer- OYOB). A big thank you also goes out to Spirit of Soccer who made available the building as a space to develop the VHE Centre.
The MCC Centre of Excellence Library/ Knowledge Centre, Women’s Craft Centre and Shop Goodness sponsored by Harrow School - UK has now been declared open for the use of the local community.
The Murali Goodness Cup Cricket Tournament commenced during November with six teams (Foundation of Goodness Academy, Dharmapala Vidyalaya – Kottawa, Asoka Vidyalaya - Colombo, CWW Kannangara Maha Vidyalaya, AustAsia Academy and MDH Jayawardena Maha Vidyalaya) facing off and the Finals to be held in December.
A big congratulations goes to FoG Ladies Cricketer Kaveesha Dilhari who established a Sri Lanka Schools and World Women’s Cricket record, scoring 353 runs, not out, during an U19 cricket tournament. This is the only recorded triple century by a ladies cricketer. Kaveesha was on tour from the 12th – 19th of November in Thailand as part of the National U23 Ladies Cricket Team along with fellow cricketers Kavindi  Parami, Sathya  Sandeepani, Iresha  Chathurani and Umesha  Thimeshani from the FoG Sports Academy.
Barker College - Australia held a special cricket match to raise funds for the Foundation of Goodness' humanitarian activities ahead of their tour to Sri Lanka.
A 3-day ‘Design Thinking’ ICE (Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship) Workshop modeled after a similar 3-day Design Thinking Program at Stanford School was conducted by Professor Suranga Nanayakkara from Singapore University of Technology and Design in collaboration with FoG at the MCC Centre of Excellence for 20 participants who worked in teams to identifying a problem, formulate solutions, develop a proof-of-concept, create prototypes and present a three-minute pitch at the end of the programme. Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister, Mr. Charitha Ratwatte who played an instrumental role in linking ICE with the Foundation of Goodness was the Chief Guest at the event.

DECEMBER

The Foundation of Goodness commemorated 13 years since the devastation of the Indian Ocean Tsunami which destroyed Sri Lankan coastlines including the village of Seenigama in 2004, while also looking back on the journey that helped rebuild the village stronger and better than before.

The final match of the inaugural U15 Murali Goodness Cup Cricket Tournament was played between the Foundation of Goodness Academy Team and Dharmapala Vidyalaya – Kottawa on the 9th of December where the FoG Academy Team were victorious scoring 283 runs for 7 wickets in 36 overs to take home the trophy. FoG player Navindu Pahasara was named Man of the Match and created a record by hitting 7 sixes in a single over.

Tennis star Tim Henman visited the Foundation of Goodness along with his family and friends where he was extremely interested in learning more about the programmes carried out to uplift rural villagers and even played some table tennis with our kids at the Sports Academy.

The amazing Coaches Across Continents team conducted special training programmes over the course of 4 days for the FoG Sports Academy coaches and athletes to enhance and elevate their talents and standards.

12th January 2018