Roger and Rozanne Perera: Empowering Rural Sri Lankans

Celebrated English writer Charles Dickens once said, ‘No one is useless in the world who lightens the burdens of another’. Roger and Rozanne Perera are two such incredible individuals that have lightened the burden of countless Sri Lankans through their time volunteering in combination with a number of kind donations.

The pair stand out, being the very people to spend their volunteer placement in northern Sri Lanka. During this time, whenever they saw that there was a need, they stepped up to provide financial or material assistance to bring relief to the impoverished families in rural Sri Lanka. Along the way, they also inspired their friends and neighbours in Australia to join them in giving and rallied forces to rise to the occasion and provide for underserved communities here at home.

Water for village of Mullaiyadi

Roger and Rozanne’s generosity and kindness enabled us to build a well for the rural village of Mullaiyadi in the Kilinochchi District, giving the villagers easy access to such a precious resource for all their daily activities, be it drinking, cooking, washing or bathing. Now the villagers do not have to walk miles to gather water but have access to this essential need in their village itself.

A library for Puthiyanagar

The Puthiyanagar Library in Mullaitivu was completed, through the kind donation of books and furniture from Roger and Rozanne, who had raised funds with the help of their friends in Australia. While the building had been completed by the state, the library was empty with no books or furniture being provided by the authorities. A rural village struggling to find its feet after the ravages of the brutal civil war, Roger and Rozanne’s donation converted what was an empty, soulless building to a centre of activity and learning. Today the library stands as a sanctuary for the children of the area. We were delighted to open the fully stocked and furnished library and see the enthusiasm and happiness of the children as they flocked to read the new books!

Sanitation for the Mathagal Pre School

The 20 children who studied at the FoG Mathagal Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre pre-school in Jaffna, were managing with the toilets at the Centre which were built for adults. Thanks to the thoughtful kindness of Roger and Rozanne, we were finally able to convert one of the senior student toilets to fit the needs of the pre-schoolers.

FoG offers fully furnished classrooms for children in rural Sri Lanka equipped with trained teachers. Good quality early childhood education is not easily available in the villages, and FoG along with diligent donors like Roger and Rozanne Perera are working towards changing this through offering free-of-charge preschool services to the next generation of Sri Lankans.

Tools to make a living

Roger and Rozanne also facilitated the purchase of six sewing machines for the Thirukkovil and Eravur Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres in the Eastern Province. These sewing machines are being used to educate and empower rural women with a skill, enabling them to earn and gain better economic autonomy.

Always lending a hand

In addition to all this wonderful generosity Roger and Rozanne, sent across a stock of items to be donated among under-served communities in Sri Lanka. The students of the FoG Mathagal Village Heartbeat Centre in Jaffna were thrilled to receive computer units, for their IT lab. Roger and Rozanne had also sent across a stock of winter clothes that were distributed among the Estate communities in Bogawantalawa. This stock of clothes were just in time to keep everyone warm during the heavy rains that are inundating the area, bringing with it drops in temperature and chill winds. Our FoG kids at the Siththandy Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre in Batticaloa, were also delighted to receive clothing items from Roger and Rozanne. The children beamed with happiness as they received this surprise gift!

“The measure of life is not its duration, but its donation.’ – Peter Marshall