Diyakepilla Primary School, Sigiriya, October 2006 - ongoing

Diyakepilla Primary School is a tiny, one classroom school in dense jungle close to Sigiriya, the famous rock citadel in north-central Sri Lanka. Sigiriya is one of the country's top tourist attractions and is a highlight of Sri Lanka's Cultural Triangle. It is a regular stop for Western visitors on organised tours of Sri Lanka.

Yala Fund‚s country co-ordinator, Supurna Hettiarachchi, came across Diyakepilla in the 1980s and made it his mission to try and lift the school out of poverty. He brought interested tourists here over the years to try and help in some small way. The area is very wild and elephants roam through the jungle and frequently attack people and destroy property. There is great need in the district.

 Yala Fund became involved with Diyakepilla in 2006 following a visit by Bev & John Thompson. The children were provided with new uniforms. Jon Ashworth's brother, Tom, based in Hong Kong, subsequently donated £2,200 to build a library for the school. This comprised a building, table, chairs, cupboards, books and furniture.

The library was opened at a ceremony in June 2007, providing valuable facilities for Diyakepilla and the surrounding district.  

In a letter dated August 2007, Mr E.G.A. Edirisinghe, the headmaster, wrote: The children use the library very happily and very carefully. Really, they love it very much. Educational officers also appreciated your deed. They came to see it and talked very much about the library's value. Thank you for coming here to help us.