Hambantota, Sri Lanka

Pupils perform a special dance at the official opening ceremony

Over 5,000 pupils lost their school when the tsunami struck the district of Hambantota on the south coast of Sri Lanka.  At a time when these children needed the stability and safe environment normally provided by school life, it became a crowded, noisy and unsettling experience.  In order to continue their education many children were sent away to live with relatives and those who remained faced lessons in groups which had doubled in size. 

Construction work in progress

The finished school

The Freemasons' Grand Charity contributed over £340,000 towards the building of a new school for more than 3,000 children, with special preference for tsunami-affected families.  Construction began in 2005 and the official opening of the school took place in February 2008 at a ceremony attended by the Sri Lankan First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa and other government officials.

The 20-acre school complex was designed with input from children in the local area and boasts excellent facilities.  These include science, language and computer laboratories, an industrial workshop, libraries, accomodation to help attract the best teachers and facilities for disabled pupils. 

 

Flags are hoisted as part of the official opening ceremony

Separate classrooms have replaced the traditional style of a partitioned hall which can be a distracting environment for the children.  Outside the grounds have been landscaped and incorporate green spaces and play areas. 

At the opening ceremony school children welcomed guests with garlands of flowers and put on a colourful dance display, before Plan Country Director Han Dijsselbloem offically handed the school over to the Sri Lankan government.  Later the Education Services Minister and other Ministers from the Southern Province took part in a tree-planting ceremony and revealed a plaque to mark the momentous occassion.  It is intended that the brand new school will bring valuable long-term benefits to the local community for many years to come.