The Education Incentive Association (EIA) consists of a group of medical and engineering students from Eastern University, which serves Batticaloa District, located about 12 miles north of Batticaloa. In existence for 15 years, membership is made up of around 50 active student members and 200 University alumni. The purpose of the Association is to promote math and science among Batticaloa high school students with the aim of increasing the number of medical and engineering undergrads.

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.)

The school was used to house refugees fleeing from the 2007 military offensive in the east. The place took quite a beating, physically, and neither the government nor the organizations caring for the refugees has offered to make any repairs or replace destroyed property. This has left the school with a whole list of repair and replacement needed just to bring the place up to pre-2007 status, which to be honest, wasn’t at that high of a level to begin with.

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.

St. Cecilia’s is widely known for its marching band, despite the fact that most of the instruments were bought just before the outbreak of the war. Once the piano was purchased, Bennett was instructed to spend the balance on new band instruments.

We developed a list of needs for the school, and prioritized it. First on the list was a set of multimedia equipment to be used for teaching large classes, and a computer setup for the above mentioned English Library.

The room for the math lab was only just being cleared out, cleaned up, and undergoing a light refurbishment (painting, etc.) and was going to be furnished with leftover furniture from other classrooms.