Centre for tsunami-affected children opens in Pandiruppu

Tsunami-affected children of Pandiruppu (Ampara District) aged 4 to 14 celebrated the long anticipated opening of the Visions of Hope Children's Centre on August 26.

The Pandiruppu Children's Centre was built by the Australian Foundation for the Peoples of Asia and the Pacific, with funding provided by the Knorr-Bremse Global Care Foundation of Munich, Germany.

Kiwanis Division 18 of Canada provided funding for the land on which the Centre was built. Kiwanis Club of Colombo City provided funding for project activities to be conducted in an alternative facility before, during, and after the construction phase.

The Visions of Hope Project was initiated by Kiwanis Division 18 of Canada with assistance from the Kiwanis Club of Colombo City.

It is administered by the Sri Lanka Children's Trust, which undertakes small projects in Ampara, Badulla, Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts to improve sanitation, health, nutrition, and education for children affected by poverty, conflict, and natural disaster.

Chief guest Swami Jnanamayananda of the Sri Ramakrishna Mission, Kallady, blessed the event with a speech in Tamil and prayers in Sanskrit.

The function was presided over by the President of the Sri Lanka Children's Trust, M.K. Perinparaja, with local officials, prominent members of the public, and many foreign guests in attendance.