Habaraththawala Vidyalaya dual purpose building
Demographics
Name of the School:
Habaraththawala Secondary school (Grade 1 to 11)
Location:
Palagla, Anuradhapura District of North Central Province
Number of Students:
230 (113 Boys & 117 Girls)
Number of teachers:
16 (4 Gents and 12 Ladies)
Community:
Habaaththawala, Galweiyawa & Uluketawala
Population:
500 families (All are farmers)
Above information is accurate as of February 2020
A dual purpose building to accommodate a school auditorium and 4 classrooms
We identified Habaraththawala Vidyalaya which serves children of a small farming community in the north central province of Sri Lanka. It is within the government education system, yet its facilities cannot serve the 250 (approx) children now enrolled.
The school was selected from among a number of candidates in need of support, in consultation with the national department of education, so the project enjoys the support of both the community and government.
AEW agreed to finance the construction of a dual-purpose building which can accommodate four classrooms or be reconfigured, by moving partitions, to be an auditorium, something the school lacks.
Existing Facilities
The teachers are dedicated and committed. They have remained with the school for many years, but they lack the basic facilities.
Some classes are accommodated in makeshift corrugated iron and thatch building...
Yet the children are eager to learn and want to excel. Some have made it to a national level in a music competition - with one student reaching the finals in 2019.
Phase 1 Construction - AEW in 2018 agreed to finance the construction of a dual purpose building
Since then AEW has raised between $8,000 - $10,000 each year through events like Afterglow. As a policy, all funds raised have been invested in the project right away so that you as donors could see progress.
The school community embraced the project wholeheartedly and chipped in with labour and the sand required for construction.
By the end of 2018 the foundations and framework completed. Some of the funds raised at the time were also donated to purchase basic office equipment, musical instruments and other much needed items for the school.
Phase 2 - The roof and walls erected by the end of 2019
Although incomplete, the building was immediately put to use...
The pandemic in 2020 resulted in a pause of nearly 2 years - to both fund raising and construction.
Then, the economic crisis in Sri Lanka (2022) led to material shortages and escalation of costs.
Thankfully, construction work resumed in 2022. The concrete floor was laid and walls plastered, allowing the building to be used on a more consistent basis.
Phase 3 Handover
On 4th April 2023 the project reached a major milestone. The building was declared open and accepted as an asset of the Department of Education!