2019 Recap

The Foundation of Goodness celebrated 20 years of humanitarian service in 2019 and a special press conference took place on 12th March 2019 at the project headquarters and flagship model: The MCC Centre of Excellence and Sports Academy in Seenigama.

Speaking at the Press Conference Founder and Chief trustee, Kushil Gunasekera said, “It is so important to empower the rural disadvantaged communities. Unless we harness their potential Sri Lanka can never be prosperous to the extent that we aspire it to be.”

We were joined by some of our invaluable trustees Muthiah Muralidaran, Ashan Malalasekera, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena and Pradeep Karunagaran together with special guests and shared the stories of some of our most inspiring success stories.

We would like to acknowledge the incredible kindness and dedication of our Board of Trustees, sponsors, partners, donors, supporters and friends who have stood by the Foundation throughout our journey and worked tirelessly to empower rural communities.

As we look forward to the next phase of our activities, taking into consideration the influx of requests from rural communities island-wide, we have introduced the Goodness Endowment Trust (GET). The investment income generated through GET will be used to support all of the on-going and future activities at FoG. Donors can determine if they would like to contribute to any specific project within FoG or to the newly created GET. The Trustees of GET will remain the same as the Trustees of FoG. Every contribution small or big matters and will provide for the long term sustainability of the Foundation.

Expanding our tax deductible options, if you live in Australia, you can now donate to the Foundation of Goodness via our partner the Doing Good Rewards Foundation. This is in addition to tax deductible donation options in UK (via APSL) and USA (via FoG USA).

January

• FoG Founder/ Chief Trustee Kushil Gunasekera was a panelist at the MyEO Social Impact Business Summit. The inspirational line-up of speakers included those from other Entrepreneurs’ Organisation (EO) Chapters, the United Nations and industry leaders. This social impact business summit challenged the participants to rethink their strategy and business behaviour in alignment with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and to do good!
• 21 Solar Power Units were donated to Uddakandara, a rural village in Southern Sri Lanka. The donation was made possible by PMTT and Reddot Power in partnership with FoG and Taru Villas which will bring light to these families who have never before had access to electricity due to the harsh condition they live in and it is such a blessing to illuminate their lives and dispel darkness.
• The Foundation of Goodness distributed 4,108 school packs island-wide under the theme of ‘What I have, you must have too’, ahead of the 2019 school year. Every child has a fundamental right to education and it is our responsibility to ensure that they stay in school. Providing students with the essentials for the academic year is one of the most practical and effective ways of making this happen.
• Phase 1 of the Seenigama Coral Reef Restoration Project was carried out in partnership with Tokyo Cement. The pilot project saw the cultivation of a coral nursery and the planting of corals in cement reef balls.
• The annual graduation ceremonies of the MCC Centre of Excellence were a moment of great pride for us. 411 students graduated from a variety of courses, ranging from Electrical Installation & Maintenance, Photography, Information Technology, Beauty Culture, Diving-Certification, English, Sinhala and Tamil Language studies to Cooking and Baking classes. This takes the total number of graduates since the inception of these programmes to 9,707.
• The National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA), under the purview of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills Development, conducted a career guidance programme for over 90 FoG students from the Oddusuddan Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre. Our students found these session very useful as they had just completed their Ordinary Level and Advanced Level Examinations.
• Umasha Thimeshani from our FoG Sports Academy and Devapathiraja College was selected by the Ladies National Cricket Team for the Tour of South Africa in January/ February 2019. Umasha is a right-hand batswoman and a right-arm medium fast bowler who represented Seenigama Ladies in the Ladies Div 1 Cricket Tournament in 2018 and was also selected for the National Development Squad. She joined fellow FoG Cricketer Kaveesha Dilhari on the National Squad.
  FoG is sponsoring the visits of a Physiotherapist to the Methsewa Foundation Special Needs Home situated in Weherayaya, Moneragala District. The Physiotherapist will be visiting 5 days a month and will conduct urgently needed physical therapy for the children.
• The special needs unit at Kanagapuram Vidyalayam in Kilinochchi was declared open by Founder/ Chief Trustee of the Foundation of Goodness, Mr. Kushil Gunasekera, Dr. Naj Nagendran and the Zonal Education Director Mr. John Quintus. The unit is sponsored by Mr. Ganan Kanagathurai and Dr. Nagendran and facilitated by Foundation of Goodness and Serendip.

