In the four short years since Qatar Academy (QA) has started raising funds for Eravur Educational Development Institute (EEDI) in Sri Lanka, a substantial difference can be seen in the lives of students who attend this small English language instructional centre.
QA Director Dr Eric Sands, together with administrators and faculty members, recently visited Eravur to take part in the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of a new wing due to be completed by May 2014.
According to Dr Sands, “The Eravur project has provided an excellent example of a positive community outreach programme on an international level for both Qatar Academy students and faculty alike.”
Rebecca Perry, Primary School teacher, adds: “We took part in the ground breaking ceremony for the new IT Lab and Preschool building, and we were honored to be asked to each lay a brick for the corner of the new building. Everyone we met was just so excited about the new building; it was wonderful to see just how much the school means to the community in Eravur and how much they appreciate everything we are doing for them. It was staggering to see the difference we have helped make in their lives.”
Currently, the school is a small concrete building housing three small classrooms, separated by curtains; the students have simple equipment, a wooden desk and chair, with the teacher using a black board. There are no computers or modern teaching aids anywhere onsite and with just one small box of learning materials the teachers manage to encourage these hard-working and committed students who come to the school for two hours every day, after they have already attended a full day at school and possibly travelled miles to attend.
Joneen Walker, Primary School Assistant Principal, who also travelled, said, “It was truly humbling to meet the students and people of Eravur. They are so eager to learn and develop themselves but have very little means or no means to do so. Every single person we met welcomed us with open arms, they were all so happy and full of smiles, everyone we were lucky enough to meet were all so eager to explain to us just how thankful they all are that we have helped them get this far with the project and that they are thrilled to be building yet more classrooms. They are looking forward to the future and the next stage of developments”.
The Eravur school committee has big plans for the future of the school and is hoping that once the IT Lab and preschool wing are completed they can start planning to extend the school and add a second level on to the original building. The QA community has their work cut out for them with regard to fundraising and another busy year lies ahead raising awareness for the EEDI cause. Traditionally the Primary School holds one fundraiser a year for Eravur while the Senior School conducts ongoing events throughout the school year.
The Peninsula
