Laptops for primary school students at US $ 100 each

Primary school students of Sri Lanka will be getting a chance to own a $ 100 laptop under a new educational expansion project.

The officials of the ‘One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)’ are currently conducting discussions with the Sri Lankan Government authorities about introducing these laptops.
The Minister of Education has responded favourably to the matter while President Mahinda Rajapaksa is also encouraging the project.

‘One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)’ is a US-based organization that partners with several technological and academic institutions. Working with local partners and governments worldwide, it aims to get the learning tool into children’s hands.

Click here to read more

Scarlett Johansson makes donation to Lankan School

Hollywood Actress Scarlett Johansson has donated `a large sum` to a poverty-stricken school in Sri Lanka after the children there left her overcome with emotion during a recent visit.

The 22-year-old traveled to Sri Lanka and India with aid workers from the international charity group Oxfam - and claims that the highlight was the time she spent with kids at an under- privileged school in Sri Lanka. Johansson tells PlanetGossip.eonline.com, `The most gratifying opportunity was visiting a Dalit school. The Dalit community is considered the lowest status in the caste system, and children as young as four are working the fields.` The actress` hand-out will financially support the school for the next three years.

She has steered clear of the Hollywood party scene and is actually known for being a good actress as apposed to being a tabloid star, kudos to her!

Meanwhile, the Lost In Translation star is currently planning a trip to U.S. Army bases overseas with the United Service Organisation (USO). Her publicist says, `It will be in early 2008 and for about a week. I can`t give out more than that for security reasons.`

On Monday, Scarlett was honoured with the Icon award at Elle magazine`s Women in Hollywood tribute at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Source : Lankanewspapers

Help Ameen

Help Amal : Cancer patient

Hi my Friends,

This is not a chain letter or an email that should be forwarded to anyone else. I am sending this mail to all of you, because you are all known to me. I am asking for some help for a very close friend of mine - and this is just a request only. Please don't take it as something that you are compelled to do. I don't have the means to totally help him.

I am briefly giving you the story behind the two pictures attached in my other email, as I dont have scanning facilities at home - the photographs will be sent to you by tomorrow.

I am sure some of you know who Amal is, and what happened to him. He took some of you to WILD WADI while he was working at Madinat Jumeirah. To the ones who don't know him - Amal is a very good and close friend of mine. He is 30 years now. The two photographs attached are ones that show before and after a Brain Tumor operation which he underwent in December 2004. It was such a terrible shock to all of us.

Amal worked at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai from June 2004 and was falling quite ill. Subsequently, after an MRI scan done at the Iranian hospital it was revealed that he had a maligned tumor which had to be operated immediately. Praise be to God - the hotel agreed to pay the total hospital bill, and the outside medicins he had to take which helped him and his family immensely. He was warded at the Asiri Hospital and the operation was done by Dr. Sunil Perera. The operation was a success and he was up and about, although there were few side effects from time to time.

He came back to work but could not work in the kitchen deparment and the management gave him a less stressful job at the Spa, where he workd until October 2006. He was falling ill from time to time and decided to leave Dubai to join his family, get married and settle down permanently in Sri Lanka. He happily started a small business of his own with the money he had saved in Dubai and somehow unfortunately he fell ill again and to my shock he sent me an sms last Wednesday (12th Sept) saying that he has to undergo another operation (a second tumor just above his eye), on Tuesday (18th Sept). This was a little too much for me and for the ones who knew him to take it in.

However, I called him today, and his sister answered the phone and said that the operation had to be done TODAY, and he thank God, he was conscious after the operation. But we still don't know the after effects. The operation was done at the General Hospital, by Dr. Sunil Perera once again, so no money is required as Operation charges. But, after 01 month, he has to bear quite a lot of expenses travelling up and down from Negombo to the Maharagama Cancer hospital for treatment there, for at least 1 1/2 months.

He has to find alternate accommodation somewhere close to Maharagama, transportation, medicines, nourishment and etc.etc. He is the eldest in the family with 01 younger sister and lives with his father and mother towards the interior of Negombo.

