Review

Waves of compassion uplift rural communities

By Quendreda Geuter

If there is one lesson we can learn from the Foundation of Goodness, it is that you can only move a mountain by carrying away one stone at a time.

For 10 years, led from the front by Founder and Trustee Kushil Gunasekera, the Foundation of Goodness has strived to provide essential services to uplift rural communities in the south.

It all started when Kushil was just a boy playing cricket with the children of his ancestral village of Seenigama. He noticed their extraordinary talent which they were unable to harness, not having the facilities he himself was blessed with — thanks to a top notch eduction at Ananda College in Colombo.

With his compassion ignited, Kushil vowed that as soon as he could he would come back to his village and do all he could to help the children and youth excel by giving them the facilities taken for granted by those brought up in urban areas.

Fulfilled his promise

Since those youthful days, Kushil has fulfilled his promise and more. Beset by obstacles that have sometimes threatened to overwhelm his path, and overtaken by the tsunami waves in 2004 which have been turned from waves of destruction into tremendous waves of opportunity, this is the story of one man’s struggle to move a mountain, and the leagues of people who have supported him in a movement of goodness that has gained international recognition.

The Foundation of Goodness was officially established in 1999. Based in the grounds of his ancestral home, Kushil and a team of staff and volunteers from Seenigama opened a small community centre to deliver scholarships, English and IT classes, a maternity clinic, play park and sports activities as well as basic village infrastructure needs such as electricity, water and sanitation.

In these early years Kushil used every personal contact he had to raise funds, with every rupee going a long way to give a better life to those in the village who needed help. The Foundation of Goodness gave whatever it had, and then gave some more to uplift rural communities.

Still around

The staff and village volunteers who worked for the Foundation of Goodness all those years ago are still with the foundation today, working tirelessly alongside their leader to do what they can to uplift rural communities. From those early days the work has now expanded well beyond Seenigama to over 25 villages benefiting 20,000 people in the south and beyond by way of 30 sectors that deliver a holistic approach to targeting village needs.

But this path has not been easy. In fact, it is full of stories that are heartbreaking and amazing. Beset with problem after problem you would think that Kushil by now would have given up on his work 100 times. Maybe it is the strength of his dream of compassion that sustains him. Or maybe it is the team of people that he has working for him that keep his spirits up when all appears lost. Or maybe it is the bedrock of volunteers and donors from around the world, giving encouragement and strength so that even when things seem impossible, somehow things work out and the efforts can continue anew. The history of the Foundation of Goodness cannot be told without mention of the tsunami. As the whole world knows, the waves that struck the Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004 ripped communities apart and left lives shattered. Kushil was in the village that day, giving scholarships to 100 children who had congregated with their parents at the community centre.

As the first waves washed through the village Kushil ran with the children and Foundation of Goodness staff including Sampath Viraj who has been with Kushil from the beginning and now leads the Seenigama operation from the village.

Dramatically demolished

As is often the way with Kushil, the barriers that rose up in his path were dramatically demolished as he approached. As he ran down the back roads to the safety of the temple on the hill, a barbed wire fence came into his path. But as he was about to struggle through with the children an arm came from behind and struck the fence down with one swipe of a crowbar. And so all but one child was saved, and Kushil was able to make his way to coordinate the relief effort that took over the area for the next months and years.

Such has been the journey of the Foundation of Goodness over the last 10 years. A hurdle rises up, but is somehow overcome in sometimes seemingly impossible and unlikely ways. In times of need people rally round and give their support, so that the work can continue to help 20,000 people a year.

Of course all is not plain sailing. Today, as the energy that united people in the rebuilding work dissipates, old conflicts start rearing their heads. One of the reasons the Foundation of Goodness has been able to achieve what it has is its location within the heart of the community, which brings with it an understanding of the context, culture and history of the villages and a sensitive approach to relationships.

Caught in a battle

It is unfortunate that at this very moment the Foundation is caught in a battle between factions centering around the village school despite 15 years of support including sports facilities and training that Colombo schools would envy. The Foundation’s sports development work has been compromised with the school teams.

These include the Island-wide 2008 DSI Volleyball Under 12 champions, and the Under 13 and Under 15 cricket teams which had reached the semi finals and quarter finals of their respective groups in the Southern Province in just two years under the coaching and life skills programmes delivered on the school sports ground.

