VanLanka

Youth Collaboration Partnership efforts of VanLanka in Educating youth through

Sustainability

Annual Action Plan 2010

Pahala Thambavita Village—Mawanella council

Activity Description

Community Resources

Assessment

Identification of community capacity through

case analysis and evaluation.

Computer and English

education for children

Continue computer education program for two

classes: for senior and junior students

Youth leadership Training for leadership/ entertainments and sports

Assistance for the temple

school

Volunteer to help temple school teachers, provid-

ing books and carry out reading programs

Demonstration garden on

sustainable farming

A young farmer is selected to develop his land as

a demonstration organic farm.

Training youth for inten-

sive horticulture program

Sending group of youths for horticulture training

program at the University of Peradeniya

Volunteer accommoda-

tion

Canadian volunteers to visit and work with local

volunteers

NEW

Our observations We noticed the physical and social

disconnection from the outside world

has made have made many social and

economic issues that hold these vil-

lagers in apathy. It was revealed dur-

ing the discussion we had with the

people, that most critical challenge

they face is improving moral behav-

iours of their people. They empha-

sise that this social problem is caused

by illegal alcohol. As a result, unedu-

cated children and youth easily get

addicted to those. Earnings of men

among many families are also

wasted on alcohol. Within these

circumstances, children of expatriate

workers are more vulnerable to

abuse; females of such poor families

most likely become single mothers

while males become offenders. Legal

actions against these delinquents be-

come difficult due to physical discon-

nection. Even if they are caught, they

are tend to repeat these heinous

crimes. Due to this situation, many

people have no motivation to improve

their standard of living. They seek

short term money and external help

that has no long term effects and

keeps them dwelling in the cycle of

poverty.

Collaboration

Improve their living standard to cre-

ate a suitable environment for their

children and youth to interact in.

Helping children and youth with their

education would encourage children

to search for higher education.

Strengthening youth club would mo-

tivate them to work collaboratively in

providing community services. Hor-

ticultural training for youth and estab-

lishing a model farm would demon-

strate the potential of gaining higher

returns from intensive cropping prac-

tices, organic farming and animal

husbandry. Villager’s response to-

wards above initiative has become

positive as our work plan 2010 go

hand in hand with what their need.

Computer Learning Center

Community commitment

The most challenging community that needs our help

About the Village Pahala Thambvita is a vil-

lage established in 1969 under one of

the a government land alienation pro-

grams. There are 52 families living

with 222 people. Each family has one

acre of land with tea and various

kinds of spice plantations. They earn

their main income by working as ag-

ricultural labors in adjacent tea es-

tates since the productivity of the

their own lands is marginal for their

survival. Nature provides the high

quality spring water but the water

they are drinking is unprotected and

vulnerable to contamination.

All families have homes

with sanitation facilities but they are

comparatively substandard and un-

healthy. Few houses have electricity

and most of them use kerosene oil.

Many children and youth are school

dropouts at a very young age. The

village was primarily isolated and

disconnected from the outside world.

A road project linking two major

towns is underway. The group feels

the vulnerability associated with the

village youth when the physical con-

nectivity is opened to them before

they get socially and culturally ready

for the changes take place in the

global market forces.

Youth Club Members

We focus on children

and youth, since the community

vision is to have their children

build a bright future. Our goal

is to promote sustainable living

among children and then tran-

scend to adults so the entire

community will gain sustain-

able impacts.

VanLanka meets youth

Volunteer Group

Key action team mem-

bers of this initiatives are Man-

jula Wanasingha, Nandana

Jayantha Walisingha, Asela

Camila Weerasekara, Shantha

N. Thennekoon Nuwan Mahesh

Weerasekara, and Supun

Chamara Weerasekara.

Regenerating

Sustainability

through Simple actions

Funding

Funding for the plan 2010 is

born by Thamara Abesekara and Ni-

sal Abesekara, Richman, BC, Van-

couver through their friends who are

enthusiastic in helping the people

build their own capacity through

effective partnership. In the year

2010, VanLanka organizes series of

small fund raising events to find fi-

nancial resources required for the

action plan 2010.

Commitment for Long term collaboration

Bridging the physical Gap

Team Members

Students of junior class

The Challenge Developing a business model for this

community takes time as there are

fundamental works to attend. There-

fore the project needs outside input as

a social enterprise than a business

investment as a short term mitigatory

measures

On going actions

Educating Kids Village community began

building trust over the youth with the

vision of acquiring better education for

their children. They consider education as

the greatest wealth that they can offer for

their children. Manju and the youth group

also felt that transferring their knowledge

is an excellent gift that they can offer to

this community. The six month plan gets

kick start with the beginning of English

tutoring classes with the main focus of

improving their knowledge of computer

literature basics. They started two classes,

one is for joiner students and the other is

for senior students. Asela and Nandana,

both IT degree holders in Java technology

take the lead in conducting these classes

during weekends. Temple monk helps this

task , with the idea of regenerating the

mission that temple had in the past. The

temple premises became the venue for

junior students while the primary school

premises for senior class. Majority of the

senior class are girls.

Thambavita six month plan 2009

Safe Drinking Water Safe drinking water is the

most priority need of villagers among all

other needs. The old wells were dilapi-

dated and left unprotected. Resulted by

high frequency of rainfall, water in this

wells get contaminated more often with

silt and residues and the water people

drink becomes unsafe. Villagers unani-

mously decided to rehabilitate a well that

provides water for the temple and about

20 houses located downhill as the pilot

project. The proposal was to renovate the

existing well, cover it up and distribute

the water to the down hill houses using

gravity. This was highly respected by

villagers and every house holders came

and helped with their labour. The youth

team spent money only for buying mate-

rials required for the task. Collaborative

efforts of villagers, youth group, temple

monk and the members of youth club

effectively blended together to complete

this task.

Enthusiasm of villagers in com-

munity water project

By Shakthi Wireratna’s birth day fund raising, VanLanka and

financial contributions of volunteer group

Youth club members helping the

community water project

Changing mission of Monks

Volunteer group laying water

distribution pipes

Junior class by Nandana

Senior class by Asela

Activities in the plan Achievement by November

Youth club formation Completed

Profile survey Completed

Community water project 1 Completed – temple and 15 houses

Computer resources center Computer room with 2 computers

English education Started and on going

Herbal gardening Acquired plants

Youth sports and entertainments Sports equipments

Action plan 2009