During our visit last year to Saraswathi School in Monaragala, the parents, pupils and teachers were constructing a new school building. We want to show you the extension to the school building, which was built by everyone working together.
During our visit at the time, the building was not yet completely finished, as there were insufficient funds for window panes and external doors. We spontaneously decided, therefore, to cover the remaining CHF 350.
May 2026: The school building is now complete and can be used by children and teachers.
We visited all the schools we have sponsored or supported. It became clear that in many places there is a shortage of everything – Tamil teachers, infrastructure, school materials and even paper.
Saraswathi Warwick Garden, Boragas
Plans were in place to build an assembly hall at this school. However, due to the devastating impact of Cyclone Ditwah, the project could not be implemented. The entire village was destroyed and, as a result, the whole area was declared a Red Zone, meaning that no new buildings are allowed anymore. The population has been resettled and will not return to the original location. This means the project cannot go ahead.
Cyclone Ditwah disrupts school operations
Cyclone Ditwah caused damage, in some cases severe, to many schools. Some schools had to be closed due to the destruction. Other school buildings can now only be used when the weather is good. In case of rain or strong winds, pupils have to leave the buildings and be accommodated in other locations where enough space is still available for lessons. This makes everyday school life very difficult and undermines the education of many children.