For today's Christmas Wish, I'm going a little off center and asking Santa to sprinkle some fairy dust and goodwill on the Foundation of Goodness in Seenigama, southern Sri Lanka. It is a truly wonderful charity that was set up in 1999 by Kushil Gunasekera to provide a sustainable model for rural communities. They have now built other models around the country, in Udamulla and up in the north.
When I went on holiday I volunteered at their Seenigama center. What the people there have managed to achieve is incredible and having spent a week with them, utterly inspiring. They really live and breathe the project and believe in it through and through.
Seenigama has a plethora (I like that word, it sounds odd) of facilities offered to the local community. There is a school with brilliant teachers; computer rooms; housing projects; a medical & drop-in center; dentist; women's empowerment center offering cooking, lace making, sewing, and so many more; sports facilities including giant swimming pool (well done Bryan), cricket pitch (obviously), netball courts, gym, deep sea diving, among other sports. It's incredible.
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| Vishnu & Children, Seenigama 11.11.11 |
On the morning of the auspicious 11.11.11 the documentary film maker Vishnu Vasu made a short of the children that were affected by the devastating 2004 tsunami. We went to the beach before school and made a wish as the sun was coming up.
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| Seenigama at Sunset |
I couldn't have loved the people at the Foundation more. They are a beautiful community and were so welcoming. Please do read more about this amazing place. And Santa, please swing by, I'm not sure they've ever seen a reindeer.
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