ABDF

Vantharumoolai (Van-TAH-roo-moo-lie) is a village about 18 miles north of Batticaloa, site of last year’s computer lab.

The school is run out of these half-finished block-style buildings.

The town is mostly made up of rice farmers, a handful of small shopkeepers and craftsmen (mechanics and such), and a few employees of Eastern University, which is some 5 miles south. The school at Vatharumoolai serves the entire community, starting with kindergarten.

The students have to use this stairwell to get to class.

Vantharumoolai (Van-TAH-roo-moo-lie) is a village about 18 miles north of Batticaloa, site of last year’s computer lab.. The town is mostly made up of rice farmers, a handful of small shopkeepers and craftsmen (mechanics and such), and a few employees of Eastern University, which is some 5 miles south. The school at Vatharumoolai serves the entire village, starting with kindergarten.

Thirruper (tee-roo-pair), short for Thirruperruntharai, is a suburb of Batticaloa, about 5 km (3 miles) north of town center. Strictly a residential community, it’s home to mostly lower middle class working families; small shopkeepers, trishaw drivers, teachers, construction workers and the like. Many commute into Batticaloa for their work.

Our water tank partner, Prabha, peers down Thirruper’s well.

As with much of the District, the 8 month long dry season means severe water shortage. The local District Secretary does provide potable water to Thirrupers’ residents; the 6,000 liter truck visits Thirruper three times a day. The problem is one of storage and distribution.

• Project Completed!
• Location: Batticaloa, Sri Lanka
• Recipients:1,500 students
• Objective:Replace school’s musical instruments
• Final cost:$2,500 US

This was truly a last minute project. After the St. Cecilia’s Multimedia Project was completed, there was a balance of funds left over. The project sponsor, Angela, had donated a quantity of funds to be used specifically for St. Cecilia’s Girls’ School, with the multimedia equipment as the priority. Next was the schools’ music program.

• Project Completed!
• Location: Batticaloa, Sri Lanka
• Recipients:1,500 students
• Objective:High-tech equipment to aid teaching
• Final cost:$2,100 US

This is a great example of ABDF acting as a conduit for other people to carry out their own projects. We were contacted by Angela, a woman living in South Carolina. She was a St. Cecilia’s Girls’ School alumna and had recently reconnected with her old school chums in Batti and around the world. She expressed a desire to help her old alma mater, which was the site out our English Library Project.