Amal has been a very good friend to all who were in contact with him. He helped people whenever he could by his going out to places they did not know, and in whatever way he could and wherever he was, there was laughter. Yes, that is one thing that I admire most in him. He made us all laugh.

Friends who are not in Sri Lanka - Amal's Bank Account no. is given below. I leave it to you to decide on what contribution you can make.

Amal Suranga Senerath Yapa - Bank of Ceylon Negombo Branch - 1409358

Friends who are in Sri Lanka - Amal's sister or father will be carrying his mobile - 077 3656748. He is at the General Hospital Neurology Intensive care Unit right now. Whoever can visit him or call him on my behalf, please do so. More than anything, please pray that God will give him the strenght to recover.

I don't know how I put all these words together. There's so much more that I have to say, but I just cannot go on.

Even if you cannot help him finanacially, please keep in your prayers.

Thank you so much for all your help.

God bless you
Renuka
Mobile 00971 50 8597880

Save the life of Gihani

Please help this girl (she is a 12yrs old Devian ) and she Is suffering from Lucamia (AML M4) she must undergo an allogenic bone marrow tranaplant. Her parents are strugling to collect Rs50,00,000 for her opperation.

Please make all your donations this account (1-0067-50-3285-7) NSB Kiribathgoda.

Donation Channel - Help this family

This lady is blind and has 4 children. Husband died from a disease. The eldest child,aged 11 foster others by begging. The house is a hut. The whole village is spread with malnutrition. They earned a living through collecting Aralu,Bulu,Nelli from Nilgala Herbal Park.

read more and watch video >>

Appeal for Meals to the Ceylon School for the Deaf and Blind

(LeN-2007Aug24, 5.00pm) This is a special appeal to you to consider giving a meal to the children of the Ceylon School for the Deaf and Blind situated in Ratmalana, Sri Lanka.

This school has around 375 students at the moment and most of them are resident in the school hostel. Everything is provided free of charge to the students including all their meals.

The managment do not get enough meal donations and find it very difficult to provide a proper balanced diet to the children. Therefore they are appealing to everyone who receives this messege to kindly consider giving something towards feeding the impaired children. You could either donate money for a specific meal or give a donation to the Meals Account. Money from the Meals Account is used up to provide meals when they do not get any meal donations. So they need to keep the meals bank account topped up.

The managment aim is to find donors for all the meals they give the children everyday. Their meals calendar is not even half full and they hope they will get more donations when people receive this appeal.

Please forward this messege to many people as possible and don't forget to send their your contribution which will help to give more better meals to the impaired children. You could contact Mrs. Nilanthi Jinasena, Board Member in charge of Meals on nilanthi-rdc@sltnet.lk if you need more information.

source : LankaeNews

Help this baby girl - Heart disease

Dear Sir/ Madam,

This is about my daughter ( born on 10th June 2007 ), still not named as she is only 45 days old but lovingly called as Baby of Nadheesha by the nursing staff at the Apollo hospital. Unfortunately she is suffering from a complex cyanotic congenital heart disease and needs urgent intra cardiac repair, open heart surgery (High risk) to prevent sudden cardiac death at the Apollo Hospital, Sri Lanka.

Medical costs are extremely expensive . We are seeking help, on this as we are incapable of finding the funds on our own. We have opened an account for her on this matter at Sampath Bank,Gampaha Branch.

Name : Terrance Madhawa Paranavithana.
Bank : Sampath Bank, Gampaha Branch
A/C : 1016 5328 8207

If any of you can lend a helping hand to make my daughter to see the world please contribute towards this.

Greatly appreciate that if you can forward this to every one in your contact list. This could save a life. PLEASE HAVE A HEART & FORWARD THIS.

Thank you very much for your love & support.

Yours Faithfully
Terrance Madhawa

TP - 0777269481

3/130, Magalegoda,
Veyangoda
Sri Lanka

--------------------- update as of Sep 18, 07 -------------

group of Lankans based in Dubai (emirates) have collected an amount of AED 2800 (Rs 84,000) and deposited in the bank account given above. Receipt is attached below. Thank you guys - Sanjeewa

Two Computer Scholarships are available at IDM - Matara

Few Sri Lankan IT lecturers have offered to sponsor upto two students who are bright in studies but looking for a helping hand in developing their IT education..

