| April Highlights
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 coincides 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 as his contribution towards this effort to uplift rural communities 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. Through this unprecedented move, the donor (who wishes to remain anonymous) has not only paved the way for our long term sustainability, but also freed up essential resources that can now be used for more humanitarian activities.
Larry T. Hill along with a team of musicians conducted a special musical programme for the FoG Children's GoodnessClub members, which was greatly enjoyed by everyone who participated in this novel event.
The FoG Community Psycho-social Unit was proud to participate in the Mental Health Awareness event organised at the Independence Square Arcade in Colombo to commemorate World Health Day and spread awareness about the importance of mental health.
A Table Tennis Practice Robot donated by Anusha Seneviratne from UK delighted our young TT players at the Sports Academy with this new opportunity to practice and develop their skills through the use of technology.
A big thank you goes out to Unilever - Sri Lanka for donating toothbrushes and toothpaste which will be distributed among struggling and under-served villagers who seek oral care at the FoG dental clinic to help improve their quality of life.
100 shoe vouchers were distributed among rural students in Mahiyangana who were unable to purchase new school shoes due to financial struggles. Through these donations we hope to ease their journey through school and help them achieve their true potential despite hardships.
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.
In commemoration of the traditional Sri Lankan Sinhala- Tamil New Year the Children’s Goodness Clubs, Lahiru Pre-school and VHP Empowerment Centres held special celebrations and games for their students to learn more about their cultural practices.
The FoG Village Heartbeat Project Empowerment Centres have all been busy in April, with the Monaragala VHP conducting special IT and English camps for their students and a special temple cleaning programme conducted by the Udumulla VHP.
The FoG Medical Centre held special clinics at the Hikkaduwa, Madampagama and Wellawatta Elders’ Homes to make sure that the residents remained in good health. These monthly wellness checks help the elderly to remain happy and comfortable even late in life. Additionally, medication donated by kind sponsor Rashantha Seneviratne were distributed free of charge to rural beneficiaries.
Barbara Dietrich conducted her weekly physiotherapy sessions for children with special needs at the FoG Medical Centre. Meanwhile the swimming and cricket training classes introduced by her for special kids continue to take place every week along with the newly introduced dancing classes, giving the children a chance to enjoy a wider range of interests, skills and activities.
Mark Bawa from Ghana visited the Foundation of Goodness Sports Academy for further training & development to establish standards in setting up their cricket & sports management academy funded by Peter Yobo. During this time he also conducted a special coaching clinic for the FoG players.
Congratulations to Gimadu Lakru from the FoG Sports Academy who was a member of the Sri Lankan Deaf Cricket Team to win the India vs Sri Lanka ‘Cricket for Deaf International Tournament’ in India. He was also awarded the Man of the Match trophy at the Semi-Final.
Special training for the Sports Academy this month included the monthly coaching camp by Sri Lanka's National Women's Coach Hemantha Devapriya sponsored by Tokyo Cement for 30 cricketers and 7 coaches and daily fitness training conducted by Victor Celestine for all FoG sports squads to help improve their performance.
Community aid sports tours this month included visits by the ALCA Big Cats – UK , Oundle School – UK, Magdalene College – UK, New Hall School – UK, Merchiston Castle School – UK, Geelong Stars – Australia, Belfast Methodist School – UK, Lincolnshire Boys’ School – UK, Lincolnshire Girls’ School – UK, Royal Grammar School – UK, Abingdon School – UK, Western Australian Masters- Perth and the Dimithri Cricket Academy- NZ (13 teams in total). These friendly matches are a valuable experience for the local and visiting teams because of the opportunity to play and learn from each other.
Our ongoing monthly projects include Recycling4Smiles bi-weekly oral hygiene programmes made possible by Sonali Ranaweera- the remarkable teenager from USA who has now sponsored over 2,500 rural kids to enhance oral care and hygiene, which is a great achievement & an example for us all.
The Foundation of Goodness is delighted to have 7 volunteers with us this month from UK, Germany and Australia all of whom are adding value to our work.
15 Village Welfare projects (which are in addition to the monthly ongoing sector programmes) amounting to Rs. 836,912/- (USD 5,500/-) divided among areas such as healthcare, education, elders' care and general welfare were facilitated this month to uplift the living standards of rural villagers to ease their burden in addition to the ongoing campus style of operation in place.
TOTAL BENEFICIARIES
17+ years in the South : 310,000+
6+ years in the North and East: 34,000+
Our concept is followed by interested viewers from 53 countries.
Major Upcoming Events:
Michael Jackson's Legacy (UK) in partnership with the Foundationof Goodness to distribute 100 'Shoes that Grow' to rural students in Kandy - May 2017.
Essential School Supplies to support 520 rural impoverished kids as well as 50 bicycles to be distributed among students from Mannar, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya and Kandy with the kind sponsorship of Penn Street Cricket Club, UK - May 2017.
Vesak Festivities including providing refreshments to the public observing religious activities & visitors following Vesak programmes and illuminations - May 2017.
The Harrow School (UK) Fundraiser and Community Aid Sports Tour to take place in the village of Seenigama - July 2017.
Richard Huish College (UK) Community Aid Sports Tour to take place in in the village of Seenigama - July 2017.
FoG's 8th Village Heartbeat Project Empowerment Centre to be established in Oddusuddan (Mullaitivu) in partnership with SriLankan Cares (the CSR arm of SriLankan Airlines) with discussions underway for a 9th Centre in Kilinochchi in collaboration with Spirit of Soccer & an Australian donor to commence in August.
PMTT Tuk-Tuk Charity Ride 2017 to take place for the second time -September 2017
6th annual Murali Harmony Cup Tournament to take place across 5 venues in the North - October 2017.
New and innovative enterprise avenues for sustainable income generation underway to attain self-sustainability by the year 2020.
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