Stories
Beyond the Victory: The Siyabalagawewa School Volleyball Story
The spirit of sportsmanship, community, and sheer determination shone brightly for the Under-16 Volleyball team from Siyabalagawewa School recently. Having clinched the Provincial Championship, their next goal was to compete in the All-Island Tournament held in Badulla. But the journey wasn’t a given. A request for assistance went out, not just for the trip, but […]
The Colombo More Than the Sea: A SFP School Journey to Colombo
This is the second school trip we’ve organized through Piku-Pihi. Originally, we planned for the Kaluaabe school, but due to a scheduling issue, we moved the trip to Veruppankulam. “Can you get it ready in two days?” “Yes!” We received the request from Kalana Sir at Veruppankulam a long time ago, but inflation and an […]
The Next Piece of the ‘Piku Pihi’ Puzzle is Falling into Place
The next puzzle of “Piku Pihi”, as we call it, is a remote online learning mechanism. It’s a project that we’re doing to support some of the most remote schools in Sri Lanka—schools that aren’t even on the main roads, the kind where simply getting children to attend is a challenge. We need to express […]
Next SFP Tour is to “Ga Bi” – Galen Bindunu Wewa
SFP12 – Iluk Wewa and SFP13 – Aliya Watunu Wewa projects Even when on maternity leave, Sarasi, the MOH of Gabi, can get things organized in a snap. This is a proven story of that. I was discussing a community farming project with the school principal, the idea being that if the school grew enough […]
The First of Four in Kekirawa: SFP 6 – Mahadiulwewa School
We landed in Kekirawa, an area that seems developed for Anuradhapura. However, isolated villages with only twenty or thirty children are scattered around the Ritigala mountain. These children need to be brought out of those villages. Otherwise, they will spend their whole lives there—birth, marriage, raising children, family, worship, and death—all contained within the same […]
Three Schools in Mihintale: Two Already Started and One to Go
SFP 9 – Kunuragama, Mihintale SFP 10 – Weruppankulama, Mihintale These are the schools we are currently supporting in Mihintale. Kunuragama school started their program two days ago, and Weruppankulama started yesterday. The Team Behind the Scenes; Back in the day, Janaka, Madawa, and Athili might be considered international figures now, but they were the […]
A Plate for a Prayer: Unpacking Priorities in Our Schools. Children That Set Aside “Buddha Puja” Before the Students Get to Eat
A photograph is worth a thousand words, and sometimes a simple observation can speak volumes about the world we live in. “That’s why there are so many people gathered to support the children’s plates of food.”
Community’s Big Heart: More Than a Meal
When we started this “Pirunu kusak – Pirunu hisak” project to feed our school children, we saw something incredible happen. People we’d never even met began sending us rice and coconuts. It’s a powerful reminder of how willing people are to help when they see a need. Some people might ask, “Is a simple meal […]
A Lesson in Compassion
I’ve been thinking a lot about a particular day, August 16, 2022, to be exact. It was a day that reminded me of the profound impact a school can have beyond just teaching math and science. It’s about how they shape a child’s character. I saw something that truly warmed my heart. As the students […]
SFP 1 – Hathareswela College – Anuradhapura – Fist School Food Programme of “Piku Pihi”
The old adage “an army marches on its stomach” applies just as well to schoolchildren. For a child to learn, their stomach must first be full. But what happens when the very reason a child comes to school is to eat? In Sri Lanka, and in many parts of the world, this is a harsh […]