Moyes Boys Walk for Special Needs Children Brothers Kenny and Jamie Moyes are not strangers to Sri Lanka or charity and do not shy away from putting in the hard work and mileage required to make a positive difference. In 2017 they participated in the PMTT Charity Ride when they drove tuk tuks all around the island along raising funds for the Foundation of Goodness and conducting humanitarian projects along the way. It was during this ride that the brothers first encountered Meth Sewa Foundation, the charity project scheduled for the stop in Moneragala.
The Meth Sewa Foundation is a haven for children, youth and a few adults with special needs and disabilities. Founder Niroshan opened up his own home to welcome individuals with mental and physical handicaps, and give them a safe space to learn and grow, as one big family. Niroshan and his wife care for the residents and their resources are stretched thin in caring and providing for close to 100 people, each with very specific needs.
Following their visit to the Meth Sewa Foundation in 2017 during the Pimp My Tuk Tuk Charity Ride, the PMTT Group committed to generating long term support for the organization including helping with their electricity costs, setting up a water tank to help combat problems with water shortages and donating a big-screen TV for the residents to watch as a group activity, having realized during the ride how much everyone at the Home loves to dance.
Kenny and Jaime were so touched and deeply impacted by the experience that they were determined to keep the momentum going and organised a charity walk to benefit the organization, bringing together family friends and colleagues to raise funds and join them in Sri Lanka, walking 100 km from Colombo to Matara. A total group of 16 walkers participated in the ride, some of whom had already been a part of the Tuk Tuk ride in 2017.
The walk started out at 7.30 am from Galle Face, Colombo where none other than FoG trustee and legendary spon bowler Muthiah Muralidaran was there to start them off. The walkers travelled 20km to Moratuwa on the 1st day (13th October), and then a further 20km from Waskaduwa to Beruwela on day 2. Monday the 15th (day 3) was a rest day where the group had a chance to rest their feet and recover and then they were right back on the road. On the 16th (day 4) the group walked from Beruwela to Ahungalla and then travelled down to Seenigama to visit the Foundation of Goodness project headquarters- the MCC Centre of Excellence and Sports Academy. On Day 5 the group walked from Hikkaduwa to Galle and then on their final day, the 18th of October the team finished their 100km in Weligama.
They were delighted and moved to be greeted by a small contingent of children from Meth Sewa who had travelled all the way from Moneragala with Niroshan to congratulate the walker on successfully completing the walk and to thank them for all the effort that had been undertaken on their behalf. The walking team spent time with the kids (who were visiting a beachside hotel for the very first time) playing and feeding them before they had to say goodbye.
“We discovered the Meth Sewa Foundation in 2017 and it was 60 – 70 special needs kids taken in by one family and a year or so later they’re up to 92 children. We took it very tough to see the condition that the kids were in and we wanted to improve the work Niroshan and his helpers were doing We just completed a 100km from Colombo to Galle, 20km on average. Overall we feel very grateful to everyone who has taken part and we thank everybody for their hard work and hopefully we can raise a good contribution for the Meth Sewa Foundation.” -Kenny and Jamie Moyes
25th October 2018
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