| Summary: | When the cyclone struck Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province and Upcountry regions, it didn’t just destroy homes but also disrupted education and contaminated vital water sources. In communities where parents rely on daily labour, floods and landslides ruined school supplies and polluted wells, pushing vulnerable families deeper into hardship.
Through the Sustainable Sri Lanka initiative, Rotary is responding with compassion and action. This phase focuses on Basic Education & Literacy and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) by providing school kits to over 1,000 children and restoring and decontaminating village wells that sustain families, livestock, and small farming livelihoods.
This work restores dignity, stability, and hope, one child, one family, and one village at a time. |
| Challenge: | Children in cyclone and flood-affected communities are among the most brutally hit.
Many arrive at school with no books, no uniforms, and no learning materials if they attend at all. Parents, reliant on unstable daily wages, are unable to replace what was lost.
At the same time, flooding has contaminated wells, often the only source of water for drinking, cooking, animals, and small-scale farming. Unsafe water increases the risk of disease, disrupts livelihoods, and places women and children at greater daily risk as they search for alternatives.
Without immediate intervention, children fall behind in education, and families face ongoing health and economic insecurity. |
| Solution: | This phase of Sustainable Sri Lanka delivers a practical, dignified, and community-driven response:
Basic Education & Literacy
Distribution of school kits (books, stationery, learning essentials) to 1,000+ children
Targeting schools in the Eastern Province and Upcountry areas
Supporting children from families severely impacted by cyclones, flooding, and landslides
Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)
Cleaning, decontamination, and restoration of village wells
Ensuring access to safe water for human consumption, livestock, and small land-holding agriculture
Working with local Rotary clubs and communities to ensure ownership and sustainability
Every intervention is locally coordinated, needs-driven, and focused on restoring dignity rather than dependency. |
| Long term impact: | The impact of this phase extends far beyond immediate relief:
Children stay in school, improving literacy, confidence, and long-term opportunities
Health risks are reduced through access to safe water and improved hygiene
Families regain stability, with restored water sources supporting farming and livelihoods
Communities are strengthened, with local capacity built to maintain wells and protect educational continuity
By addressing education and water together, this phase helps break the cycle of vulnerability, laying foundations for healthier, more resilient communities long after the disaster response ends. |
| Sponsored by: | Rotary E-Club of Greater Sydney, District 9685 |
| Endorsed by: | Rotary Club of Colombo South, District 3220 |
| Other Partners: | Rotary Club of Colombo South (District 3220) |