February

• Our Founder/ Chief Trustee Kushil Gunasekera, was invited to speak at Cricket Australia by Diversity and Inclusion Specialist Mr. Aaron Dragwidge. Kushil shared the diverse community development work that the Foundation does and how sports has played a big role in changing people’s lives at FoG.
  Our FoG Unity Teams made it to the top at IRONMAN 70.3 Colombo 2019! Our three Unity Teams with FoG athletes from across the island were placed Runners Up in the Men’s Relay, 2nd Runners Up in the Mixed Relay and Runners Up in the Mixed Relay.
• The Northern peninsula of Sri Lanka was adversely effected by flooding last December. FoG donated 69 bicycles and 75 Essential School Supply Packs to 144 flood affected students in the North. The Flood Relief Donation was conducted through our Murukandy and Oddusuddan Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres with kind donations from FoG Trustees Muthiah Muralidaran, Ashan Malalasekera and Pradeep Karunagaran as well as the Rotaract Clubs of Colombo Uptown, Fort and Kolonnawa.
• The new shops opening up in Oddusuddan in the North of Sri Lanka need bright new signs to announce their services and products. It’s a great business opportunity for the locals, but the problem is the lack of knowledge in LED Sign Technology. As requested by the community, our FoG Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre held a special LED Digital Name Board Designing Work Shop to empower our beneficiaries with the skills they need to fill this gap! 20 post Advanced Level and Ordinary Level students participated in the self-employment opportunity workshop.
• An ‘Olympian by 2024’ is the slogan of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka and FoG, as we conduct monthly training sessions with professional coaches and Olympians, across a wide array of sports. This month, Sri Lankan Olympic badminton player Niluka Karunaratne and his father L. Karunaratne conducted a Badminton training session at the Sri Sumangala College (Hikkaduwa) Badminton Courts.
• The 12th Sri Lanka Schools Aquatic Sports Novices Championships 2019 was held at the Sugathadasa Stadium Swimming Pool, Colombo. Our FoG Sports Academy Swimmers participated under their respective Alma Mater, while FoG sponsored the participation of the swimmers from Sri Wimala Buddhi & Jinarathana Schools. Congratulations to FoG Sports Academy senior swimmer Pranami Apeksha who won the Under 18 – Girls Championship.
• Learning and Education toys and games were donated to Methsewa Special Needs Centre in Handapanagala (Uva Province), Kilinochchi Special Needs Asset Centre, Kilinochchi Hospital Psychiatric Ward and the Kanagapuram Special Needs Unit. Meanwhile, Mailarvili, our new Speech Therapist, has started work at the Special Needs Units in Government Schools in Kilinochchi. She will also be assisting the Kilinochchi Hospital Special Needs Unit while visiting the patients at the Asset Home, once a week. Therapists like Mailarvili is in short order in the North, where their services are in high demand in communities still rebuilding after the war. Mailarvili’s services will make a huge difference in the lives of her wards, as she guides them to be more communicative and enhances the quality of their interactions with family and friends.

