Sponsorship of Students from the IDP Camps:

SLANE plans to launch a program to assist teenage children from the IDP camps in Sri Lanka to attend High School up to the advance level.

A SLANE sub committee has been meeting together for the last several months looking for ways to support the people in IDP camps in getting them out of the camps so that they can begin to build their lives again. Members of this sub-committee have done consultatioins with some in Sri Lanka who have been involved in relief work and has a better understanding about the ground situation.

The plan is to send eligible children to one of two schools, St John’s College in Jaffna or Chudukuli Girls School in Jaffna. The commitment is to support a student who is beginning his or her O’level or A’level and to sponsor them for a four or two year commitment until they complete their secondary education. The commitment includes school fees as well as boarding fees. The cost per child per year is approximately 500 USD.

Mr. Priyakumar Handy at Baldaeus Theological School in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka will be working as the liaison with the children in the camp and SLANE. He has already secured 10 places in the A/L classes at Chudukuli Girls School in Jaffna and having conversation with the school authorities at St. John’s College in Jaffna.

The children will be selected from Pullmoddai ‘Sahanagama’ Camp. Presently there are 1987 students in the camp. Children will be selected by Mr. Priya Handy in consultation with the SLANE IDP committee on the following criteria: Students past academic performance, their mental stability and parents financial ability.

We currently have a commitment for ten students and are looking for more volunteers to sponsor additional children.

Further details will be announced in mid November with an expected start date of Jan 1 2010. If you like to sponsor a child or support financially or involved in the work of the committee or just need more information please contact any of the following by sending an email to slaneusa@gmail.com : Julius & Elizebeth Francis, Mark Alagakooon, Chitral De Mel, Dharman & Angelita Hensman, Janak Ambalangodage & Alice Locicero


Please Note:
SLANE sent the money raised at the Lowell Folk Festival for IDP's ($400.00) to Priya Handy to be used to buy milk powder for infants and to support the needs of the pregnant women and children in the Pullmoddai ‘Sahanagama’ Camp .