Report on charity’s vital work to improve the lives of poor families in Sri Lanka
Kingsley Healthcare founders Daya and Sumi Thayan witnessed the devastation of the tsunami on Boxing Day 2004 while they were staying at the Sri Lankan resort of Bentota. Responding to the disaster, which resulted in 60,000 people being declared dead on the island with many more unaccounted for, they set up the Lotus Foundation in February 2005, a registered UK charity to support those affected. The charity has gone on to improve the lives of children and displaced families, providing much needed community relief in the south, west, north and east of Sri Lanka. We have helped several thousands of families over the last 14 years. In 2014, the government opened up access to the north and east of Sri Lanka.
As Daya and his family originated from Point Pedro, in the north of Sri Lanka, it was always his plan to set up a foundation there, dedicated to his parents. The new charity, linked to the Lotus Foundation, came to fruition in 2014 when they built a purpose built facility in their family ancestral land. The Objectives of the Lotus Foundation Promoting and protecting the physical and mental health of orphaned children in Sri Lanka.
To advance their education by providing and assisting in the provision of educational facilities and equipment. To promote, develop and maintain educational courses for selected students in the area from under-privileged homes for furtherance of their educational pursuits and to grant scholarships for further education. To organise healthcare programmes, social welfare programmes and community support programmes. To promote, develop and facilitate the growth of public relations and dissemination and propagation of views, ideas and beliefs of people.
Lotus Foundation annual report - 2018 Projects in the North of Sri Lanka Support for single parent families Many women struggling to support families on their own have approached the foundation and requested financial assistance for their children’s education study materials and additional class expenses. Some of the youngsters lost their parents as a result of the civil war that ended in 2009; others have suffered the loss of a parent from illnesses such as cancer or kidney disease. The charity has supported families according to economic need, covering the cost of tuition and study materials. This has led to a significant uplift in attainment levels at GCE O level and GCE A level.
All the families appreciate our support and give the foundation regular updates on their children’s progress; meanwhile, the young people themselves have benefited from an improved learning environment. Heartening success stories include one girl whose mother and father are both disabled; she obtained A grades in all nine of her O levels and went on to study commerce in her A level studies. She and her family continue to show their appreciation for the foundation’s support. We support over 300 children and younger adults. University student allowances Many families struggling with day-to-day finances do not have sufficient means to support sons or daughters through university.
In such cases, the foundation awards scholarships to cover some of the expenses. Many students appreciate our support and are only able to complete their university course thanks to a monthly allowance from the foundation. One example is a girl whose parents are both sick with no means of supporting her – thanks to the scholarship she was able to buy all the study materials she needed to finish university.
Funding meals for children and pensioners in a home supported by charity We support vulnerable pensioners, children and their immediate families who live in the home in the Alvai and Nelliayaddy area. The children are orphans or come from poor single parent families and are admitted to the home so they can focus on their studies. We also offer monthly distribution of food to less well-off families. The home relys on charity support and the foundation provides funding to help with the cost of meals, clothing, medical and other supplies. The home appreciates our foundation and we receive regular invites to its cultural events and functions; there is close contact between the home and foundation officials.
Click here to download full report
Source: Lotus Children Foundation Annual Report 2018