March

• The Foundation of Goodness signed an MOU with Tokyo Cement Group to extend their Coral Conservation project in the Southern Coast. The Project titled “Participatory Coral Reef Research, Rehabilitation and Conservation in Sri Lanka”, will see our diving and training arm ‘Dive Lanka, Dive Seenigama’ playing an active role in preserving the world-famous coral reefs along Seenigama and Hikkaduwa beaches.
• The National Olympic Committee’s Sports Physician, Dr. Himan De Silva conducted a Sports Science lecture at the FoG Sports Academy in Seenigama. 70 FoG athletes participated in the insightful programme. The National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka and FoG have partnered together in the hopes of enhancing the opportunities available to rural sportsmen and women, in order to nurture an Olympian for the 2024 Olympic Games.
• The SLASSCOM team visited FoG for a session with our ICT students and introduced the pilot for the Future Careers Bridge programme. 62 students participated in the programme while SLASSCOM has promised to revisit soon with feedback and internships for our students.
• Zonta Club II in partnership with FoG and Trustee Mahela Jayawardena collaborated with the Australian Medical Team, for a ‘Breast Cancer Care’ Workshop. The workshop was led by Dr. Sujatha Samarakoon and supported by several prominent Sri Lankan medical professionals. Ms. Ann Selle of the Botany Bay Zonta Club in Australia who pioneered the Post Surgery Breast Cushion was back for the workshop, bringing with her two other resource persons: Associate Professor Meaghan Brennan, FA, SBP (Phd) Breast Physician, West Mead Breast Cancer Institute, New South Wales and Breast Care Nurse Educator and Clinical Nurse Consultant, Ms. Kim Kevin Ayres, RN, BN, MNC (Oncology). 48 nurses gathered with great enthusiasm from all Provinces, representing Oncology wards of hospitals around the island and from many Breast Clinics as well.
• Students from the Moneragala IT Class clinched 2nd place at the All Island Robotics Competition held on International ARDUINO Day in Colombo. Our students designed and created a robotic element to be used in a computer simulation game. Their hard work and aptitude was commended by the judges and we are so impressed to see how much talent lies hidden within these children who come from one of the poorest districts in Sri Lanka.
• The Manipay Local Council members visited our FoG MCC Centre of Excellence and FoG Sports Centre to observe the sports-based community development work we do. The Manipay LC is working on plans to construct their own such model with the help of FoG. This was a first-of-its-kind, historic visit from a Northern Local Council to a civil society organization in the South, which also promotes goodwill, unity, harmony and peace.
• A Workshop on Women’s Healthcare was conducted for our female beneficiaries at the MCC Centre of Excellence in Seenigama, by the Menopause Society of Sri Lanka (MSSL). A group of Doctors led by Consultant Obstetrician & Gynecologist and President of MSSL, Dr. Sanath Lanerolle educated the audience on important healthcare issues pertaining to women in Sri Lanka.
• The National Institute of Infectious Diseases Leprosy Research Center, Department of Mycobacteriology Team visited the FoG Medical Centre and conducted a Leprosy Clinic. 240 villagers attended this clinic. Manabu Ato, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist – Yuji Miyamoto, Ph.D., Former TAG Member – Dr. Masanori Matsuoka D.V.M.Ph.D., National Programme Manager (Anti-Leprosy Campaign, Ministry of Health), Dr.Supun Wijesinghe and Dr. S. M. Amarasekera of the Balapitiya General Hospital conducted the clinic. All medical services at FoG are provided free of cost to our beneficiaries. Good health and access to quality medical care is a cornerstone of the Foundation of Goodness!
• The National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA) is introducing a course on Agriculture & Livestock, in addition to the ongoing Auto-mechanic Theory course at our Oddusuddan Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre. These NAITA courses are provided free of charge to our beneficiaries and is expected to lead up to a B. Sc. (Hon) Degree.
• The Junior National All Island Table Tennis Championship was held at the Sri Lanka Army Indoor Stadium in Panagoda, where three FoG Table Tennis players distinguished themselves, with Sanduni Prabuddhika coming in Runners Up in the Under 18 Girls Singles and Doubles, while Diwya Dharani received 3rd place in the Under 12 Girls’ Singles Category and Himalsha Savindi made it to the Quarter Finals in the Under 18 Girls’ Singles Category. We applaud Shaktha Amaratunga for sponsoring the TT racquets and shoes for our outstanding players.
• FoG Sports Academy Chess players qualified for a number of Chess Championships this month. 14-year-old, Thisal Piyumantha qualified for the National B Championship, Asian Youth Rapid Championship & Asian Youth Blitz Championship. 13-year-old Nuwanthi Gamage was selected for the Women’s National B Championship while 12-year-old Sayumi Piyumanthi qualified for the Women’s National B Championship, Asian Youth Rapid Championship and the Asian Youth Blitz Championship

