What we do

Yala Fund was set up in 2005 to help Tsunami fishermen in a refugee camp in Kirinda get back on their boats. Since then, the charity has helped create hundreds of jobs in Hambantota district, one of the poorest and driest parts of Sri Lanka. Yala is funding a microfinance programme in the district in partnership with Shilpa Children's Trust, a Colombo charity, in which as little as £50 provides a loan to set a poor family up in business.

Yala has channeled tens of thousands of pounds into refurbishments for rural schools, many of which have received no outside help in 20 years or more. The charity has built libraries, science labs, water towers, toilets and much more. Each year we buy shoes, uniforms and books for the poorest children in the district. Many rural Sri Lankans work as day labourers earning as little as £1 a day, making even a pair of shoes costing £5 unaffordable.

Yala has started offering educational bursaries and medical grants to needy children. It costs just £25 a month to pay travel and living expenses to allow gifted children to attend extra classes or study at university. Although Sri Lanka has a free healthcare service, MRI scans and other specialist treatment must be paid for privately. The charity helps poor children with cancer and other serious illnesses.     

Bev Thompson has been keeping diaries of her visits to the region. To see a list of the diaries uploaded so far, please visit Bev's Diary page .