Ammankulam preschool

Naomi Booth :: Friday 4th August 2023 :: This Story

Originally in a very remote village location in an area roamed by elephants, which used to destroy the building frequently. A local gentleman, Mr Daniel, donated land to build a new preschool for the children of his village. Funding had been provided for a new preschool for Ammankulam, but this covered just the foundation and an appeal was made to Ocean Stars for help in completing the building so that the children of the preschool could access their Early Years education in a safe and secure building.

The students of Calthorpe Park School have been busy fundraising for Ocean Stars ahead of their trip to Sri Lanka in October 2023.  Some of their funds went towards completing the preschool building and Dilanee attended the opening ceremony during her recent visit. The village community, local government staff, parents and the preschool staff were all very grateful to Ocean Stars and Calthorpe Park School for making their dream of a new preschool possible. It was a very happy and special day for everyone!

When moving into a new house, or new building as was the case with Ammankulam Preschool, Hindu tradition involves boiling milk on a new stove in an open pot until it boils over the sides. This symbolizes the abundance of prosperity and food which will bless the new premises. The milk is then served to everyone present as a reminder of that prosperity.

The parents arrived early and started the fire, and everyone waited patiently until the milk boiled over. The guests were then offered traditional Hindu snacks of Vadai, and this was followed by welcome speeches.

The messages being conveyed were an overwhelming sense of gratitude and thanks for the kindness of Ocean Stars and Calthorpe Park school for giving the young children of Ammankulam the opportunity to access a high-quality Early Years Education.

The students of Ammankulam preschool were very excited to move into their new preschool building. On the day their preschool was opened, the students arrived early and waited patiently until all the dignitaries arrived. They had to sit through the opening ceremony and were very happy when finally, it was their turn to enter the new preschool building. The Ocean Stars team had taken Milo and biscuits for the students. Having had their drink and snacks, the team read a story, sang songs and ended up with our customary Hokey Cokey.

It was a special day for us at Ocean Stars as we were able to witness the impact our work has on the community and to see that the children of Ammankulam were indeed going to be empowered by receiving a quality Early Years education.