April

• In light of the devastating Easter Sunday attacks that took place in Sri Lanka, the Foundation of Goodness (FoG) is currently conducting in-depth research and fact-finding missions with the aim of creating the best mid/ long term plans which can help in the recovery of those who lost family and loved ones.
  As FoG currently has a Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre (VHE) established in Batticaloa where the Zion Church was attacked, we have made the decision to help the local community in this region. At present we are collecting information and building portfolios of such families and individuals in need and will be sharing our aid plan with you in the coming weeks.
• In the second consecutive such visit of its kind, the Jaffna Government Agent, Mr. N. Vethanayahan visited the MCC Centre of Excellence to observe and learn from the rural village development model unique to FoG. These visits are a step towards meaningful reconciliation, exchange of ideas and collaborative work between the North and the South
• FoG Sports Academy Table Tennis player Nilshi Sanjana was ranked number eight in the Table Tennis All Island Under 12 category and selected for the ITTF Junior Circuit Golden Table Tennis Championship held on the 14th of May in Thailand.

May

• The Foundation of Goodness conducted its 100th consecutive visit to the North of Sri Lanka. Founder/ Chief Trustee Kushil Gunasekera, Donor Dr. Jey Gunasegaram and FoG Manager VHE Centres and Northern Development, Edward Edin (who joined the FoG Team after being discovered during the 2012 Murali Harmony Cup cricket tournament when he captained the Jaffna Combined Team) visited the Jaffna District Secretariat to discuss plans for a proposed 50m pool and aquatic centre. We also visited Puthiya Nagar in Mullaitivu where together with our Donor APSL we had completed the 1st phase of the Solar Power community service project, installing solar panels on to the roof of the local community centre. Looking back on our North Journey promoting peace and reconciliation between the North and South of Sri Lanka, we are proud of the work we have been able to accomplish in the past decade touching over 50,000 lives, building bridges and harmonious friendships.
• FoG’s Yasindu Kavishani and Jayathni Lehansa were ranked 1st in their respective age groups at the XLV National Sports Festival Games – Galle District Open Swimming Competition – 2019, which was held at the Dharmashoka College Swimming Pool in Ambalangoda.

June

• The 1st Good Life Institute Experience Day, ‘Better than I used to be’ launched with the participation of 10 guests. Guests were warmly welcomed at our MCC Centre of Excellence in Seenigama and started the day with a morning sea therapy session. The entire day was guided by Founder/ Chief Trustee Kushil Gunasekera, who shared his experiences and philosophy of living your best life. Following a delicious breakfast curated by our in-house-chef Asiri, made up of organic, wholesome, indigenous, vegetarian food, the guests engaged in a tour of the FoG Empowerment Sectors. The guests were then able to discover true Sri Lankan village life through a walking tour of the Udumulla Village. Following another organic, vegetarian lunch, the experience day moved to the guests engaging with the community through volunteering activities of their choice. The GLI experience day concluded with a tour of the FoG Sports Academy and an intimate discussion with Kushil on living a life of goodness and well-being!
• Phase I of the FoG relief efforts for the victims of the Easter Sunday Attacks at the Zion Church in Batticaloa has now concluded, with grocery packs being provided for 88 families. Phase II of the project, which will be the distribution of scholarships will begin later this month, followed by Phase III when financial aid will be provided for the long term medical needs of victims.Meanwhile, a counselling programme lead by Sr. Canice takes place every Sunday for survivors at the Katuwapitiya Church in Negombo.
• 15-year-old Melan from FoG won the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and IWC Schaffhausen’s ‘Next Young Artist’ Art Competition for 2019. Melan beat over 400 entries from over 150 community sports-based projects across 40+ countries supported by Laureus Sport for Good, to win this coveted award. Melan’s drawing will be engraved on the reverse of the 2019 IWC Schaffhausen Laureus Sport for Good special edition timepiece (above collage shows the engraving of previous FoG winner’s art on a similar timepiece). This is the 4th time that a young artist from FoG has won this accolade for Sri Lanka. We are so proud of Melan’s achievement and have replicated his winning artwork as a mural on the walls of the Lahiru Pre School.
• Sri Lanka Association of Software and Service Companies (SLASSCOM) conducted a training for the teachers of our computer classes in order to introduce the SLASSCOM TechKids workshops which will run for ten consecutive weeks at the MCC Centre of Excellence for our young computer enthusiasts.
  Celebrated Sri Lankan spin bowler Rangana Herath, worked to developed the talent of rural spinners at a special coaching session for 25 of our aspiring FoG cricketers. It was an unforgettable day for the young players as they met one of their idols!

