ABDF

Puhalidam

ABDF was first introduced to Puhalidam (Poo-AH-leh-dahm) last year. This is one of a handful of schools in the area that provide an education to mentally and physically handicapped children and was the recipient of funds from ABDF to provide a year of transportation for the kids to and from school. For details on the funding and running of the school, please see last year’s project page.

The kids are terrific

The school currently serves the needs of 19 children, but there is demand for more and so the school would like to accept 10 more. However, the current facilities are inadequate for 29 children, and so the organization is building an annex behind the current building. Consisting of three rooms (two classroom and a kitchen – which the current building does not have) and two additional toilets, Puhalidam has managed to begin building. (Construction in Sri Lanka is usually done piecemeal, as money come in.)

A typical classroom scene at Puhalidam

Puhalidam has made a very good start, having laid the foundation for the annex, as well as about half the walls. They are currently nearly out of funds and have applied to ABDF for help. Specifically, they have asked us to purchase the remaining rebar and bricks they need to finish the walls, amounting to some 8,000 bricks and 120 rods of rebar. The total comes to just under $800, excluding transport.

ABDF is very impressed with Puhalidam, it’s curriculum, the teachers, and the students. Any sort of care for the handicapped, especially the mentally disabled, is a very rare thing in Sri Lanka, particularly in the war-torn east. Therefore ABDF considers an expansion of the program to be highly beneficial, and is happy to lend it’s support.

The new annex walls are begining to rise

This will be the new kitchen