The Tudawe Children’s Home: Equipping the girls for life beyond
Laughter rings across the spacious halls, the dining room and dormitories; for some 30 girls, this is ‘home’ while some 200 former wards have known camaraderie and warmth here before going on to their various niches in the wider world.
The Tudawe Children’s Home is housed in a former residence of the Tudawe family in Wadduwa. Happy, inquisitive faces peep at us as we enter the premises with its large garden with shady corners and a butterfly garden.
Fostering girls aged six to 18, the children’s home was begun in 1988 by the patriarch Lawrence de S. Tudawe, who donated his home to the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress, under whose oversight the home still is, although it is the Tudawe family that funds and manages the home.
What used to be a four-bedroomed house has now been fitted out with dormitories, study rooms and communal living spaces. Bathrooms were built in 1996 with help from German donors.
Life in the home is well-regulated and everything from clothing and food to private tuition up to ‘A’ Levels and counselling, computer and dancing lessons, is provided. There is a library where two of the girls function as librarians under training.
Former wards have gone on to do well in the world, there being university graduates and others in positions like nursing sisters, hospital matrons and HR personnel.
The Matron, Dumila Dahanayake, proudly says that her girls, who attend the Wadduwa Balika Vidyalaya and the Thalpitiya Kannangara Maha Vidyalaya, hold positions as prefects and are at the forefront at sports, dancing, etc.
The girls are encouraged to take up gardening and each has her own tree. The produce from the garden goes to the home kitchen.
There is too an eagerly looked forward to annual concert, a chance to dress up and perform, while all festivals are celebrated within the community whether Avurudu, Christmas or Thai Pongal.
The home is open to all girls from the Western Province and Matron Ms. Dahanayake says they are indebted to the villagers around Thalpitiya and Wadduwa who are a very supportive community. The Head Priest of the Daladawatte Vihara advises on all matters.
A peaceful environment: The children’s home and the girls at lessons. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
Financial support also comes in part from the Friends Sri Lanka Child Foundation and the Department of Probation and Child Care Services.
On this year’s World Children’s Day, the management, staff and well-wishers of the Tudawe Group arrived to share some quality time with the children. The day included a full programme of fun games, songs and interactive sessions.
Future plans for the home include improving educational infrastructure, expanding capacity, and strengthening counselling and vocational programmes to better equip the girls for life beyond the home.
The home invites public support which could be given as monetary donations, gifts (such as books and stationery), volunteering time (teaching, mentoring and organizing events), sponsorships and scholarships for the children’s higher education and also by spreading awareness about the home’s mission.
For more, please visit
https://tudawechildrenhome.com
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