The kindergarten in Sri Lanka is called preschool. During this time children already learn math, writing and reading in tamil, singhalese and english. These are very different styles of language.
Attending preschool is not govermentaly funded and must be paid solely by the parents. For many parents it is not possible to raise the funds, therefore will those children already be disadvantaged by reaching primary school. Lanka-Help wants to provide a better schoolstart for those children.
Lankahelp has been supporting kindergartens in Monaragala, the largest town in the province of Uva with a population of around 46,000, since July 2015. In the beginning there were two kindergartens. Lankahelp now supports 10 kindergartens in Monaragala and one kindergarten each in Koslanda, Nagastenna and Ampitikanda. Between 300 and 350 children attend these kindergartens.
Lankahelp pays the teachers salaries and all running costs such as paper, coloured pencils, annual excursions, gifts for various festivals such as Children’s Day, Christmas and Sri Lanka New Year (which is celebrated in April). The cost of building a playground for each kindergarten was also covered by Lankahelp.
The parents of the kindergarten children are mostly workers and have to leave the house at around 4.30 am and only get home at around 4.00 pm. As the children don’t have anything to eat for most of the day, Lanka Help was asked to cover the cost of the food for these children. Some of the food is cooked and distributed by mothers or cooks. Lankahelp has agreed to cover these costs for the kindergartens.
The kindergarten in Kimbissa is Lanka-Help’s first project. We built this kindergarten and a playground back in 1990. In the meantime, the kindergarten has been enlarged and new furniture has been built.
In addition to the electricity and all repair costs, Lanka-Help also covers the wages of the two teachers, as well as all running costs such as paper, coloured pencils, annual excursions, gifts for various celebrations such as Children’s Day, Christmas and Sri Lanka New Year (which is celebrated in April).
We also pay for the children’s transport to and from school in a shared taxi. Currently 18 children attend this school.
Regular communication with our kindergartens – familiarity builds trust
During our stay in Sri Lanka, we naturally visited all 14 kindergartens supported by Lankahelp. These visits are very important for the teachers: they provide an opportunity for personal discussions, during which we can exchange ideas about current challenges, needs, and wishes. At the same time, we gain direct insight into everyday teaching and can witness and appreciate the work of the teachers on site.
Several principals of secondary state schools told us that children who come from one of “our” kindergartens are better prepared and noticeably healthier than many of their classmates when they enter first grade. This is a clear sign of how effective early childhood education and healthy nutrition are, starting at preschool age.
Our teachers are highly regarded among their colleagues in state schools – not least because their salaries are secure and always paid on time, which is unfortunately not always a given in the public system. This respect motivates and strengthens the professionals in their daily work – a valuable contribution to the long-term quality of early childhood education.
– a great community experience At the end of May 2025, two teachers, Mrs Sugawathy and Mrs Wasugi, took the initiative to organise a clean-up day with the children from the nursery school – just as they had done several years ago. The children participated in the activity with great enthusiasm and dedication. They were (…) Read More