July

• The second and third phases of the relief efforts for the victims of the Easter Sunday Attacks at the Zion Church in Batticaloa were completed in July. 15 scholarships were given and 21 beneficiaries received monetary aid for further medical treatment. FoG will continue providing 88 families that experienced this tragedy with dry rations until November 2019.
• Student exchanges that enable children from predominantly Tamil communities in the North and predominantly Sinhalese communities in the South of Sri Lanka to interact and forge friendships with each other are a corner-stone of our reconciliation programme.
• This July, the Mannar Papamoddai Government Tamil Mixed School travelled South for the 1st stage of the FoG exchange programme. They visited the Dehiwela Zoo, Independence Square, Colombo Museum, Planetarium and Galle Face. After exploring Colombo, the 62 students and teachers visited our MCC Centre of Excellence and Sports Academy in Seenigama, on the South coast of Sri Lanka. ‘This was the first time in many years that our students have come to the South’ said the teachers from Mannar. Our FoG teachers and students rolled out the red carpet to make sure that the students from Mannar felt right at home. The second phase of this programme will see students from the South travelling to the North.
• We were priviledged to welcome our newest Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centre in Mahawilachchiya to the FoG family! Mahawilachchiya is a remote village situated in the Anuradhapura District and the new Centre will be helping 125 beneficiaries through a BPO centre, pre-school and after school classes all provided free-of-charge to the villagers. Founder and Chief Trustee of FoG Mr. Kushil Gunasekera and Ms. Lovina Charles of Charles Education Centre UK signed the MOU handing over the operations of the Centre to the Foundation of Goodness.
• 228 students from 60 villages graduated from this semester’s FoG MCC Centre of Excellence Women’s Empowerment Programme. The graduates completed their studies in dressmaking, beauty culture, soft toy making, food processing and a variety of other courses. The graduation ceremony was preceded by an exhibition of the work that the ladies had accomplished throughout the Semester. The Chief Guest for the ceremony was our very own consultant for Special Needs Projects, Fazana Ibrahim. The Graduation Ceremony was also graced by FoG Founder/ Chief Trustee Kushil Gunasekera, Harin De Silva – former CEO of the Institute of Nanotechnology and volunteers Matthew Sugden, Dr. Charmila Sugden, Rahul Iriyagolle and Charu Therawathanthri and family. Congratulations to the wonderful FoG ladies as they embark on a new chapter with their new skills! To date, 4876 students have graduated from the Women’s Empowerment Centre.
• In addition to this 233 students graduated from our MCC Centre of Excellence; IT, Business Skills & Language Training Centers. The Chief Guest for the occasion was former Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Nanotechnology, Harin De Silva while FoG Founder/ Chief Trustee Kushil Gunasekera was the Guest of Honour. Congratulations to all the graduates as they move forward equipped with their new qualifications for a brighter, more fruitful future! To date, 2918 students have graduated from our IT Centre, while 1399 have graduated from the Business Skills and Language Centre.
• Local health officials conducted the ‘Suwadiwi Sayanaya & Suwanaari Sayanaya’ health camps at the MCC Centre of Excellence Medical Centre. A total of 124 villagers were able to participate in these sessions. The goals of the clinics were to detect non-communicable diseases among the public as well as early detection of Cervical Cancer and Breast Cancer among women. Blood pressure, body weight, fasting blood sugar levels and Body Mass Index were checked. Patients were then advised based on their results as to how to live a healthier, more active life.
• Mr. Asanga Dharmadasa from the Central Environmental Authority of Sri Lanka conducted a workshop on Waste Management at the MCC Centre of Excellence for our senior team members. The knowledge accrued through the workshop will be implemented throughout the FoG network by way of our environmental protection programmes. As the next immediate step, our Children’s Good Values Initiatives in Seenigama, Akurala, Kahawa and Udumulla were educated on these practices.

