New initiatives in 2010
July 14th, 2010 Trevor ThevarajahChildren and Youth Programs
Submission by Darshan Ambalavanar, Project Manager
The Church of American Ceylon Mission’s primary focus is on helping children and youth from economically marginalized and war hit communities in the North and East. Poor communities are badly affected by the lack of quality primary education for their children, as a result of which their children fall behind at an early age and that becomes a critical factor in perpetuating the poverty trap.
We build our work around a number of programmes, Early Child Care Programme (ECC), After School Programs, Children’s Homes (Orphanages), and Special Arts Programs for children and youth. As these centres take root in their communities, they become community centres around which other support programs such as community education and livelihood projects are run for the adults.
Early Child Care Centres
The ECC’s provide pre-school education and nutritional programs for children. They also enable poor women who do daily labour to leave the children at the centres. These centres provide the nutritional support needed and the early learning required helping these children have a good start when they enter primary schools.
Funding formula. Rs.14, 500 per child per year. (approx £84)
Centres Needing Support.
Batticaloa District
a) Alankulam. 30 children
b) Kithul. 30 children
c) Koppaveli. 30 children.
d) Morokkodanchenai. 45 children
e) Nagapuram 30 children
f) Omaniyamadu. 30 children
g) Kunjankulam. 30 children
h) Kirimichchai. 30 children
i) Maruthankernikulam. 30 children.
Wanni
a) Poovarasankulam. 30 children
b) Maravankulam. 45 children
c) Murikandy. 30 children
d) Visuvamadu. 30 children
e) Suthanthirapuram 30 children.
f) Bharathipuram. 30 children.
g) Anaivilunthan. 30 children
h) Vannerikulam. 30 children
i) Vaddakatchy. 30 children
j) Mallavi. 30 children
Jaffna District
a) Oori, Karainagar. 50 children.
This is a community historically marginalized on caste grounds, and is economically impoverished. We are currently also working with over 100 children in the after school program as well.
It might only be possible for donors to support say blocks of children, e.g. 10, or 20. If that is the case that can still be helpful as we can put such contributions together and determine which centres to support based on the number of children there.Donors can also indicate their preference to support a centre, though we would like the right to indicate if another centre is currently more urgently in need.
After School Programs.
After school programs at these same centres, provide further support for children and youth from these communities and provide critical support to strengthen their education. Most of them go to schools with limited number of teachers and facilities and the after school supports play a key role in furthering their educational opportunities. At one such program in Kudaththanai, in the Jaffna Peninsula (near Nagercoil), 23 students have entered university in the last several years with the help of this programThese cost Rs.15,000 (£87) a month. We plan to conduct these at most of the centres that we run, and they are particularly needed in the Wanni region.
Children’s Homes (orphanages)
These are homes for children without parents, or from homes that are not safe or healthy spaces for them. The Children’s Homes, in addition to providing a safe place to live, also provide them with access to good schools and an opportunity to lay the foundation for their adult lives. These homes are located in the Wanni and the Batticaloa District.
Costs: Rs.5,000(£29) per child per month.
A current priority is to increase the number of girl children that we can support in the Wanni and Batticaloa region, though there are also boys that we are looking to support as well.
Special Arts Program for Children and Youth
Creativity is central to all learning processes, particularly to that of children. Part of the diminishment in the quality of life and learning of poor children is the lack of access to the creative arts as a part of their school experience. Their schools often do not have such programs and their parents lack the finances to support them participating in such programs where they are available. Most teaching methods also follow rote learning and do not enhance the creative capacity of the children.
In order to provide poor children with access to the creative arts, and to stimulate their learning, we provide regular programs for children in rural communities that integrate theatre, music, painting and creative writing. The programs are run by university trained instructors and merge modern methods with traditional art forms. A particular emphasis is on valuing and stimulating the traditional art forms of the children’s communities, and to help strengthen their sense of self-respect and pride in their community.
Summary of Costs in £
Early Child Care Programme £7 per child per month
Children’s Homes (Orphanages) £29 per child per month
Nutritional feeding Programme £5 per child per month
After School Programmes. £87 a month per centre
Special Arts Program for Children and Youth
Costs per month:
Batticaloa District – £116
Wanni Region - £232
Jaffna District- £116
Cost of Buildings/infrastructure
Orphanage for 30 children Approx. £50,000
Day care centre £5,000 – 10,000
Nutritional feeding centre £5,000 – 10,000
DARSHAN AMBALAVANAR
has taken over from Rev. Jeyanesan as the new Project Manager of the under the Church of the American Ceylon Mission. These projects are in various parts of the island, Nuwara Eliya to Jaffna, Mannar to Batticaloa, ranging from relief to rehabilitation, vocational training to farming, children’s programs to elders homes.Prior to this he was in Toronto as a settlement worker assisting new immigrant families to settle and find work in Toronto. A large part of his time was devoted to youth related programmes.
From 1991 to 2006 he gained various educational qualifications from Princeton Theological Seminary to a Doctorate with Harvard University. His original degree was gained from the University of Reading in the UK. He authored a number of publications during this period. Over the years he has gained much experience which he will find valuable working with the projects he is involved with now.
E-mail: darshan.ambalavanar@gmail.com
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