15th June 2009

Children celebrated Poson Full Moon Day  in June thus year in a wonderful display of creativity and thoughtfulness in an art exhibition of posters with special messages of goodwill to remind everyone of the importance of putting others first and helping those in need before oneself. These messages have been relayed throughout this article, to spread the word far and wide.

The Children's Goodness Clubs were set up by the Foundation of Goodness to inculcate social responsibility and compassion in children and young people, teaching positive values through productive activities. Set up before the Tsunami by Founder and Trustee Kushil Gunasekera, the group was very active, with 40 older children doing their bit to elevate the rural communities in which they lived, supported by Sampath Viraj, Seenigama FoG Manager. The children are the future and can learn to change their ways in order to enrich humanity, while older members of the community can be stuck in their ways and resistant to changing for the better.

After the Tsunami hit the village, the Club disbanded for a while as more immediate demands took people's attention- food, shelter and cleaning-up became the focus of village life for many months. But with the help of volunteer and humanitarian activist Rashmini, who led the Children's Committee during the re-building phase, the clubs were set up again and now form the heart and soul of community life, and a focus for a bright future.

“Who fears to suffer suffers from fear”

Today, nearly 150 children from three villages come together every month in their own clubs to plan events and discuss important issues affecting the community. Coordinated by Champa (Seenigama), Niluka (Udumulla Village Heartbeat Project) and Sujeewa (Werallana), the groups are popular with all ages, and with parents who testify to the positive attributes the members are displaying, at home and in the wider community. To further add to the skills of the children, attendence at English Classes provided by the Foundation of Goodness free of cost will be made compulsory from next month, as it is absolutely vital to their future and they will never be able to go forward without the ability to communicate confidently in the language of business.

As Fazana Ibrahim, sector manager for Children's Goodness Clubs told the children “Our lives are worth not only our educational qualifications but mostly our human moral qualities and then we need the command of English language, finally the knowledge of Computers. It is useless if we have all the qualifications and empty human values within ourselves”.

“The knowledge we acquire from the teacher can never be repaid”

Over the last six months there have been many examples of events that the children have organised to learn and to help others, showing compassion, good attitude and kindness. Alongside these special events children are encouraged to live every day with an attitude of kindness, and all members keep a daily Goodness Journal where they record the nice things they have done to help others, thus encouraging self-reflection and inspiring themselves to do even more the next day.

In January, the children of Seenigama CGC held a mal dansala at the Seenigama Devol Temple, providing flowers for the poya day devotees, in a special ceremony to wish blessings on the military forces.

In February, the Seenigama Children's Goodness Club children took part in Independence Day celebrations with the Rebuilding Lives Psychosocial Support Team and carried out a cleanup of Seenigama beach, while also learning about the importance of good waste management and individual responsibility for village cleanliness and the global environment.

“We should work towards the development of others more than our own”

In the same month, the Udumulla Village Heartbeat Project children held a beautiful handicraft show, including drama, dancing and exhibition of artistic creations made by the children. The event was enhanced by special guest Renu, of Rythm Foundation, who raised her voice in song to the great awe of children and parents alike.

In March the children held a Sunday Market, for which they brought produce from their home gardens (some of which have been set up with support from the Environment Management team to help give families sustainable sources of food), or from the jungle, where edible leaves and roots grow wild. In the past these markets have been a way for the children to fund their community aid work, while teaching self-reliance and enterprise, ingenuity and communication skills.

“we should respect and have gratitude for the people who we see everyday like we do for an unseen god”

In March the Seenigama Children's Goodness Club also visited the Wellewatta Elder's Home, where children and parents cooked produce that they had brought with them, providng a meal, and donations of essentials such as toothpaste, slippers and medicines to the residents who rely on alms giving for their well-being and comfort, being without family to support them. After the meal the residents joined children in a singsong that brought smiles all round. This visit has inspired the Foundation of Goodness Medical Centre to do what it can to also help these elders, and a special Medicare programme is due to take place later in June 2009.

In April the children joined in the annual event to celebrate New Year with the Asia International School INTERACT club to spread understanding and build friendships while learning and celebrating Sinhala traditions and customs that many in the city have forgotten.

May saw the Seenigama Children's Goodness Club celebrating Wesak with a Bodi Puja and mal dansala at the village temple, and giving of alms to the elders home in Wellawatta, including tea and sandwiches.

“We should be able to stand up and give our seat for the elderly, infirm or disabled”

In June the religious ceremonies continued, with an unusual celebration of Poson with a poster exhibition to encourage reflection on the important things in life. Beautiful artwork now adorns the walls of the Foundation of Goodness MCC Centre of Excellence, giving inspiring words of wisdom that are translated throughout this article. In addition, the 47 children who took part  were presented with bank books and a small prize, which will grow in their new account until they are able to access their funds when they reach 18yrs old. To encourage financial planning and saving from a young age is crucial for rural youngsters for whom financial issues are likely to rear large in their lives, and without careful spending families can run into great difficulty.

“We are like flowers in the world.
Let us care for the elderly”

This has been an outstanding six months of activities, showing the compassion and good nature of the young people of the villages who remember the traditional values that underpin the close-nit communities where the ability to help one-another is central to survival, social standing and future well-being in this life and also the next.

Kushil is a great supporter of the Children's Goodness Clubs, and often joins the children at meetings to inspire them, which he always does through example, having gifted his ancestral property to the village and giving up his business to dedicate himself full time the Foundation of Goodness. He says he is able to overcome many obstacles because of his tolerant and compassionate attitude, and the generosity of those who help and support the Foundation of Goodness to uplift the lives of rural children and youth so that they may excel in life in whatever paths they choose, based on principles that will not fail them, whatever the challenges they face in their lives.

The Children's Goodness Club moto:
“Do Good, Be Good”

2009.06.15