2009 – Kurunegala Sandagala Special School visit

2009 – Kurunegala Sandagala Special School visit

by | Jun 13, 2009 | Schools-Visits

School visit to Sandagala Uhumeeya Deaf And Blind School, Kurunegala – 2009

Priya and Nadani Welikala

A DAY OF DISCOVERY

Once again it was my privilege to visit KU/Sandagala special school, Uhumiya to handover personally the donation of the cheque of £1,500 – last year’s beneficiary of Dabal.

Unfortunately I did not have the pleasure of Feisal’s and Ameera’s company to visit the school, as I had planned prior to my departure from London. Unlike the earlier visits to schools who were beneficiaries of our charity – this was a very daunting experience, since we had no contact at all with the school or knowledge of its existence. I was on my own to research the identity of the school and to access the remote village of Uhumiya in the North West region of Kurunegala and, may I gently point out, to find time, travel costs and the energy, in my otherwise private busy and short visit to Sri Lanka.

I set off on Monday the 1st February in the company of our son Ossie and cousin Roshan leaving Colombo at 5:00 a.m. to avoid the heavy morning traffic on a busy week day, with a short stopover on the way for breakfast, at a wayside café. We reached the school at 11:00 a.m. To my surprise we drove into a large well established school compound where some students, turned out in immaculate white uniforms, were occupied with sports activities under the supervision of some staff members.

It was more an adventure trail finding the school in a rural environment with its scenic beauty and we to introduce ourselves as strange invaders of their privacy and insist for “On the spot inspection” of the school and their official records to satisfy DABAL’s required criteria before handing over the cheque.

As always in Sri Lanka we were welcomed by the principal, Mr K.A Sumithkumara and the administrator of the school Mr H.M K.S Illangakoon, with broad smiles and deliciously prepared tea which helped us to relax and enjoy the day’s experience.

The school was founded on 6th March 1968, with financial help of Mr S.H Benjamin and Mr W.R Perera, with four deaf and two blind children. The land was donated, with the original building, which is 150 years old, by Mr Narayana Mudiyandelage Appuhamy (1916-1974), the proprietor of Sathiyawadi Motors and Transport of Kurunegala – a successful businessman and philanthropist. He was appointed to the Senate (October 1965 – November 1971).

At present the school consists of 135 students and 26 staff members. The staff salaries are paid by the Government and they provide the textbooks and school uniforms for each child for the year. Most students are mainly from the impoverished North Central Province of Sri Lanka. They are provided with board and lodging in the school. The school is well established and very well run by the School Hostel Welfare Society, which consists of the local government officials and members of the public. The school is in desperate need of additional toilet facilities and fans, at present.

The school provides educational facilities up to GCE O.L classes and vocational training in painting, carpentry, manufacturing of coconut palm product, agriculture and computer skills. Seventeen students from the school have gone on to qualify as graduates and are employed in varied fields – which is a heart warming success story.

I was taken around the whole school and hostel premises for inspection. The kitchen was busy preparing the day’s main meal, with a large number of people cooking meals which brought the waft of spices and hunger in me! I was told that it was the local community who were preparing the food as Dhana to feed the students in memory of the Gramasevaka’s mother. They depend on the generosity of the villagers to feed the students who are unable to pay fees.

 

About The Owners

The school maintains a Bank account with Pradeshiya Co-operative Grameeya Bank and the Accounts are audited by the Kurunegala Division Education Secretariat. When the Principal received the cheque from me, in the presence of the Senior staff members, he expressed that the school had never received donations in cash – always only in kind and it was like winning the lottery. He thanked DABAL for its good work and kindness of thought and deed.

What touched me most was the kindness and generosity of the local people, who kept the school running, maintaining a good standard of education – providing good quality of life for these children in need, whose self confidence was amazingly striking.

The school is well worth a visit by all members of DABAL. Nadani Welikala

2009 – Batticaloa Dharisanam School for the Visually Handicapped

2009 – Batticaloa Dharisanam School for the Visually Handicapped

by | Jun 1, 2009 | Schools-Visits

Batticaloa

Dharisanam School for the Visually Handicapped 

A trip to Batticaloa

I had to cover 350 kilometres by road to get to Dharisanam School for the Visually Handicapped, the beneficiary chosen at our last AGM, in order to personally hand over a cheque for £1,500 and meet the 28 resident students.

As Priya was unable to accompany me, our son Ossie and cousin Roshan joined me in this adventurous journey to the eastern coast of Sri Lanka. We set off at 5a.m. on the 12th of October 2009, making our first stop at Kurunegala to refresh ourselves with breakfast. I enjoyed the drive through Habarana and Polonnaruwa, the dry zone of Sri Lanka which had held a great fascination for me since my early schooldays. We reached Batticaloa, tired and famished by 1:30p.m. for a fabulous seafood spread of fish, crab and prawn lunch laid on by the school officials. We were very warmly welcomed by the Executive Committee members – the President – Mr. Dayanandan, the Secretary – Mr. Kamaladas and three administrators who were blind.

Unlike my first visit to Batticaloa eleven years ago when I went with the UNICEF volunteers to the uncleared areas of the Batticaloa District, which was under the control of the defeated LTTE roaming the streets fully armed with complete lawlessness, it was a contrastingly different scene which unfolded before me. The highway from Polonnaruwa to Batticaloa was a smooth run with a newly built carpet road which was better than the London motorways! There was a lot of construction work going on in the city. It was indeed a beautiful sight driving along the blue lagoon, with fresh sea air blowing and schoolgirls and boys smartly turned out in white uniforms on bicycles returning home after school. Most ladies were riding scooters and the roads were quite busy. There was an air of confidence among the people who were getting about without fear or restrictions. The driver of our vehicle, Rohana, who was going to Batticaloa for the first time, was pleasantly surprised that the eastern province, which had suffered the tragedies of war for three decades and the tsunami, was in an upbeat mood. Our son, Ossie, simply fell in love with the place.

The Dharisanam School and hostel is a well planned and constructed building provided by the Social Services Department. It has a separate wing with two large guest rooms above the building, donated by a charity from the Netherlands, which we occupied for our overnight stay. It was spacious and clean, with attached bath and toilets. I was overwhelmed by the treatment given to us by the executive members – typical Sri Lankan hospitality offered with a generous smile!

After lunch and a brief rest we were taken around to view the school and hostel which accommodates 28 students between the ages of 5 to 22, both boys and girls. The students, who attend the mainstream schools for their academic studies, assembled in the Main Hall along with all the staff members in order to be introduced to me. The President addressed the meeting, acknowledging our donation. This was followed by a musical concert performance by the students and a party to celebrate the function.

Though the schools had the space and facilities to accommodate up to 50 students, they had difficulty in getting children to join them due to the negative attitude of the families. The school is very well run by professional and experienced staff members who give priority to the children’s needs and care. The students expressed their wish and desire to continue in the school because of the care and motivation to continue with academic achievements. The school prepared the children to attend mainstream schools in the area to achieve academic standards. The school has successfully produced 13 graduates reading different disciplines – Science, IT, Commerce, Political Science, Environmental Studies. The students were happy in this school/hostel system.

We were taken around Batticaloa town on a sightseeing tour by the Executive Committee and entertained to a sumptuous dinner, which we all thoroughly enjoyed.
Nadani Welikala