Taking Care of 50 Vulnerable Sri Lankan Children

Having participated in numerous teacher training programmes and workshops, the staff at Sunshine Day Care and Preschool have learnt to initiate programmes for the kids without depending on the trustees to do so. Adopting a bottom-up approach the staff interactions with the kids on what they would enjoy most and talking to the mothers on how best their children can benefit has allowed them to present creative and innovative programmes.

A giant leap forward for all stakeholders!

A Children’s Market held recently is one of one such activity. Supported by their mothers, the kids proudly displayed seasonal fruits and vegetables, coconuts and village greens, all grown in their back garden. Visitors from the community, Local Government office and Pre-school Education Bureau participated with great enthusiasm, buying from the kids the organically grown produce. The kids learnt the production line and a bit of the economics in vegetable cultivation, which is also a part of the preschool syllabus.

The introduction of playfulness is an important factor in child development and we, at The Sunshine Charity have consistently strived to make creativity an integral part of our programmes. We have seen the impact of these programmes, which over the years have helped the kids to be playful and enjoy their day imaginatively.

Although The Sunshine Charity’s primary objective is to take care of vulnerable children affected by poverty and conflict, the organization decided to go beyond its mandate for the first time since it was established almost fifteen years ago. Creating a programme to reach out to the children affected by the Easter Sunday attack, The Sunshine Charity will work with local partners to provide trauma services to the hundreds of children affected by the tragedy. According to psychiatrist and psychologist engaged in the field, therapeutic opportunities like drawing and painting, dancing and music which will allow them to verbalize their feelings and heal the emotional scars is an important tool. Following-up on the advice given, the trustees decided it was time to go beyond our usual call and help the children and youth struggling to cope from the recent horrific experience. It will take months no doubt for them to overcome these emotions but contributing towards the healing process was our responsibility too.

The Sunshine Charity will work with well-known and experienced resource persons to provide a way for the children to reconnect to their normal lives by providing them with dance movement therapy, art & craft therapy and music therapy. Opportunities to dance, sing, play and draw in child friendly spaces will be a starting point to help them strengthen their role in the community and transcend cultural boundaries.

The back-to-back sessions will also include a dialogue segment with children which will emphasize positive experiences, establish trust and allow feelings to be expressed. It will be facilitated to allow them to celebrate the wonderful multi-cultural identity of Sri Lanka.