The Foundation just hopes that, like everything else, the obstacles will fade away so that the children can continue their personal, physical and social development, as well as the personal success gained from outstanding sporting achievement, such as the national Under 19 novices swimming champion who attends the school and trains with the Seenigama Swimming Squad at the Bryan Adams Swimming Pool.

Sport has been a driving influence in the history of the Foundation of Goodness. From the early days Muttiah Muralitheran has worked alongside Kushil. Murali is well known for his generosity and care for humanity. On many occasions Murali has lent his support to this venture, encouraging children to strive to reach their goals.

Bridging the gap

Murali was soon joined by Chaminda Vaas on the board of trustees, and Kumar Sangakkara has been the latest cricket sensation to pledge his commitment to bridging the gap between rural and urban poor through the Foundation of Goodness. Alongside these cricketing greats are Rohan Irriyagolla and Ashan Malalasekara, upstanding members of the Sri Lankan business community as well as being former cricket and rugby stars of Royal College who actually gave their support long before the tsunami with major contributions.

From the arrival of the first volunteer, Gill, who came with support from AusAid, and who worked in the hardest conditions to rebuild the community, people from all over the world have come to join in the work of building a community development model. And each person has themselves moved so many stones, contributing to the massive task of empowerment and poverty alleviation.

Deepa and Jugtha were two such volunteers who arrived just after the tsunami. Specialist paediatricians, quickly saw the need for medical care within the area, and went about converting Kushil’s villa kitchen into the Rainbow Clinic. Nick, from America, was key in establishing the Coir Brush Factory, in partnership with Hayleys, providing livelihoods to those who lost all in the tsunami.

Best brush factory

Recently handed over to the villagers to manage as a business, the factory has recently been recognised as one of the best brush factories in the Southern Province. Shane from Australia provided his expertise in structural engineering to build the MCC Centre of Excellence, Sports Academy and village infrastructure. All these volunteers have given of their time and expertise not forgetting hundreds of others who dedicatedly added value to all of the projects now on display.

Alongside the many volunteers have been the donors. As soon as news filtered to the outside world about the havoc caused by the sea, companies, countries and foundations as well as countless individuals, families and social groups rallied round. Flooding into Sri Lanka came a wave of compassion.

In some areas there has been criticism that this wave has caused little more good than the initial waves of destruction. But in Seenigama this is definitely not the case. Here at least is one example of excellent use of tsunami funds, to develop a one of a kind rural development model that is being hailed around the world for its outstanding achievements.

Striving for excellence

An impressive roll-call of funders includes cricket clubs such as MCC and Surrey County Cricket Club, corporations such as Microsoft, KPMG and Aviva, governments including Victoria State Government, Australian Government, Danish Aid and USAid and Foundations such as Children Action, Mirchandani Foundation, Stafford International School, International Youth Foundation, Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, Bryan Adams Foundation and the Planet Wheeler Foundation and Rythm Foundation, some of whom are sustainability sponsors. Their support has been incredible and has inspired the Foundation of Goodness from the beginning to strive for excellence and the highest standards.

From out of the ruins of destruction has been built a landscape of innovation, commitment, compassion and a striving for excellence that is surely down to the winning combination of one strong, committed leader and a huge team of staff, supporters, donors and volunteers who all came together to make it happen, one small step at a time.

Lets have a look at the achievements, four years on. Because the Foundation of Goodness has not just moved mountains, it has created new mountains — hills of hope that give children and youth new opportunities to reach heights they never would have imagined possible.

