Graveyard to Schoolyard…

The children of the remote village of Malhewa, Bible did not have a pre-school. The villagers therefore decided to run a pre-school in the community hall of the village cemetery. There was however one little snag. Whenever there was a funeral, the school had to be closed.

Today with the opening of 40th ‘Piyawara’ pre-school in Malhewa, Bibile these children now have a proper pre-school consisting of two classrooms, toilets, tap water, educational material and a well-equipped play area. At present there are 29 children. The number will increase to 50 next year with the increasing demand.

Two qualified pre-school teachers, Premawathie and Kusumawathie, manage the school with great enthusiasm. Both of them have undergone training organised by the Hemas Outreach Foundation and will continue to receive more training in the near future. This pre-school will be monitored by the officers of the Ministry of Child Development.

The school was donated by Der Touristik Germany through its partner Fly and Help Germany. Chief Guest at the opening was Mr. Andreas Museler, Sustainability Manager, Der Touristik Germany. Trustees of the Hemas Outreach Foundation along with Project Ambassador Mr. Roshan Mahanama attended the ceremony.