Rotary Photo Friday

In Sri Lanka, a five-year endeavor that began in tragedy is ending in triumph.  The Schools Reawaken project, started by District 3220 (Sri Lanka) shortly after the December 2004 that killed almost 40,000 residents of the island nation, has dedicated its 22^nd new school.

Today, more than 11,000 students are enrolled in schools built through the project, says RI Director K.R. Ravindran, chair of the project’s administration committee.  “They would never have dreamt of a school like that, “ Ravindran says.  “To them, these schools are like Oxford and Cambridge.”

The $12 million project received about $1.82 million donated by Rotarians and Rotary clubs to the Solidarity in South Asia fund, established by The Rotary Foundation in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami.

Lucky Pieris, who was district governor when the tsunami hit, explains that the Rotary clubs of Sri Lanka –now celebrating 80 years in the country – have a history of supporting literacy projects.  “The education sector is something that Sri Lankan Rotary clubs have been taking care of even before the tsunami,” he says.  “Children are the future of any society.  Give them good facilities for them to study and encourage them to study, and they will do wonders.”

To read more about Rotarians’ educational efforts in Sri Lanka, download the October issue of Rotary World magazine here.