The achievements

The achievements of the Foundation of Goodness include 30 sectors helping 20,000 people from over 25 villages:

In Seenigama:

•  Medi-care Centre including GP surgery, pharmacy, medi-lab, dressing room, dental clinic help 1500 people a month

• Women's Enterprise Centre including sewing, patchwork, cookery and beauty culture classes, providing classes to 360 women a year

•  Business skills workshops including starting one’s own business, mushroom cultivation, photography and electrical wiring, benefiting 310 people a year

•  Pre school for 69 children aged 3-5

• English and IT classes benefiting 500 children and youth per year

•  Environment management including recycling, home gardens and replanting programmes

•  Lahiru Handicraft Boutique

• Diving and Training Centre annually retraining 60 previous coral divers in technical diving skills

•  Seenigama Sports Academy providing cricket, volleyball, swimming, netball and life skills development to 1200 children from seven schools in the region

• Sri Wimala Buddhi MV Seenigama Oval Cricket Ground

• Housing for 600 people in new homes

• 400 homes partially damaged homes repaired

• Libraries

• Children's Goodness Clubs for 80 children

• Scholarships and essential school supplies for 600 students

• Support for villagers in livelihoods, welfare, children's development

•  Support to community activities, religious and cultural events

• Support and development for 20 schools including buildings, maintenance, staffing, computer training suites, essential school supplies, sports coaching and equipment.

• The Village Heartbeat Centre is a unique community development model that can be replicated in any village in rural Sri Lanka or the developing world. Based in Udumulla village, the model includes:

• English and IT classes

•  Library

•  Women's Enterprise

• Community Centre

• Children's Goodness Club, developing skills and inculcating the spirit of goodness

• Volunteer accommodation

• Village welfare programmes

Also supported by the Foundation of Goodness are:

• Sri Sumangala College MCC sponsored cricket ground

•  Balapitiya Girls’ Home

• Balapitiya Elders' Home

• Provision of essential supplies to IDP camps in Vavuniya District

• Essential school supplies to rural schools throughout Sri Lanka.

The challenges

There are two huge challenges that now face the Foundation of Goodness. The first is the sustainability of the Seenigama model. Costing just US $20 per beneficiary per year, this is an efficient and cost-effective programme of work. So much has been built thanks to the generosity of donors and volunteers worldwide.

It must now not be allowed to fall apart as donors shift their emphasis away from the tsunami. This is no longer a tsunami project. It is a long-term approach to poverty alleviation, benefiting thousands of people and giving children and youth a hand to achieve great things

The second is the achievement of an aspiration — a dream. It is to be able to take the lessons and model of development from Seenigama and use the skills and approach that has worked so well to help the poorest of the poor rural communities throughout Sri Lanka.

As peace sits on the horizon the Foundation of Goodness is poised to respond to the needs of those affected by years of conflict and neglect. With a team of staff running the 30 sectors, including Seenigama villagers who only three years ago could not speak English or use a computer but today are managing projects, writing reports and coordinating activities, the Foundation of Goodness has the potential to help uplift the standards of rural communities.

Stone by stone, piece by piece, together we can all move mountains to make this world a better place for the poor by bridging the gap between urban and rural sectors through productive activities and by inculcating the spirit of goodness and kindness. Visit www.unconditionalcompassion.org to find out how you can get involved.

“The beauty of life does not depend on how happy we are but on how happy others are because of us.”

New Bill prohibits experimenting with animals

By Risidra Mendis

Have you ever looked at the ingredients in your make up or lotions? Does your moisturiser or lipstick carry the word squalene in the ingredients list? If your answer is yes, then you are partly responsible for destroying the oceans.

A dressing table or bathroom contains perfumes, moisturisers, rouge, lipstick, anti-aging skin products, face powder, oils, nail polish, sunscreen, hair conditioning, coloring products and deodorants. A miniscule percentage of people read the ingredients list on any of these products, preferring to go by the glamour of their advertisements.

However you would be amazed to find out that what you use on your head, face and body is not the most pleasant ingredients and most importantly that you contribute towards the deaths of thousands of innocent animals.

The main ingredient in all cosmetics is oil or grease, unless it specifically says plant oils.

A rendering plant is a collection centre for all kinds of dead animals in Western countries. Carcasses of every decaying body come from factory farms where disease has decimated herds of swine, cattle and poultry. After a period of cooking at the plant, the bodies are subjected to extreme pressure in order to extract the fat from bones and skins.

A majority of this fat is sold for cosmetics, especially to manufacturers of lipstick and eye makeup.

Suffering in laboratories

At present countless individual animals including dogs, cats, rabbits, mice, chimpanzees and other primates and animals are suffering in laboratories. Animals are force fed cosmetics and household cleaners and  injected with toxic chemicals. Dogs are forced to suffer heart attacks, mice are infected with massive tumors, and holes are drilled into the skulls of baby monkeys so that electrodes can be inserted into their brains.

