Dilanee in Sri Lanka
Chris Booth :: Monday 17th July 2023 :: This Story
Dilanee, our Head of Operations, is currently in Sri Lanka on a monitoring visit and to attend our annual residential teacher training.
On her first full day in Sri Lanka, Dilanee visited Yatiyanthota preschool. Ocean Stars was approached in 2015 and asked if we would fund the building of a preschool classroom within the compound of St Peters Methodist Church as they felt the need for a preschool in the community. OST obtained funding to help with the preschool building and St Peters Preschool opened in 2016 with an intake of 12 children. Today they have 51 children registered and a long waiting list!
The children come from nearby rubber estates and some of them have journeys of over an hour to get to preschool. The families live in basic housing built by the British and are called the lines. The parents are very grateful to all that Ocean Stars does to help their children access a high-quality Early Years Programme.
During Dilanee's visit, the children listened to a story, sang songs and played team games. A drink of Milo and a biscuit provided everyone with a break from the heat, noise and excitement!!
The students are looking forward to October 2023 when a team of UK volunteers will be visiting them again with a morning of fun-filled activities!
