Much support for the Foundation of Goodness has come from Australia over the years. Partly because of the shared love of cricket, and partly because of the huge diaspora community that now resides down under and has immense compassion for the old country. Whatever the case, Australians have proved time and again to be most benevolent.

From the first volunteer, Jillian Ray, who came with AusAid in September 2004 and stayed with the Foundation until September 2005 to help rebuild the village after the Tsunami, the energy and commitment of the Aussies has been of huge importance to the work happening in Seenigama to uplift rural communities.

Many individuals, companies and charities came forward from all over Australia to give their support for the rebuilding of lives, including Victoria Government, cricketing greats Steve Waugh and Shane Warne, Cricket New South Wales, Western Australia Cricket Association, Harry Solomons, Knox Food and the Cruse family, to name but a few. Support continues to come from down under, from the likes of the Australian Sport Commission and Planet Wheeler Foundation. Individuals too are still active in their support- Kathy Cruse is showing the extent of her compassion once again this year, as she attempts the climb of her life, up Mt Kilimanjaro, in support of the Foundation of Goodness and HeartKids Victoria.

http://www.everydayhero.com.au

One of our biggest supporters has been the Victoria Government. Thanks to their support, Seenigama has a fantastic new housing scheme, Victoria Gardens (VGS), which provides homes to families who lived within 100m of the beach and so lost everything in the waves. The scheme comprises of 84 double story duplex homes complete with modern amenities, essential household items, running water, electricity, reticulated sewerage, underground drainage, paved roads, a community centre, a children’s playground and much more.



Construction on the project commenced in May 2006 and, despite heavy rainfall delaying progress, it was completed, with residents moving into their new homes in November 2007.

On 25th April 2009, the lengthy process of signing over of the houses to their inhabitants was completed with a ceremony to pass on the deeds. The residents now hold ownership of their homes, the only stipulation being that they can not be sold on for 5 years.

The ceremony was presided over by Mr. Leo Van de Toorren, Director of Security and Emergencies, Department of Premier and Cabinet, Victoria Government. Following a traditional welcome and lighting of the ceremonial oil lamp, Mr Van de Toorren and Kushil Gunasekera handed over 84 deeds to the gathered residents.

This housing complex has received international interest, not least from RMIT University, Melbourne.  Martin Mulligan has been researching community involvement and the impact of Tsunami rebuilding work in Sri Lanka and around the world since early 2005. His reflections on his time in Seenigama with the Foundation of Goodness can be found at here.

With his findings that “the more I look into it the more impressed I have become with what FoG has been able to achieve”, Martin and his team of researchers are committed to further investigation into what makes the Foundation of Goodness work as well as it does. To this end, the Globalism Research Centre, RMIT university has entered into a historic MOU with the Foundation – the first time the university has entered such an agreement with a charitable organisation.

The MOU sets out the aims of

This is a great opportunity for the Foundation of Goodness to develop a self-reflection that can only help to improve what has already been achieved, bringing maximum benefit to local people while also taking the learning from Seenigama to partners and projects all over the world.

Of course, without financial support, the learning and achievements to date will be lost. And so it is with absolute gratitude that we acknowledge our current Australian sustainability sponsors, Australian Sports Commission and Planet Wheeler Foundation.

The former is supporting, for 2009, the development of cricket and life skills through sports in the region.

The Planet Wheeler Foundation provides an innovative approach to funding which is flexible and responsive to developments on the ground. This approach has set them apart as one of the most rewarding partnerships for the Foundation of Goodness. Support and advice from the Trustees and staff add to the value of the relationship, while direct sponsorship for key sectors  ensures sustainability of essential facilities including

We would like to thank PWF and ASC for their help and support, and wish the organisations, staff and trustees every success and much continuing prosperity into the future.

Kushil, founder and trustee of the Foundation of Goodness, is extremely delighted at the fact that a prestigious research university such as the renowned RMIT has endorsed our project as being the best post-Tsunami development model. He explains that “ Australians have played such a huge role by way of donors, volunteers and well-wishers, so much so that people have often enquired of this special relationship. At the end, it is all about hard work, doing good in a manner to benefit humanity most compassionately”

2009.06.01