Some of the good qualities that a person should possess can be learnt through Guiding. We were lucky to win the Jenny Calverley Award for the best community service project. The skills and experiences gained were invaluable.

Firstly we engaged in activities at places of religious worship. This helped us to develop an understanding of and respect for the major religions practiced in Sri Lanka. Through Guiding we have learnt to accept those who are of different religious faiths.

Secondly we had a shramadana campaign and cleaned up the school premises and gave lectures to primary school students on "The Eradication of Dengue – the Current Health Issue".

We were able to make our little sisters aware of the dangers of dengue. In spite of the age and knowledge differences, we were able to explain to and communicate with them in a friendly manner and thus achieved our goal of maintaining a cleaner, healthier environment.

Our next aim was to help the orphans in their studies, whilst entertaining them. They participated in all our activities happily. Mutual understanding, co-operation, and close inter-relationships bound us together.

Finally elderly people were also helped. It was a heart-warming experience to see how much the elderly people enjoyed our visits. By helping them in their daily chores we learnt patience and tolerance.

The lessons learnt through Guiding are for life!