Support 2,000 rural students to go to schools

Dear Donors,

Our Rural Schools Team started on the distribution for the 5th consecutive year, on the 4th of January 2023.

First phase covered 102 rural students in 3 remote schools in Deniyaya. (Matara District - Southern Province). The donationat included a school bag, shoe vouchers, schools essentials, lunch box and a water bottle. Also, all the students were provided refreshments. The total cost of this distribution was approximately LKR 600,000/- approx.

Second phase is the largest for this year and covered 1,464 rural students in 24 remote schools in Bandarawela (Bandarawela district - Uva Province). The donation included a school bag, shoe vouchers, school essentials and a lunch box.Sports goods were distributed to 4 schools where the functions were held on the donation. Also, all students who participated were provided refreshments. The total cost of this distribution was approximately LKR 7 million approx.This phase was successfully completed during the period 3rd - 6th of March 2023.

Also, the 3rd phase of a smaller distribution took place in Colombo in February and March, where 400 students from low-income families were donated school bags only. 

The team is organising the following two phases during the next few weeks,

1) Distribution of school essentials to 550+ students from low-income families in Alawwa, Wariyapola (Both in Kurunegela District) and Anamaduwa (Puttalam District) on the 28th of March 2023

2) Distribution of school essentials to 120 students from the Medirigiriya Vidyalaya in Medirigiriya (Polonnaruwa District) on the 1st of May 2023

This year the distribution has been restricted to around 2,500 rural students due to the escalation of prices in all school essentials by more than double.

We still have a shortfall to support all requirements on the balance two phases, and any support through friends, colleagues, relatives will be much appreciated. 

We thank you for your support to help us on this project. We ensured our donation went to the most vulnerable students who may have dropped off if this support did not take place. So, your donation no doubt will help these students to continue with their education. Your donation no doubt will help these students to continue with their education. 

May you and your family be blessed abundantly! May all your noble aspirations be fulfilled!

Tarana Rural Schools Project Team 2023

Dear Donors,

Firstly let me thank you for your kind generosity towards our project to support rural schools to face covid-19 Challenges.

We have supported many requests from rural schools and the rural students in order to face the challenges emanated from covid-19, since the beginning of this year. Our main focus was to get these students who were facing many challenges back in school. We supported over 2,500 rural school students with their basic school requirements, which cost Rs. 4 million approx.

We have also undertaken to support the following requests during the next couple of months,

1) Dehiattakandiya (Eastern Province) - Prizes to be awarded at the Inter-School General Knowledge Quiz held for students in Dehiattakandiya Zone (40 schools) to revive their interest in education and activate them. These rural students started schooling a couple of months ago, after 3 years of closure due to  Covid-19 situation.  

2) To commemorate World Suicide Prevention Day which fell on the 10th of September and also World Mental Health Day which fell on the 10th of October, our foundation collaborated with the Rural Program of Sri Lanka Sumithrayo, an organisation which focuses on suicide prevention work, to conduct an art competition for 10 rural schools in Lunugamvehera (Southern Province) and 10 rural school in Panduwasnuwara (North-Western Province). The prizes for the winners and a gift of library school books will be made by the foundation upon selection of winners. This is due to be done in November 2022.

Besides, our main focus is on the distribution of school requirements in March 2023. We need USD 20,000 towards this project to support over 2,000 rural children. We have decided to focus on supporting the estate schools in Bandarawela (Central Province), as we have observed the difficulties these estate sector workers have faced during the last couple of years. The current economic crisis has resulted in an increase in prices of basic school requirements over 100%. This burden which has fallen on the parents, will push them to stop sending their children to school and instead, will send them to do odd jobs. We wish to support as many rural students to prevent this happening.  

We hope to promote the Giving Tuesday campaign done by GlobalGiving amongst our donors and well wishers in order to raise funds for our rural schools project in March 2023.

We wish to have your support towards our rural schools project, and would appreciate very much if you can kindly spread the word amongst your friends, colleagues and relatives to support it.

Thank you once again for all your support and may you and your family be blessed abundantly. May all your noble aspirations be fulfilled.

Best Regards

Tarana Foundation

Dear Donors,

Firstly, let me thank you once again for supporting our rural schools project - on helping them to face Covid-19 challenges.