Please contact udari.ns@gmail.com or webmaster@jobs4lankans.com for more details

Stationery, Books and Uniforms for children

We are planning to distribute school items to some selected children who are unable to carry out their education due to economical reasons in Sri Lanka.

At present our contacts in Sri Lanka are visiting villages and collecting information about these kids.

Our hope is to distribute a package (minimum);

1. Books
2. Stationery (Pens,Pencils,Erases,Rulers,Pencil Cases, and Sharpeners)
3. One set of school uniforms
4. Two pairs of school shoes
5. One School Bag.

In addition we are looking forward for a budgetary of Rs 3500 per child (USD 35) and would be most delighted if the interested parties can contact us via niromi.maligaspe@axa.com.au OR webmaster@jobs4lankans.com

Our main goal is to upgrade the education in rural areas, so once the goods are delivered all the related information will be available for everyone in this blog space.

-----------

update as of October 31st, 2007

Managed to collect AED 2,985 which was equal to Rupees Rs 89,779.00 (including money transfer fees). Money has been sent to Niromi's mother to buy the stationery, Books, shoes etc..

Suggestion to provide food and accommodation to parents of terminally ill children

There are many situations where children from very poor families in Sri Lanka suffer from serious illnesses. The mother of the child usually stays beside the childrens bed in hospital for months. The father of the child has not visited the hospital as he is unable to find the bus fare to do so. (As they come from far away villages in Sri Lanka). I cannot imagine the amount of pain these parents go through when the child is terminally ill. On top of this their poor financial condition creates more sadness.

I have come up with a few proposals to help such parents of children in the lady Ridgeway Hospital Borella and the Cancer Hospital Childrens ward Maharagama.

Proposal 1

When a Child is admitted to the hospital the admissions area will provide food coupons (Say initially for a one week period). We need to seek Sri Lankan employers (Private Sector Organisations) who are willing to sponsor the cost of providing one meal a month (lunch). The company needs to arrange lunch packets for one given day each month and transport the lunch packets to the hospital along with a responsible employee who is willing to distribute them between 12.00 Noon and 2 PM at the hospital premises. (There are approximately around 1300 beds at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital and 100 beds in the children’s ward at Cancer Hospital). These correct numbers can be found out through the hospital director.

Most mothers in the hospital cannot afford to buy a lunch packet. They eat a mouth or two from the child’s food provided by the hospital, to keep from starvation. Providing them a good meal will be a blessing. If we are able to find 30/31 companies who are willing to sponsor one day’s lunch per month its going to make a very big difference to these innocent mothers who are going through a very tough time.

Proposal 2

The next suggestion is to provide a rest area to the mothers who spend sleepless nights on a chair beside the sick child’s bed or on the floor. In most hospitals there are store rooms which are used to stack up chairs and old beds etc. Private sector organisations could initiate a scheme where these rooms are cleaned up and basic mattresses could be provided to create rest areas for the mothers. These rest areas can be used by mothers to have a couple of hours of sleep during the lunch interval when a friend or a relation volunteers to sit beside the child while the mother gets some rest.

This is not a very capital intensive proposal as we only need to clean up the existing unused rooms and purchase basic type of mattresses. This will be a blessing to the poor mother who never gets proper sleep/rest sitting on the floor or a chair beside the child’s bed for months.

Proposal 3

Providing accommodation and food for children who do not need to stay in hospital permanently but are expected to visit the hospital 3 or 4 times a week to get their treatment for cancer or other serious illnesses. The problem arises when the child lives quite far away. It becomes very hard for the child and the mother to find suitable accommodation closer to the hospital cause majority of people who come to Lady Ridgeway and Cancer Hospital are from very poor families. Most of them do not have any one known to them living in Colombo to seek shelter and the other problem is to find the bus fare to travel on a regular basis.