August

• The relief efforts for the victims of the Easter Sunday Attacks at the Zion Church in Batticaloa continued with the third stock of dry rations being distributed among 88 families that were effected. Dry rations will be provided for these families until November 2019. The prior phases of the project saw 15 scholarships being given and 21 beneficiaries receiving monetary aid for further medical treatment.
• Student exchanges that enable children from predominantly Tamil communities in the North and predominantly Sinhalese communities in the South of Sri Lanka to interact and forge friendships with each other are a corner-stone of our reconciliation programme. The 2nd phase of the North-South Exchange Programme concluded in August when FoG students from the South travelled to Jaffna. The group consisted of the FoG Sports Academy Cricket team, Netball team and the Tamil Language Class students. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the sponsors of the North-South Exchange programme, the Mission of the United States Embassy in Sri Lanka by way of the Small & Mighty Grant.

September

• Access to clean water is a fundamental right. FoG distributed Water Filters to pre-schools in the hill-country Estate Sector. Preschools at the Mahanilu Estate, Bargrove Estate, Gouravilla Estate, Scarbrove Estate and Gouravilla Estate B Division received this donation.

October

• It is a rare but wonderful thing which must be celebrated, when a collective of like-minded individuals can come together for the greater good of others, notwithstanding barriers of language, geography and nationhood to uplift humanity. It was just such a group of 28 exceptional individuals who made up the 2019 OYOB Tuk Tuk Ride, which took place from the 1st – 8th October, travelling from Chilaw to Hikkaduwa via Anuradhapura, Habarana, Kandy and Udawalawa covering over 750 kilometres around the island in 13 Tuk Tuks. The proceeds of this charity ride will help to support our Mahawilachchiya Village Heartbeat Empowerment (VHE) Centre, in addition to two other VHE Centres in Batticaloa and Moneragala.
• 15 promising young cricketers were presented with the prestigious MCC Scholarships by FoG Trustee and incumbent president of the Marylebone Cricket Club, Kumar Sangakkara.
• Putting the environment first, Thuru donated 200 native plants to FoG to be planted by the members of our Children’s Good Values Initiative in Seenigama. Thuru also conducted a reforestation awareness programme together with FoG Founder/ Chief Trustee Kushil Gunasekera. The Thuru Team is on a mission to plant 2 million trees by the end of 2020, and we are proud to be a part of this mission, bringing in the younger generation of FoG environmentalists to the helm to help increase the green coverage of Sri Lanka
• An IT programme for the under-served youth in Angulana established by FoG trustee Mr. Roshan Wijerama from USA and his family, has now been handed over to FoG for facilitation. We had a great turnout on Day 1 with 50 students enrolling for class and look forward to empowering the community and increasing their Computer Literacy. All classes are provided free-of-charge by FoG, with the goal of providing equal opportunities to impoverished youth in Sri Lanka.
• Our FoG Eravur and Thirukkovil Village Heartbeat Empowerment Centres in Batticaloa and Ampara Districts opened brand new Sewing Centres, where women from the surrounding villages will learn dress designing and other sewing courses. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to donors Roger and Rozanne, whose kind generosity made these Sewing Centres a possibility.
• Sri Lanka hosted the inaugural Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2019. We were extremely proud of the performances of seven of our FoG Sports Academy players who represented Sri Lanka on the national team which made it all the way to the finals. All these players are also students of Devapathiraja College, Ratgama. Congratulations to Kaveesha Dilhari, Umasha Themeshani, Sathya Sandeepani, Nilakshana Sandamini, Sachini Nisansala, Shikri Unvanyha and Sulesha Sathsarani for their dedication and hard-work.
• Nine FoG Table Tennis players participated in a specialised training programme headed by ITTF high-performance Belarus coach Aleksey Yefremov at St. Thomas College, Mount- Lavinia. The training camp was organised by the National Olympic Committee.
• FoG and the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka signed an MoU to provide training facilities to the athletes at FoG Seenigama Sports Academy. Three promising Table Tennis players were identified for training in Singapore as a result of this MOU. With assistance from the Singapore National Olympic Council, Sanduni Prabuddhika, Himalsha Savindhi and Divya Darani were able to train at their facilities in Singapore which will help them to greatly improve their skills.
  Sri Lanka’s next star in Track and Field, Amasha De Silva clinched gold in both the 100m and 200m Track and Field events at the XLV National Sports Festival – 2019 organised by the Ministry of Telecommunication, Foreign Employment and Sports. Following on the triumph of her recent victory, Amasha will be representing Sri Lanka at the upcoming South Asian Games to be held in Kathmandu, Nepal. Amasha’s training and development is sponsored by FoG Trustee Ashan Malalasekera.
• Congratulations to #FoG swimmer, Pranami Apeksha who clinched 2nd place in the 100m Butterfly event and 3rd place in the 200m Butterfly event at the all Island Schools Swimming meet at Sugathadasa Swimming Pool on 14th 15th Oct 2019.
• Empowering female cricketers, FoG conducted our maiden training camp exclusively for ladies cricketers. 14 girls from Revatha College Balapitiya under 15-17 cricket team joined the training camp held at the Seenigama Surrey Oval.
• Moving forward we will be conducting weekly training sessions at the school and the girls will join the FoG Sports Academy for training once a month at the Seenigama Surrey Oval.

