A rite to education to help oneself
View(s):A programme launched by a group of volunteers to educate elders is gaining momentum, prompting them to spread it to other segments in society, including children.
Building around the core belief that everyone has a right to education, and that, anyone can make a difference, the volunteers visit Elders’ homes. They help underprivileged/disadvantaged elders build vocational life-skills, including computer literacy, fabric and pottery painting, to help keep themselves fit and mentally agile, and possibly, provide themselves with a source of income.
Starting at the Victoria Home for the Incurables, they offered to spend half-a-day each week, conducting interactive vocational training sessions. The art of origami, singing of popular Sinhala songs to pitch, and T-shirt painting and design, were among the sessions.
The group subsequently spread the project to children in orphanages, thus turning the Educating Elders project into a programme for the ‘Education for all’ project.
Using social media to gain media attention and volunteers, such as their Facebook page(https://www.facebook.com/EducationForAllProject) and their website (www.educationforall.tk), the ‘Education for all’ project soon attracted over 100 volunteers. Observing the success of their project, they decided to have a grand, overarching project to end the year.
Currently, the ‘Education for all’ project intends to organise a mega music show towards the end of the year, to raise funds for their next big project.
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