WE HAVE STRONG LINKS WITH SCHOOLS BOTH SECONDARY AND PRIMARY WHO SUPPORT US WITH FUNDRAISING
Engaging with schools and preschools in Sri Lanka can be a life-changing experience. Post tsunami students were learning under trees, in temporary huts, in the mid-day sun and anywhere that learning could place. 20 years on, not all rural schools have the resources taken for granted in the UK. Yet the welcome and warmth they show towards anyone who cares to visit them can be very moving. Seeing how thirsty the young people in SL were for friendship and knowing that most of them will never get a chance to travel abroad, the concept of bringing young people together and taking UK to Sri Lanka was born.
Secondary Schools
Below are a few examples of secondary schools supporting Ocean Stars:
Calthorpe Park School in Fleet, Hampshire has been working in Partnership with Ocean Stars Trust since 2013 so we are celebrating over 10 years of working together!!
Over 150 students have visited Sri Lanka with Ocean Stars. The fundraising efforts of the students have transformed the lives of thousands of students in rural Sri Lanka over the years. Navalady School in the eastern province has benefitted from a whole Samba Band kit, a new music room, a laptop as well as visits from UK students.
The Sri Lanka students look forward to October every year when the Calthorpe Park Students visit. We would like to thank Mr Kevan John the Headteacher for his continued support for Ocean Stars and Mr Ross Walker, Head of Music and trip leader.
Calthorpe Park School visits Sri Lanka each year with 15 -20 students who fundraise for the previous 18 months. This fundraising pays for the trip as well as items which are taken to the preschool to enhance their lives. Many times these activities build on previous visits.
- At the deaf link school, they gifted two ten-person tents so that the scouts at the school could join in camping activities. They also gifted a box of musical instruments to our Ocean Stars Lanka staff so that they can take it to preschools they visit and do musical activities with the students.
- The team from 2023 built a new preschool in the remote village of Ammankulam and this year's team funded a playground
- The students also donated tables and chairs so that children who attend this preschool no longer have to work on the floor.
The students always comment on how seeing the impact of their fundraising was beyond anything they had thought possible.
To see the 2024 visit click here.
After each visit when it is time to leave the tears from both sides tell their own story. For the Sri Lankan students, they have experienced a different style of learning which is more interactive using resources they would normally not have access to. They form unforgettable friendships which the students will always treasure. The UK teachers get to know the SL students and colleagues as they visit each year and share their stories. The smiles and joy on the SL student's faces provide a warm welcome wherever they go. The SL students value everything that is given to them. UK students begin to feel how lucky they are when they see students who don't have shoes for school or are wearing shoes that are falling apart." They have so little but give us so much" is a constant reflection from students who go on our cultural links programmes.
Schools together on exchangeThe Headteachers of the schools in Sri Lanka talk about how the cultural exchange improves the mental health and well-being of Sri Lankan students. Having a boost of feel-good interactions for a week leaves the SL students motivated and eager to continue with their own learning. UK Headteachers also comment on how the students develop their leadership skills and awareness of being global citizens.
The Royal Hospital School in Holbrook, Ipswich is linked with Vigneshwara Maha Vidyalaya in Mandoor. Students from SL and the UK have exchanged messages and written letters to each other.
Royal Hospital School donated funds to build a Smart Classroom for the students of Vigneshwara Maha Vidyalaya.
The Smart classroom was opened in April 2022 by John and Dilanee from Ocean Stars during their first visit to Sri Lanka after the pandemic.
The classroom is used daily and is booked out for every lesson during the day. Students come in early and stay after school so they can work in the Smart Classroom and have access to up-to-date information by using the Internet. Thanks to their generosity the SL students now have access to a world of technology and are able to access a high-quality education with access to a Smart Board and the internet
Over a thousand students have benefited from the Smart Classroom and we thank Royal Hospital School for transforming the lives of so many students. Having a Smart classroom in a secondary school in rural Sri Lanka is unprecedented and groundbreaking.
Primary Schools
10 Preschools here in the UK are currently linked to 10 Preschools in Sri Lanka supported by Ocean Stars Trust. Children send pictures, letters etc. on a regular basis as well as fundraise for their 'linked' Preschool. These links help the children build on their awareness of other cultures as well as developing empathy for those less fortunate than themselves.
The playgroups also send resources including stationery and pencils as well as gifts to the wider community such as soap, toothpaste and clothes, all of which are delivered during the annual visits.
Below area couple of examples of how the primary schools make a difference:
Dogmersfield is linked with Sri Murugan Preschool - one of the 30 preschools supported by Ocean Stars Trust.
In 2024 they had a Sri Lanka week where the students spent the week learning about Sri Lanka. The week was launched with an assembly where students came dressed in the colours of the Sri Lanka flag. The teachers wore sarees and sarongs for the day and a traditional lamp was lit to mark the beginning of Sri Lanka week.
During the week the students read Sri Lankan stories, sampled Sri Lankan food, did craft activities, and learnt about Sri Lanka dance and music. The children learnt greetings and numbers 1-10 in Sinhalese and Tamil - the main languages of Sri Lanka.
School created Rangoli Patterns using crayons and coloured rice and displayed them in the classrooms. Rangoli represents happiness, positivity and liveliness of a household and is intended to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and good luck.
Traditionally, Rangoli is an art of decoration drawn on the floor or the entrances of homes. It is thought to bring good luck and prosperity to the house and in the family and to welcome guests. Some mothers in India do this activity every morning or on a special festive occasion like Diwali, Onam, and Pongal.
The children also made Batik patterns on fabric. Batik uses wax-resistant dyes and is applied to cloth. Batik is very popular in Sri Lanka and lots of different types of clothing are made from Batik.
The students also researched facts about Sri Lankan animals and food. Some classes cooked milk rice and lentils.
The week ended with a whole school assembly where each class presented the work they had done on Sri Lanka to the whole family. At the end of the day parents were invited to have a look at all the Sri Lanka work done by the students.
The school also fundraised and in July 2024 presented the preschool in Sri Lanka with a bench for their grounds.
A huge thank you to the Headteacher, Mrs Nicholass, the staff, students and parents of Dogmersfield Primary School for bringing Sri Lanka to Dogmersfield and continuing to support us.
Heatherside Infant School in Fleet has been linked with Ampilanthurai preschool for 15 years.
The children in the UK have raised money for a new playground, for uniforms for the school children and regularly exchange drawings from the children.
Crookham Junior School raised money for a tap for Pattipalai Preschool. The UK students learn that not all children have access to drinking water and play areas and the Sri Lankan students' lives are transformed by these links. School resources are often sent out to Sri Lanka and many students in SL have had hours of fun playing with parachutes.
If you would like to have a cultural link with a school in Sri Lanka then please contact us at oceanstarstrust@gmail.com.