Selvapuram is a small village in the Vanni Region of Sri Lanka. Most of the villagers run small farms or perform other manual labor to earn a living. At a small temple in this village, they conduct classes for approximately 60 children, teaching them across subjects such as religion, cultures, and the fine arts. They don’t have a community hall or building, so all their classes were held under a big tree behind that small temple.
We learned that the teachers were volunteering their time to teach on the weekends, and the students were very enthusiastic and eager to learn these additional subjects. Since some of the parents are carpenters and masons, they propose if we donated the raw materials, they could build a school building themselves.
On January 28, 2021 we ceremoniously initiated the project and laid the first stone. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis in Sri Lanka it took some time to complete this project. But on Friday, March 30, 2024 we opened the new school. The villagers along with some government officials attended the celebratory event.
We extend our sincere thanks to the donors from Washington DC for funding this school building project through Manitha Neyam Trust. Also, our thanks go to the parents and other supporters for donating their labor to complete the construction of this school.
