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Thank you for helping us fund 3 Sri Lankan Rose Students for their second scholarships. We have just re-posted 4 more Sri Lankan students for their year 2 scholarships and we are very honored and grateful to be working with such amazing donors, students and partners.

Please read the following beautiful story if you are curious about the history of Rose Charities.

History of Rose Charities Scholarship Program In Kalmunai Sri Lanka

On 26th Dec 2004 three huge waves hit the coast of Sri Lanka destroying homes, families and communities.  Kalmunai, the easternmost point of the island was the worst hit areas with approx 10% of the population killed or made homeless. 

All over the world people were appalled at the devastation of the tsunami and donations and help poured into Sri Lanka.  But two years later, almost all the aid had vanished, and the charities had moved onto the next disaster. The families of Kalmunai, who had lost their homes, were still housed in crowded camps in single room shelters with no means of earning a livelihood.

Two years after the tsunami the civil war broke out again. The already crowded camps of Kalmunai were once again flooded, but with a human tide of refugees fleeing the war zone and bringing stories of atrocities and suffering.

The affect on the school children of the region has been profound. They have lost family members, homes, schools, teachers and friends. They have lost all their books and any place with quietness and electric lighting to study. They have been subjected to the terrors and pressures of a tsunami and a civil war. Post traumatic stress has made concentration almost impossible. Despite this they arrive at school every day in clean white uniforms and study long hours with minimal support. The great tragedy for these brave children is that many of them cannot accept their hard won university places because their families are too poor.

Rose Charities arrived in Kalmunai one week after the tsunami and has stayed to help the children. Rose works with the schools to provide extra tuition, counseling and educational support. Rose was arranging extra classes for the students who wanted to apply for university. The year after the tsunami, despite the challenges, 11 students were awarded university places. However it was distressing to find out that these students were going to have to turn these places down because their families could not afford to send them.  University is free in Sri Lanka but there are certain costs such as books and accommodation that are often too high for a family to meet.  That is how the scholarship program began. Rose Charities found sponsors from Canada and USA who were willing to donate CAD$200 - $300 a year to help these students.  Today (2009) there are 36 students studying successfully at different Universities. Each one has passed unbelievable hardships to reach university and each one is a true hero.

Thanks to Josephine de Freitas, Rose Charities for this incredible story