Sri Lanka is an island nation in South Asia, surrounded by the Indian Ocean southwest of the Bay of Bengal and southeast of the Arabian sea. It’s a diverse, multicultural country with many religions, ethnic groups and languages, home to 21.92 million people (World Bank, 2020).

From 1983 to 2009, Sri Lanka underwent a civil war, destroying or damaging many of the community’s basic social services, including health care, sanitation, and education. In 2004, the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami hit the region and was one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history. Tens of thousands were killed in Sri Lanka alone, with the eastern and western areas of the country hardest hit. The tsunami destroyed even more schools and other infrastructure in areas already struggling with the impact of the civil war.

In response to the destruction of infrastructure and services in Sri Lanka, WE Charity partnered with communities in Sri Lanka including Thirrukovil and Pottuvil in the Ampara District on the eastern coast, and Palangaturai in the Gampaha district on the western coast. Through this partnership, we implemented community-led, sustainable initiatives as part of our holistic development model. This holistic model starts with education, usually building or renovating schools or school rooms (including classrooms, libraries, kitchens, teachers’ accommodations, and school offices), that are then supported by other infrastructure needs key to breaking the cycle of poverty.

In Sri Lanka, we partnered with communities to focus on clean water and sanitation, income opportunities and education, helping build the foundation for a brighter future for children and their families. One of the main focuses of these community partnerships was education. This included building new schools, renovating and restoring those flooded or damaged by the tsunami.

We also provided furnishings for each new classroom and supported educational programming, as well as supporting additional infrastructure like libraries and science rooms. Parent-teacher committees in each community were instrumental in planning each project. Together with students, they chose details like artwork for the classrooms, paint colors and architectural style. Private latrines were also built at each school, which help students stay healthy as well as reducing drop-out rates of young girls.