Since 2006, Richard Huish College has been working in the Hikkaduwa area of Sri Lanka in response to the disaster caused by the Tsunami in late 2004. Circumstances this year meant the College’s bi-annual volunteering trip could not take place but students were still keen to show their support for those a world away – raising £2,659 for a Sri Lankan charity called the Foundation of Goodness.
Huish has worked with the Foundation of Goodness, which focuses on rural development through mainly female education, empowerment and sports, since 2013. The Foundation was set up in 1999, by Kushil Gunasekera to provide essential services to his ancestral village of Seenigama, one of the worst hit areas by the tsunami. Although based on Buddhist ideology it is a secular charity and has a new centre in the Tamil war torn north of the country.
In the past the College has been honoured to be able to take groups of students to Sri Lanka to volunteer with the charity. They have been able to assist in local schools and Elders homes, assisting with sports, social activities and language lessons. This has not only been beneficial for the local people supported by the foundation but a wonderful opportunity for students to widen their experience and become involved in a developing country in an organised and rewarding way.
Unfortunately, this year it conspired the trip could not proceed due to external factors, however, those due to make the visit were keen to still make an impact having discovered so much about the challenges faced by the local people. Through a variety of fundraising schemes ranging from cake sales to collection boxes the students raised £2,659.37 – half a million rupees, which will continue to support the excellent work of the charity.
For further information about the charity please visit http://unconditionalcompassion.org/.
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