Lankahelp pays the salaries of 85 Indian Tamil teachers, assistants and trainee teachers at various schools in the districts of Batticaloa, Badulla, Monaragala and Kegalle (as of March 2024). There is a shortage of teachers at Tamil schools in the mountainous region, particularly in English, math and science.
With the help of scholarships, Lankahelp helps to train Tamil teachers.
Due to the economic crisis in the country, many parents are forced to work abroad. The children are left with their grandparents, who are often overwhelmed. Many grandparents do not always send their grandchildren to school. Since the grandparents themselves have never left their village, they usually see no point in attending school.
The more remote a village is, the more difficult it is for teachers to motivate children to attend school. Quite a few children drop out of school after the third grade. According to school administrators, more and more children (as was the case about 30 years ago) are being sent to Colombo to work as maids and servants for families there.
Lankahelp is strongly committed to improving school education in rural areas. Many children live in remote villages and have a long, often arduous journey to school. To enable them to attend classes regularly, Lankahelp covers the costs of student accommodation (hostels) or provides financial support for travel expenses.
In addition, Lankahelp supports the expansion of school infrastructure: additional school buildings have been constructed to relieve overcrowded classrooms, and teacher accommodation has been built to retain qualified teaching staff in remote areas.
Another focus is on providing children with one warm meal a day. In particularly needy regions, where many families can only offer their children one meal a day, Lankahelp provides a nutritious lunch at school – a valuable support for the health, concentration and learning ability of the schoolchildren.
New sports hall for more exercise and protection – an important milestone – opening in 2025
Thanks to Lankahelp, a much-needed toilet block for girls has already been built at this school – a first step towards improving sanitary conditions on site.
Another major problem was physical education: during the rainy season and when there were strong winds – which are frequent and severe in this region – it was not possible to hold regular physical education classes outdoors. For a long time, the pupils had to go without physical education.
Thanks to a lucky coincidence and the generous support of a foundation from Liechtenstein, construction of a sports hall began in 2023. The project was successfully completed at the end of 2024 – a significant step forward for everyday school life and the physical development of the children.
During our visit from March to May 2025, the new sports hall was officially inaugurated in the presence of important representatives of the school authorities. The opening marks not only the end of a construction project, but also the beginning of new opportunities for sports promotion and community activities.
Visit in 2025 Although all of the schools we support are run with great dedication, this school stands out in particular. The headmaster welcomes us warmly and proudly shows us around the grounds. Despite the holiday season, almost all of the schoolchildren are present – they are studying for exams or actively helping to expand (…) Read More