November

• Congratulations to our sponsored athlete Amasha de Silva who was a member of the SL Women’s 4x100m team who won GOLD at the 13th South Asian Games. This was Amasha’s inaugural run with the senior team and we are immensely proud of her achievements! Amasha clinched Silver in the Women’s 100m Finals as well, with an impressive timing of 11.82 sec! We are so proud of Amasha for all her achievements on the international athletics stage, bringing glory to Sri Lanka! The Foundation of Goodness together with our trustee Ashan Malalasekera are privileged to support the athletics star through overseas training and scholarships.
• The three-day Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship (ICE) Workshop 2019 was held at our FoG Flagship Centre in Seenigama. We are delighted to note that of the three ICE Workshops held in Sri Lanka, this is the second time that it has been hosted at the MCC Centre of Excellence in Seenigama. The programme was designed and conducted by Professor Suranga Nanayakkara from the University of Auckland, New Zealand. 20 young innovators from 17 villages participated in the workshop. At the conclusion of day three, our participants had designed a number of creative prototypes for various real-life problems: A belt for identification of illnesses in pets, automated trip-switches in the face of lightening hazards, websites for career development and deep-sea tourism, disaster early-warning systems for those living near the sea were the ideas that emerged from the workshop.
• A big thank you to Damayanthi Peiris and CEAT Sri Lanka for conducting a workshop on ‘How to Build Self-confidence’ for 27 students at the MCC Centre of Excellence. The workshop provided our students with new skills and knowledge in personal branding, etiquette and grooming.
• FoG and the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka signed an MOU to provide training facilities to the athletes at FoG Seenigama Sports Academy. Three promising Table Tennis players were identified for training in Singapore as a result of this MOU. With assistance from the Singapore National Olympic Council, the national U-15 2nd place rank holder: Sanduni Prabuddhika, U-15 6th place rank holder: Himalsha Savindhi and U-12 2nd place rank holder Divya Darani were able to train at their facilities in Singapore which will help them to greatly improve their skills.

December

• We were delighted to have Chartered Marketer and Corporate Trainer, Mr. Athula Kithsiri conduct a workshop on the topic of ‘Live with Passion’ for our MCC Centre of Excellence and VHE Centre staff to develop and upgrade their skillsets.
• Indian Coach Tejas from CAC (Coaches Across Continents) conducted a 4 day training programme for FoG sportsmen and women including the Senior Club Cricket players, netball team and coaches really adding value and developing the skillset of our athletes.
• At special clinic at the FoG Medical Centre by Rheumatologist Dr. Sujeeva Kurukulasooriya and General Physician Dr. Lushantha Padmasiri had the opportunity to examine and diagnose 25 patients in the region who needed their specialist consultation while Dr Jayani Perera from UK conducted dental clinics for our beneficiaries as well as conducting an information session on oral care and hygiene for our Children’s Good Values Initiative members.
• FoG is spread joy before the start of the new school year, travelling the length and breadth of the island distributing School Packs to  5,842 school children from impoverished, rural areas. Through the Essential School Supplies Programme, we personally transport and deliver these school packs and would like to say thank you to all our incredible donors whose kindness and generosity enabled all these children to start their new school year in 2020, fully equipped and empowered!