From the South Tsunami rebuilding to the North reconciliation from the Foundation of Goodness

“Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the souls you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can, as long as ever you can” - John Wesley
From a dream in one’s heart and small beginnings, the Foundation of Goodness (FOG) has spread its wings and soared high since its inception in 1999.  It was FOG’s Founder and Chief Trustee, Kushil Gunasekara’s vision to bridge the gaps between and city and village and unleash the true potential that was within those who dwelled into the rural parts of Sri Lanka.
His aspirations were realized with the establishment of FOG in Kushil’s ancestral village – Seenigama where it initiated its operations with a simple start, providing assistance for village children and youth through English, computer classes and sports training. As the venture systematically grew, measures were also made to elevate the living standards of villagers through the supply of water, sanitation and electricity supply and a simple medical clinic.
The venture soon flourished and attracted the support of many kind supporters and donors of the likes of legendary cricketer Muthiah Muralidaran whose help has been absolutely extraordinary. But all the hard work and dedication dropped to ground zero when the Tsunami devastation stuck in 2004. What Kushil nurtured and cared for, washed away in a matter of moments by the angry waves. A survivor of the Tsunami himself, that fateful day, Kushil made a resolution to rebuild what was lost and bring better days to the villagers of Seenigama.
The restart was slow and tough. It started out with the daily distribution of rations and essential goods and soon moved into the systematic maintenance of a camp comprising of about 750 people. Eventually, while the traumatized souls healed, measures were made to resettle the displaced, provide welfare facilities for children and introduce livelihood schemes.
Upon the ruins of the Tsunami, Kushil built a heartbeat center in the village of Seenigama where he revived the lives of many traumatized by the tragedy. Funded by the Marylebone Cricket Club, the MCC Centre of Excellence was established through which the villagers of Seenigama benefitted on a large scope.

MCC Centre of Excellence - Services

Through the Centre of Excellence, the villagers were provided medical, dental and psycho social services free of charge. The village women who were unemployed were encouraged into initiate self-employment schemes by training them in fields such as curtain making, beauty culture and hair dressing, dress making and patch work, beeralu lace weaving, cookery and bakery.
Gradually, various other training courses were also introduced for the village youth on business skills, English and Tamil languages, electrical home wiring, photography as well as mathematics. The ‘Children's Goodness Club’ – a venture, which has woven its operations around the theme ‘Be good and do good’, through meetings and activities has inculcated thoughts on the importance of community service and leadership building in its members. The pre-schools at the Foundation also houses kindergarteners in both upper kg and lower kg.
FOG is also home to an IT skills centre in which graphic design, web design, Microsoft office, software development and kids’ courses are offered to both children and youth. Bringing the fruits of development into the village, FOG has employed the village youth in a BPO venture involving InfoMate and ArtBanc.
Sports sector development and achievements


Through the blessings of kind donors, FOG has provided the Bryan Adams swimming pool, a fully fledged fitness center and two cricket grounds to Seenigama - Seenigama Surrey grounds and Sri Sumangala College MCC.

In addition, the children are also provided training in a range of other sports including netball, swimming, volleyball, karate, chess, fitness training, life skills and cricket for both genders. Many children have benefitted through the sports training programmes initiated by MCC and have displayed their talents locally and represented Sri Lanka internationally.
Among some such achievements are:

• Pulina Tharanga – Is a member of the Under 19 national cricket team. He represented Sri Lanka last year at an Indian tour and is at present, a member of the World Cup Squad
• Tharindu Kaushal – A member of the under 19 cricket team and toured India last year as well. He is also at present included in the World Cup Squad

• Yashodha Avanthika Mendis – She is at present a team member of National ladies cricket team and toured Bangladesh in 2011

• Neranja Madushani – A member of the under 19 netball team and represented Sri Lanka in international tournaments held in Malaysia (2010) and Australia (2011)
• Nishadi Dilrukshi    - Under 19 netball team member and toured Malaysia in 2011 for an international championship

• D. Lakruwan Wijesiri – A commendable swimming and became the overall champion at the Hambantota Triathlon 2011

• K.G.G. Dilanjali – An award winning swimming champion and was the overall winner of the 6 mile Kinross Sea Swim for three consecutive years (2009, 2010, 2011)

• Manuja – A girl who lost three sisters and a nephew on the fateful day of Tsunami, never gave up her dream to become a diver. This adversity only motivated her more to pursue her dream. She dives 42 meters deep and her future ambition is to be a Diving Trainer and she plays for the ladies cricket team too. (graduated as the first village girl in diving – June 2010)

Meaningful livelihood ventures
Following the Tsunami devastation it was identified that the villagers’ livelihood scheme – coral plucking, was among the reasons, which led Seenigama and its surrounding villages to be worst affected by the waves. Therefore, FOG initiated a Diving and training centre through which they encouraged the villagers to seek other economically benefitting livelihood schemes. The center provided training on under water drilling and welding and the trained divers provided their assistance to help clean the sea bed. 19-year-old L. H. Manuja was the 1st girl to train as a diver and her skill level includes the ability to dive 42 meters deep. She is a Tsunami survivor and lost three sisters and a nephew from the devastation.
The training has proven to be 100% successful as the trainees have enrolled in well-paid jobs as lifeguards and in harbor construction related jobs and continue to support their families.
Moreover, in addition to the self-employment training courses offered to the women, FOG has also initiated a micro financing project for women. The project which was launched in January 2011 has proven to be a massive success and owing to its progress, FOG plans to continue the project in the South, in a wider scale.
FOG in the North
Extending its services to the conflict-worn communities, FOG initiated a project in Mankulam – a village located in the North. A range of extensive welfare programmes have been carried out where special focus has been provided to the wellbeing of the children. The spin wizard Muthiah Muralidaran is the brand ambassador for the North development and rebuilding of lives initiative whose effort to campaign worldwide for the cause is hugely admirable.
Among the far-reaching work carried out by the FOG in North are the:
           

• Distribution of essential school packs to 2500 children

• Distribution of 1150 bicycles

• Distribution of essential home items

• Initiation of livelihood ventures and sports and IT courses

In a swift move of goodwill, renowned Sri Lankan cricketer Mahela Jayawardena joined hands FOG to donate cricket equipment each worth Rs. 330, 000 to 10 schools from East and North and also conducted a cricket coaching programme for the children in those areas as well. All these accomplishments were made within the period of one year with the blessing and kind donation of many kind hearts and the dedication and hard work of Kushil and his team at FOG.
Moreover, plans are underway to establish the North Empowerment Project - 50 acre site that will consist of a ‘Learning & Empowerment’ Institute and a new School for both primary and secondary education. The project is set to provide facilities and services to meet the needs of rural communities and serve approximately 50,000 beneficiaries annually. The facilities that will be provided through the project will cater to the needs of healthcare, education, business development, sports and empowerment needs of the locals through programmes initiated on community development, inter-cultural activities and skills exchange. FOG also plans to introduce the successful micro financing project for beneficiaries in the North as well.
FOG has healed the wounded hearts of many and touched the lives of thousands from the North to the East. At present it reaches out to 25,000 families in some 45 villages in the South and over 5000 families in the North and through its activities will continue to enrich more lives in the days to come. . .
The board of trustees of the Foundation of Goodness are Kushil Gunasekera, Muthiah Muralidaran, Ashan Malalasekera, Rohan Iriyagolla, Chaminda Vaas and Kumar Sangakkara.

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit"

03.01.2012