Marangahawela Primary School near Balangoda

Marangahawela Primary School is a tiny school with just 45 children and 4 lady teachers. It sits in a beautiful location 2000 feet up the side of the southern Sri Lanka mountains looking down across the dry plains towards Hambantota. The school has just 2 classrooms and has a mix of Sinhalese pupils and Tamil boys and girls from the nearby tea estates.

When Yala Fund came across Marangahawela in November 2007, the school had no electricity, few teaching facilities and badly needed painting. Over the course of 2008, we supplied electricity, painted the school, donated a computer and printer (cost £350) and bought shoes and uniforms for the children. Jon turned on the electricity and handed out the items at a ceremony at the school in November 2008. The event was shown on Sirasa national TV.

As a result of our help, Marangahawela had 14 new applications for the 2009 year. All the children have been given new shoes, uniforms, exercise books and stationery. We are paying for repairs to the toilets and school gate. In February, the children and teachers went on a two-day coach outing to Colombo, visiting the zoo and planetarium and going to the beach. It was the first time many of the children had seen the sea. The outing cost about £180. We'll do the same in 2010.