Future for Children Wacker College

Kosgoda, Sri Lanka

Project start: 2007

Completed

Target achieved:

450 €

Our project school “Future for Children Wacker College” is located in a UNESCO village in Sri Lanka. The island state south of India was in a state of civil war for over 20 years. We learned about the school and its problems from our member Arne Kröger. By purchasing sports equipment, we were able to support the school in offering sports lessons to more than 200 pupils.

INITIAL SITUATION

Sri Lanka is an island nation in the Indian Ocean with 20.8 million inhabitants and is characterized by many different religions and ethnic groups. From 1983 to 2009, there was an open civil war in Sri Lanka between Tamil separatists and the Sinhalese-dominated central government.

Our project is based in Kosgoda, a small coastal town in the southern province. The Kosgoda area is home to a population of almost 3,000 people. Many of the residents whose children go to the “Future for Children College” live in quiet neighborhoods in the UNESCO village and work in bakeries, tailoring shops or as teachers in the school. The project is a village with 50 stone houses for 50 families, an orphanage, a preschool, a school and a training center for 7 professions. Over 200 children attend the state-run “Future for Children Wacker College”, where more than half of their lessons are taught in English. Our member Arne Kröger completed a social year at “Future for Children” and introduced us to the project.

PROBLEM AND SOLUTION

Due to a lack of gym and sports equipment, there are no PE lessons at the school, which means that the children do not get enough physical exercise. This can lead to pent-up aggression, which the children take out on their classmates. Sport also promotes tolerance, mutual respect and a sense of responsibility, while also reducing the potential for violence.

Thanks to the financial support of Visions for Children e.V., equipment for sports lessons has already been purchased and lessons have resumed. In addition to volleyballs and footballs, sports mats were also provided to protect the children against injuries. Visions for Children e.V. was also able to motivate a Hamburg-based company to donate two computers. A computer was provided to the training center so that short films on engine construction and industrial production can now be shown in the vehicle workshop for training purposes. The second computer was made available to the school.