We had a challenging time to support requests from over 50 remote schools to support the rural students with their school requirements. Neverthelss, in March and April 2022, we were able to donate school requirements (school bag, exercise books [5-8 for Grade 5 & below and 8-10 for Grade 6 & above], drawing book, pastels, mathematical instrument box, pencils, pens, eraser, sharpener, ruler, scissors, pencil case and a voucher for school shoes) to nearly 2,500 rural students in Medirigiriya (North Central Province), Galle & Matara (Southern Province), Mullativu & Jaffna (Northern Province), Dehiattakandiya & Akkaraipattu (Eastern Province), and Nikeweratiya (North Western Province). The total project cost was LKR 3.8 million.

We also donated library books and sports goods to the value of LKR 25,000/- each to 12 remote schools.

We thank you immensely for your contribution. Your donation helped us to put a smile on the face of many students and parents. It helped ease the burden of many parents as almost all of them are facing difficulties due to the current economic crisis. They have been able to send their chidlren to school this year, as a result of this donation.

We wish to do our next schools project in December 2022 and will be raising funds on GlobalGiving on July Bonus Day - 20th of July 2022. Any donation above USD 100 to USD 1000 will attract a bonus of 30% - 50%. USD 400,000 will be distributed by GlobalGiving on this day on a first come first served basis, till the funds are exhausted.  

Currently we are addressing the hospital shortages envisaged due to the current economic crisis. We have donated life saving medicine and other requirements to national hospitals in Colombo, Kandy, Anuradhapura and Kurunegala and also to other remote hospitals in Moneragala, Nuwara-eliya, etc., Also, life saving medicines were donated to the Cancer Hospital and the Premier National Chidlren's Hospital in Colombo. The total cost of donations of this project so far is around LKR 13 million.

Our thanks go out to each one of you for having confidence in us and making a donation for this project. We are ever so grateful to you as we have been able to touch many lives from your kind donation. 

Much merit to you. May you and your family be blessed abundantly.

Best Regards

Suranjani Wickremeratne

Dear Donor,

Firstly let me thank you for your kind generosity towards our projects.

We faced many challenges due to covid-19 - lockdown periods, economic issues, etc., during the past few months. We are yet facing economic issues, but nevertheless, we want to be of some assistance to our focus group - rural students. 

Schools in the country opened up in December 2021, after intermittent closures for nearly 2 years. Currently, the schools are facing the challenge of the spread of the virus, but amidst such challenges, they are continuing with the curriculum to support the students affected by the closure of schools. Rural schools were the most affected as digital learning, could not be carried out successfully, due to the economic hardship of those students. So it's a huge challenge to the school authorities of those schools to raise the bar for these students to bridge the gap between the Central / City schools which were able to support the students via online sessions.

In order to support bridge the gap, our Foundation is currently planning to ease the economic hardship of those affected most - the rural students. We will provide school requirements to 2,500+ rural students in Dehiattakandiya, Galle, Matara, Mullaitivu, Jaffna, Akkaraipattu, Polonnaruwa, and Kurunegala to help them to get to school. The school packs will be distributed in March / April 2022.

We raised funds via GlobalGiving and other local and international supporters, and have collected LKR 3.7 million towards this project. Our budget is Rs. 4 million to support 2,500+ rural students. Any additional amount collected will help us provide further requirements for the remote schools of these rural students. 

Appreciate it if you could kindly spread the word amongst your friends, colleagues, and relatives to help us to support this worthy endeavor. Every Rupee will help towards helping a student to get to school. 

We are a charity working with volunteers, and 100% of your donation will go towards supporting rural students. Our volunteers pay their own expenses when we visit places to distribute the donation, and also, provide their services to pack these items and transport them to the respective destination. Such assistance by our volunteers helps us reach more beneficiaries.

Any consideration from you or your community of friends, relatives, and colleagues will help us to reach those deserving.

Thank you

Best Regards

Suranjani Wickremeratne

Dear Donor,

May Joy, Peace, and Success be with you throughout the new year !

In November, our country started opening up gradually. The schools which were closed for over 6 months, opened in November. The students are recalled on a roster basis, where they attend the school in alternate weeks. The current term is the third (final) term of the school and will go on till March 2022. The first term in new grades for students will commence in April 2022.

We have received many requests from schools for school requirements for their students and also for the schools. We hope to evaluate them very closely during the next 2-3 weeks and will identify those schools most deserving of our assistance. We wish to visit these schools in March & April 2022 and make our donation. We will keep you updated on the details of the donations and also share with you photographs of them.

We thank you for your kind generosity again.

May you and your family be blessed abundantly.

Best Regards

Suranjani Wickremeratne