In Australia there is a charitable home by the name of “Ronald McDonald House” which is sponsored by McDonalds fast food chain. This is a home which provides a decent meal and basic accommodation for families who have to visit hospital quite regularly for a given period of time for treatment. I am providing the link to the Ronlad Mc Donalds House for your further reference.

http://www.rmhc.org.au/home/default.asp

If private sector companies sponsor the 3 meals and other volunteer organisations could help pay the water/electricity bills to keep the house functioning the major concern would be to find out a suitable house with several rooms (Or it could be a large hall with mattresses on the floor with a couple of toilets). This house needs to be closer to the Cancer Hospital or the Lady Ridgeway Hospital.

If you have further queries regarding these plans or need more information I am more than ready to help you. My email address is niromi.maligaspe@axa.com.au

Thanking You
Yours Faithfully

Niromi Maligaspe
Melbourne - Australia

These are details of some families we came across who are in need of urgent assistance

Please note that families No 1,2 ,3 and 8 don't receive much help at all. So those 3 families are the most deserving so it would be good to highlight that fact.

Family No 1.

This family has 3 children the mother abandoned the 3 kids and the father drinks a lot and does not help the children in any way hence the very old grandmother who lives in Padukka area took charge of the family. She is quite old she wakes up at 4 AM and picks green leaves (Pala Miti) and cooks for the children and come to Nugegoda area to sell the Pala Miti to feed these 3 grand children. Some days she falls asleep in the bus and misses the correct halt. They are so desperate for help. They are struggling to survive you can imagine how the earnings of selling pala miti could be sufficient to feed 3 children and also pay for the bus fare from Padukka. It will be a blessing if some one could offer even a very small amount to this family as they are desperate and there is no one to help them. I have met this Archie. You will not know how happy she was when I bought the childrens book list for December 2006.

Family No 2.

This family has got 4 children all of them are going to School. They live in Nawinna. The father has died and the mother cooks at a house in Nugegoda and earns Rs. 200/ a day. With that money she has to feed these 4 children. They are really stuggling to survive. Hope to update more details about this family in the near future. At the moment there is no help from any one towards this family. So any donation is most welcome and will be a god sent for these people. With the sky rocketting food prices in Sri Lnaka how can Rs. 200/ a day be sufficient to make ends meet?

Family No 3

This is a family where the son is 25 years old and recently met with an accident. He has been bed ridden since then and is going to undergo sugery soon. He has not yet got a date for the operation. This poor boy will be able to walk after the operation. The only thing is that his brain is permanantly damaged and he will keep getting fits regularly. He cannot do a proper job. They live near the railway line in a little hut. The boys mother who is very old is working in houes and earn a very small amount to keep his son alive and also needs support for the medical expenses. They too are very much in need.

Family No 4

This family lives in Kahavita has 4 kids and lives in a little hut. Did not even have a proper toilet until one of my friends offered the assistance to buy the toilet equipment. The father of the family was breaking stones to make a living one fine day he went down to clean up a well and due to a poisonous gas emitted her died due to blood posioning leaving the mother and 4 kids behind. I will be updating this space with pictures of the funeral. The mother washes clothes in a rich house twice a week and earns a very small amount and also sells beatle to boutiques in the area. The older boy was hospitalised as his heart did not get enough blood. Anaemic due to not having sufficient food. Another friend of mine now buy sustogen for the child and now he is doing alright. So they too are struggling to survive to feed 6 mouths is not very easy in a country like SL. Any help is most welcome. At the moment. This family receives a small amount each month from a friend of mine. But I know that this alone is not enough for them any help is most welcome.

Family No 5

This family had a mother, father and 7 year old son and also a 3 month old baby. The father worked in the bakery. One morning when he was going to work a lorry knocked him down. He broke his limbs. He was in hospital. He was around 30 years old. The mother had to go begging from door to door to keep the children from starving. Watching this the father ended up having a heart attack in hospital and he died. So the poor mother ended up with a 3 month old she could not work with the little one to earn a living. The older son is sitting for the scholarship exam he is a bright student. The mother is expecting the son would pass the grade 5 scholarship so that the government would give some support for his education. They have rented out a room. One of my friends bought this family the furniture they needed. As all their clothes were eaten by rats as they did not have a cupboard etc. Now the major problem with this family is that they have to pay around Rs. 4500 for the room that they live in. So one fine day I hope to buy them a little block of land and build them even a little hut this will save them lot of trouble cause they are stuggling to find the Rs.4500/ each quarter cause this should be money saved after paying bus fare and also feeding the children. At the moment they get a small amount of money on a monthly basis from one of my friends and any more donations are most welcome.