PETA through their hard work in research and scientific staff and activists throughout Europe, have recently won a major victory that will spare the lives of tens of thousands of animals who would otherwise suffer in painful skin irritation tests in which rabbits and other animals have toxic chemicals rubbed onto their abraded and sensitive skin. New cruelty-free tests have been formally endorsed by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods as a complete replacement for the cruel animal skin test.

Within the past two years PETA has recorded that monkeys endured excruciating seizures and heart attacks at the University of Connecticut Health Center.

In each case, the institution was fined or cited for violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act.

Non-animal test methods

“We must persuade officials to adopt new non-animal test methods like those recently approved in Europe. The lives of tens of thousands of individual animals are at stake,” says President, PETA, Ingrid E. Newkirk

Speaking to The Sunday Leader Attorney-at-Law Senaka Weeraratna said in Sri Lanka the laws protecting animals from cruelty and inhumane treatment are archaic and lag behind other countries which have incorporated higher ethical and scientific standards into their legislation.

“The Animal Welfare Bill is a comprehensive document and was prepared by the Law Commission of Sri Lanka after extensive consultations with the public and examination of laws of other jurisdictions. The proposed legislation seeks to replace the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, No. 13 of 1907 and bring the law governing animal welfare in Sri Lanka in line with modern legislation and enhance Sri Lanka’s historical reputation for animal welfare.

“The Bill is divided into 14 parts. Part 10 (Clause 42) deals with ‘Use of Live Animals for Scientific Purposes’ and applies to all animals. ‘Animal’ means any living being other than a human being and includes a domestic animal, a farm animal, an animal in captivity, a wild animal, a companion animal, a stray animal, and food animals hereinafter defined,” Weeraratna explained.

Establishment of a new institution

Weeraratna  added that one of the main purposes of the Animal Welfare Bill is the establishment of a new institution, the National Animal Welfare Authority that will administer the legislation, develop policies, and strengthen and expand the existing enforcement machinery.

“Provisions in the Animal Welfare Bill that have relevance to animal experimentation will include ‘cage, confine, custody, ill-treat, pain, and research.’ Part 10 of the Animal Welfare Bill requires any person using live animals for teaching, research or experimentation to obtain a permit for such purpose from the authority.

“Clause 42 (2) stipulates that the Authority shall have regard to alternative methods and devices that do not involve experimentation on live animals such as computer stimulations and other audio visual methods, synthetically produced models, ethically sourced cadavers and clinical experiences, when issuing such permits.

“Clause 42 (3) states that the Authority may refuse to issue a permit upon being satisfied that such research can be carried out or such teaching or experiment can be performed using such alternatives. The Authority will have power to institute prosecutions under the Act, where appropriate (Clause 15 (k)) and proceeding against researchers who misuse animals under cover of experiments,” Weeraratna explained.

Causing cruelty to animals 

According to Weeraratna any person who willfully and unreasonably administers any poison, injurious drug or substance to an animal or willfully and unreasonably causes or attempts to cause any poison, injurious drug or substance to be taken by an animal shall be guilty of the offence of cruelty to animals  (Clause 24 (d)), Offence of Painful Confinement ( Clause 24 (1) (f) ).

Offences of prohibited conduct include trapping, harming and killing without any reasonable excuse. (Clause 27). Animal Welfare Inspectors will have the powers to enter premises including centres of research (Clause 44 (Part XI)).

“The Animals Amendment Act of 2009 makes it mandatory to hand over the animal against whom an offence has been committed to an animal care center, an animal welfare society or organisation or a person who is actively engaged in caring for animals.

The magistrate in addition to imposing a punishment may also order that the animal be confiscated, and confirm the interim order in respect to custody of the animal, or that the animal be handed over to the owner upon him showing that the offence was committed without his knowledge or connivance.

“However the Animal Welfare Bill still awaits enactment in parliament. Upon enactment it will set the standard for other countries particularly in Asia to follow suit. Its enactment is long overdue given the obsolescence of existing legislation governing prevention of cruelty to animals. There is huge need for proper enforcement of laws and animal welfare societies must be made partners in the implementation process as in several other countries,” he added.