It was that proverbial dream come true for the nearly 140 little children of Veheratenna when they were gifted with their own little pre-school. Everything was new and smelt of fresh paint – from the building to the tables and chairs.

Their books were new as were their toys. The innocent awe and amazement on their faces, the gratitude expressed by their parents, and the happiness that prevailed among the villagers is what took pride of place that inauguration morning.

The little three-roomed Community Pre-School sits in the middle of this small resettled village, 20 kms interior off Kebethigollawa. Entirely funded by celebrated Sri Lankan cricketer and well-known ICC international match referee Roshan Mahanama, it was constructed by the Sri Lanka Army’s 62 Division on a voluntary basis.

Present on the occasion along with Mahanama were Minister of Child Development and Women’s Affairs Hon. Tissa Karaliyadda, Chairman Hemas Outreach Foundation Abbas Esufally, Executive Director of Hemas Outreach Foundation Shiromi Masakorala, Commander 62 Division Brigadier Devinda Perera and several others.

To Roshan Mahanama, Brand Ambassador of the Hemas Outreach Foundation which runs the Piyawara Project, this was yet another fulfilling moment in his life. “The joy I feel is profound and indescribable. Every child, we know, has a legitimate birthright to education. I am deeply humbled to have been able to join hands with Hemas and facilitate a pathway to education for these children. In 1996 I did my part in a humble way for Sri Lanka cricket and we won the Word Cup. Today I have no words to explain my feelings. The gifting of this Piyawara pre-school is yet another great achievement in my life and a fulfilling one. I want to contribute to the well-being of the children of this country and I strongly believe that a sound education for our children is of utmost importance”.

The villagers of Veheratanna experienced the brutality of a 30 year old war. The farmer families, about 500 of them have, with the dawn of peace, have returned to their former farming lands. The only proper building in the village today is this pre-school. Children from the neighbouring villages of Kohombagaswewa, Konwewa, Veherawewa and Kambiliwewa will also attend this pre-school. A total of 136 children will use the school by 2015.

Outlining the credo of Piyawara, Executive Director of the Hemas Outreach Foundation Shiromi Masakorala said that the Piyawara Pre-School concept works towards ensuring a proper basic education for the little children of Sri Lanka.

“Today, fourteen years down the line, we rejoice that Piyawara spans the entire length and breadth of the country with 39 pre-schools, over 100 teachers and enriching lives of nearly 3500 children. Yes, the Government has provided basic infrastructure and development is taking place. This however is not an easy task.

The chasm is wide and thus support from each and every one of us will go a long way to help this community”, she added.

Echoing similar sentiments, Chairman of the Hemas Outreach Foundation Abbas Esufally said, “The genuine and spontaneous response we got from these innocent children has spurred us to take this project to greater heights. We do place on record our thanks to the Sri Lanka Army's 62nd Division which came forward in a magnanimous show of support and physically built the school for these children.

They have been very supportive of this project and have gone all out to help us bring about a tangible and significant change in the lives of these villagers.”

Piyawara is managed by the Hemas Outreach Foundation (www.hemasoutreach.org) and stands today as a successful initiative, a sustainable and ongoing project by Hemas and the Children’s Secretariat … demonstrating the success of government - private sector partnerships in addressing national issues and going beyond the geographical divide.

Photo caption: Boiling milk at the launch of the new pre-school with Chairman of the Hemas Outreach Foundation (HOF) Abbas Esufally, Roshan Mahanama and Executive Director of the HOF Shiromi Masakorala