Family No 6

This was a person who sold plastic goods when he was young. He had 3 children now they are all big. But they too are poor. This person was partly blind when i was a little girl i was the one who wrote to the institute of the blind to get him a white cane. He had severe asthma. Then the wife died of cancer when the kids were small. So from when I was around 6 years old we buy him the asthma inhaler on a monthly basis. Now he is quite old very weak and suffers from severe asthma and almost blind. But he manages to drag himself every month from Yakkala to get the asthma inhaler. Else he cannot breath. Some days he sits on our door step struggling to catch his breath while I rush to the pharmacy to get the inhaler. He too is in need.

Family No 7

This is Shyama's family she works next door all 6 days and earns a small amount.She has got 4 kids. Husband has got epilepsy. They live in Padukka. Husband cannot do much work as he is always sick. They too are very much in need. Currently they are building a little room for the family in Padukka any donation can buy cement bags or building material so that they could have a roof over their heads. any donation is most welcome.

Family No 8

This family lives in Ratnapura. The father was a alcoholic and abused the mother and the mother had to move away with the two children who goes to high school. The mother stuggles to survive. She does odd jobs or sells flowers near the Ratnapura devalaya to keep the house fires burining. The children go to shcool withoout food for the interval. They try to approach other children as they are always hungry and the friends keep away from these two kids thinking they will have to share their lunch. Any help with regard to education is most welcome. To organise a free computer course for the older girl will be most welcome. As she is doing her O/L exams. Any help is most welcome.

Family No 9.

This family lives in Nugegoda. Their house is a very small room built out of planks. I have visited them. There are 3 school going chirldren. The older one will benefit from a computer course as she could get even a small job. This will help the whole family. At the moment one of my friends is paying for her tution fees.

A big thank you comes from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to read this long list. Hope and pray that you get the strength to help these individuals and families somewhat.

If you have further queries regarding these plans or need more information I am more than ready to help you. My email address is niromi.maligaspe@axa.com.au

Thanking You
Yours Faithfully

Niromi Maligaspe
Melbourne - Australia

Landslide victims in Nuwreliya Kubalgamuwa village - Thank you note

Dear Friends,

This is a little note to thank you for taking part in our charitable project by donating your hard earned money toward the landslide victims in Nuwreliya Kubalgamuwa village. The food parcels were distributed on 02/08/2007. The project was a 100% success. I have enclosed the acknowledgement letter from the Buddhist monk along with the pictures of the poor people who received the food parcels. The total cost of purchasing the dried rations, medication and the cost of transporting add up to Rs.156771.00. This includes the amount of Rs.15000.00 donated to the temple to help them fix up the roof of one of the building so that the people in the tents could temporarily move in to avoid from being wet during the rainy times.

Please join us in sharing the happiness of giving as the happiness you’ve brought to the lives of 40 families is way beyond my explanation. You will be truly blessed for being so generous and for being so kind to help these innocent people who have nothing but the clothes that they are wearing.

I leave you with this wonderful words mentioned by a philanthropist who lived many years ago “I intend to pass through this world but once, if there is any kindness or help that can be given to my fellow men let me do it now, let me not differ it or neglect it as I might not pass this way again”

You have done your part for the human race!! I hope and pray that you will get more strength to do lots of good deeds in the future and get closer to the eternal bliss!!

Once again you and all your family members will be blessed for being generous. The happiness of giving exceeds the happiness gained from all other worldly luxuries.

Please find the bills attached and click on the link (or cut and past it) to have a look at the pictures.

http://picasaweb.google.com/dmaligaspe/DonationsForKublgamuwaLandslideVictims?authkey=0kDcBFt3io8

Take Care

With Many thanks
Niromi and Thilini