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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
Recommended