The Seenigama Diving & Training Centre was opened in August 2008 to provide skills training and new opportunities for the youth of the area who had previously made their living by skin diving to mine coral for the quicklime industry.
After the tsunami, research showed that in areas where the coral had been mined the destruction of the waves were much worse than in areas where intact coral reefs had reduce the momentum of the incoming sea. This research led to a banning of coral mining, and led to whole communities losing their traditional livelihoods. This particularly impacted on the youth of the coastal villages, especially in Seenigama where skin diving skills had been passed down from father to son over generations so that today it is almost an innate ability.
To harness these local skills and to provide new opportunities for the youth of the region, The Foundation of Goodness was able to open the Seenigama Diving & Training Centre thanks to the support of International Youth Foundation, USA and Nokia and more recently, the Planet Wheeler Foundation. The Centre provides professional diving training, delivered by experienced professional diver Mr. Sahabandu and supported by Mr S.H. Athula and Mr. Manjula Kumara. Students are trained in the Professional Diving Class III Course and Underwater Welding & Cutting training, First Aid and English tuition.
The students receive these courses free of cost, and are encouraged to give back to help others through a programme of community work. This has included environmental clean-ups, particularly along the beach and at Seenigama Devol Temple.
We are very happy to be able to report that 39 students have graduated as professional technical divers, with expertise in underwater welding and cutting and that 17 of these graduates have found employment for companies such as Hyundai, Ocean Technical Divers and Penguin. Average salaries are around US$500 per month, which is really amazing as well.
One particular success story is L. Nishanthe Kumara, a hard working and bright young man who stood out as one of the strongest students of the first batch at the Seenigama Diving Centre, which he joined in August 2008. He has been employed by the Maritime Archaeology Unit in Galle, having graduated from University as a Marine Archaeologist and then completing his diving course in Seenigama.
Nishanthe expresses his gratitude for the support he has received from the Foundation of Goodness:
“I believe that you'll be able to recollect me. I'm Nishantha who was selected to the university as the first student from your scholarship programme. I'm writing this letter to inform you that I have been selected to work as a research officer at Maritime Archaeology Unit at Galle.
After my father's death, I had to face a lot of financial difficulties in my further studies. Without any hesitation, you came forward to help me, until I completed the degree successfully. Futhermore, you gave me the opportunity to follow a Professional Diving Course conducted by Seenigama Diving Training Centre.
For selecting to this post not only my educational level but also my diving skill was very helpful.
Really I am happy to say that we are fortunate to have such an organization which offers various services to the welfare of the people in our area.
I would like to pay my heartiest gratitude to you, all the other staff members of the Foundation of Goodness and the Diving Training Centre for helping me.”
This is a unique training centre which is able to build up a team of qualified divers as a resource for the development of this country. As such, Dive Seenigama Lanka, a subsidiary company run by stakeholders from the Training Centre, can bid for diving contracts in Sri Lanka and internationally. This provides great opportunities for the students as well as a strategy for financial sustainability for the Foundation of Goodness, which currently has 20,000 beneficiaries a year from 25+ villages in the region using services and facilities that are provided free of cost to all. In addition, it is hoped that the Seenigama Diving & Training Centre will be able to tap into local tourism by offering diving training and boat trips to visitors.
Kushil is greatly optimistic about the future of rural children and youth. ‘The skills and talent are amazing’ he says ‘and I have seen so many examples of these village youth excelling given the right exposure and guidance. So often, rural youth are left behind compared to their more affluent urban counterparts because the facilities and support they need to recognise and develop their talents are not available. But we strive to bridge this gap through our work at the Foundation of Goodness and these diving school students are proof of the great things that can be achieved with the good intentions and hard work of all involved, including these students who show great commitment to their field and a professional attitude that will do them well in the future.”
“Greatness is not discovered in positions, power, or possessions but in goodness, humility and service to fellowmen”
2009.10.19 |
