Encouraging and uplifting communities
The joyous chatter of a few children, out for an early morning swim filled the air. All was at peace at Seenigama, a little village that lay nestled between Hikkaduwa and Ambalangoda.
Located in Seenigama is the Foundation of Goodness (FOG), which was established in 1999. Invited to be a part of FOG’s Best Performers Felicitation, just last month, the programme highlighted the sheer talent the little community had to offer which was only part of their story.
Following the Tsunami, the Foundation’s primary theme was bridging the gap between the rural and the urban communities. Their aim was to develop a “one of a kind holistic rural community development model,” Kushil Gunasekera, the co-founder of the Foundation of Goodness tells us.
Through the generosity of its sponsors FOG has come a long way. Today the community provides a wide range of programmes to over 15,000 beneficiaries every month from 200+ villagers in the North, South and East of Sri Lanka, free of charge.
These programmes are known as the empowerment activity sectors of FOG, and include Arts & Multimedia, Children, Enterprise & Empowerment, Environment, Housing, Dental,Medical & Psycho-social support, Scholarships, Sports Development & Management, Sustainable Income Generation, the Village Heartbeat Project, Village Welfare & Development and Volunteer Management etc.
The Women’s Enterprise Centre offers a series of activities such as dress making, beauty care, bakery and general cookery courses etc. All these activities are designed to be a stepping stone for the women in the area.
A few feet away from this, is the Dental Clinic, also known as the ‘Rainbow Clinic’ which is designed to provide free dental services to the rural beneficiaries. We are told that it costs approximately Rs. 161,031 per month to sustain the clinic, which has helped more than 22,000 beneficiaries since 2008. The ‘Computer Training Centre’ has benefitted almost 2,515 beneficiaries since 2007. The day’s lesson includes training on the workings of Microsoft Office. The Computer Training Centre has produced nearly 2,515 graduates in total, benefitting nearly 85 villages in the vicinity. The graduates include those who have been trained in the fields of Graphic Design, Web design, programming etc.
A majority of the foundation’s teachers have also been past students of the foundation at some point. After having benefitted from the programme, they wanted to give back to their community. All the centres in the foundation also have their own community aid programmes as well. Under these programmes, each Centre would, use any profit generated to help the local community. Aside from the academic side of things, the Foundation also focuses on several sports which include cricket, swimming and athletics etc. These programmes have produced both female and male sportsmen, who have excelled in their respective fields. Two of such success stories are that of Tharindu Kaushal, who qualified for the National cricket team in 2015 and Yashoda Mendis who entered the Sri Lanka ladies national team in 2011.
The best performers felicitation programme for 2017, featured the likes of 73 students who excelled in their respective areas of study. The programme was designed to motivate outstanding students to achieve their full potential whilst giving them the necessary incentives to succeed, while also uplifting those around them.
To support the FOG cause log onto unconditional compassion.org/submit_donations.php
Classes at the Computer Training Centre. Pix courtesy FOG
Felicitating student achievements