Charity project lights up two remote villages
View(s):Getting to these remote villages requires a seven km trek through the wilderness. Uda Galadebokka and Galamuduna are situated 15 km from the rural town of Hasalaka in the Kandy district. There is a rough dirt track being constructed to Galamuduna, and half the distance can be travelled by tractor, but the entire distance to Uda Galadebokka still needs to be undertaken on foot, a hazardous journey as wild elephants roam the mountainside.
The long and uphill road: Villagers carrying solar power units up the mountain
Thus it was a life-changing moment for 80 families from Uda Galadebokka and Galamuduna when they were provided solar power with the help of RedDot Power, Singapore in an initiative undertaken by the 2017 Pimp My Tuk Tuk Charity Ride together with the Foundation of Goodness. Eighty solar power units which each contain one solar lighting system capable of illuminating three light bulbs (up to 8 – 12 hours per charge) and an additional self-contained solar lantern were handed over to the residents of these villages which are not connected to the national power grid.
The Pimp My TukTuk Charity Ride 2017 took place in September with 54 riders – mostly British financial professionals now working in Asia, driving across Sri Lanka in tuktuks, having fun and conducting charitable activities along the way through the Foundation of Goodness.
The villagers live a hard life, with no access to power or water lines, and face the many difficulties that come along with their extreme isolation. This effort was undertaken to help improve their safety and quality of life by giving them the opportunity to light up their homes.
Spearheaded by PMTT Charity Ride 2017 sponsor Red Dot Power and funded by the same ride, 80 solar units were shipped to Sri Lanka. Representatives from both villages travelled to Colombo for a one-on- one training programme and workshop with PMTT Rider and CEO of Red Dot Power, Vijay Sirse, who talked them through the details of using and maintaining the units.
The most difficult task was getting the units up the mountain. All the villagers came to the bottom of the mountain where they met with the Foundation of Goodness team. On the first day, the units were delivered to Uda Galadebokka. With no motorable roads, the units had to be carried up by hand. The 7 km route was not a smooth path, and the group often had to scramble over boulders while ensuring the safety of their cargo.
On day two, the journey to Galamuduna was made marginally easier because a tractor could travel half the distance on a rough path being constructed to the village.
If not for the kindness and generosity of the Pimp My TukTuk riders and Red Dot Power towards easing the daily struggle of over 300 people, two small isolated pockets of Sri Lanka would have continued to remain in darkness.
The Foundation of Goodness was established in 1999 and has worked extensively to develop a one of a kind holistic rural community development model which today delivers a wide range of programmes to over 35,000 beneficiaries from 200+ villages in the South, North and East of Sri Lanka free of charge, via 30 empowerment activity sectors.