A new school for tsunami-hit children
Primary school pupils have already begun their education at the school which took more than four years to build.
PHOTO: Plan staff
March 31, 2008
By Chandani Jayatilleke, Communications Manager, Plan Sri Lanka
When the 2004 tsunami devastated 13 coastal areas in Sri Lanka, the surviving children were left with nothing.
Not only did they lose their homes, friends and family, but also their schools and livelihoods. Hambantota was one of the worst affected areas, with many schoolchildren forced to join classes in neighboring communities, causing overcrowding and straining on resources.
Yet four years later, the children have a brand new school of their own in one of the biggest ever projects taken on by Plan Sri Lanka. The Ruhunu Vijayabha School was officially opened by Sri Lanka's First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa on Tuesday, February 5th after being handed over to the government by Country Director Han Dijsselbloem.
Schoolchildren welcomed their guests at the gates — offering them traditional betel leaves and garlands of flowers — and putting on a colorful dancing display. The First Lady, Han Dijsselbloem and a number of government ministers took part in tree planting, unveiling the school plaque and launching the website.
The school can take up to 3,000 pupils — with special preference for tsunami-affected families.
Immediately following the disaster in 2004, Plan worked closely with the Sri Lankan government, working quickly to implement a tsunami response program that addressed the health, education, housing, livelihood, psycho-social support, and protection of children. As part of Plan’s response, the Prime Minister, the Hon. Mahinda Rajapaksa asked Plan to develop a new school in the Tangalle-Beliatta area.
Built on 20 acres, this school is now one of the largest schools in Sri Lanka and accommodates primary and secondary school pupils.
The primary section has 30 classrooms, a play area, clay workshop, library, counseling room, sick room, staff room and an administration block. The secondary school has 56 classrooms, science labs, home economics lab, IT center, library, assembly hall and an industrial workshop.
Funded by Plan, major donors included the Victoria Government in Australia, the Grand Charity (UK), Disasters Emergency Committee (UK) and other private and corporate donors. The school is a partnership between Plan and the Government of Sri Lanka through the Ministry of Education.
The Ruhunu Vijayabha School is one of the largest post-tsunami infrastructure projects in the area and aims to offer a quality of education that was previously out of reach for children from these communities. Today, approximately 1,300 students attend the school and by the start of 2009 it will reach its peak enrollment capacity of approximately 3,000.
No doubt, the new school is bound to produce thousands of positively thinking citizens with the capacity for constructive participation.
Learn more:
Tsunami 36 Months After Report
This report on the third anniversary of the tsunami and Plan’s participation focuses on how Plan’s approach of Child Centered Community Development or CCCD worked in an unprecedented natural disaster situation. {pdf, 2.6Mb}
Learn more about Plan's work in Sri Lanka.
Back to top
When the 2004 tsunami devastated 13 coastal areas in Sri Lanka, the surviving children were left with nothing.
Not only did they lose their homes, friends and family, but also their schools and livelihoods. Hambantota was one of the worst affected areas, with many schoolchildren forced to join classes in neighboring communities, causing overcrowding and straining on resources.
Yet four years later, the children have a brand new school of their own in one of the biggest ever projects taken on by Plan Sri Lanka. The Ruhunu Vijayabha School was officially opened by Sri Lanka's First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa on Tuesday, February 5th after being handed over to the government by Country Director Han Dijsselbloem.
Schoolchildren welcomed their guests at the gates — offering them traditional betel leaves and garlands of flowers — and putting on a colorful dancing display. The First Lady, Han Dijsselbloem and a number of government ministers took part in tree planting, unveiling the school plaque and launching the website.
The school can take up to 3,000 pupils — with special preference for tsunami-affected families.
Immediately following the disaster in 2004, Plan worked closely with the Sri Lankan government, working quickly to implement a tsunami response program that addressed the health, education, housing, livelihood, psycho-social support, and protection of children. As part of Plan’s response, the Prime Minister, the Hon. Mahinda Rajapaksa asked Plan to develop a new school in the Tangalle-Beliatta area.
Built on 20 acres, this school is now one of the largest schools in Sri Lanka and accommodates primary and secondary school pupils.
The primary section has 30 classrooms, a play area, clay workshop, library, counseling room, sick room, staff room and an administration block. The secondary school has 56 classrooms, science labs, home economics lab, IT center, library, assembly hall and an industrial workshop.
Funded by Plan, major donors included the Victoria Government in Australia, the Grand Charity (UK), Disasters Emergency Committee (UK) and other private and corporate donors. The school is a partnership between Plan and the Government of Sri Lanka through the Ministry of Education.
The Ruhunu Vijayabha School is one of the largest post-tsunami infrastructure projects in the area and aims to offer a quality of education that was previously out of reach for children from these communities. Today, approximately 1,300 students attend the school and by the start of 2009 it will reach its peak enrollment capacity of approximately 3,000.
No doubt, the new school is bound to produce thousands of positively thinking citizens with the capacity for constructive participation.
Learn more:
Tsunami 36 Months After Report
This report on the third anniversary of the tsunami and Plan’s participation focuses on how Plan’s approach of Child Centered Community Development or CCCD worked in an unprecedented natural disaster situation. {pdf, 2.6Mb}
Learn more about Plan's work in Sri Lanka.
Back to top
