The Ivory Foundation supported the CIELO association in a project aimed at promoting preschool education in rural areas of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka, ranked 73rd out of 188 countries in the 2016 UNDP report, experienced three decades of civil war until 2009. This conflict pitted the predominantly Sinhalese Buddhist government (70% of the population) against the separatist organization known as the Tigers, representing the Tamil Hindu (20% of the population) and Muslim (10% of the population) ethnicities. The war tragically resulted in between 80,000 and 100,000 deaths, with over 150,000 people reported missing, primarily in the Northern and Eastern provinces of the country. Additionally, in December 2004, Sri Lanka was severely affected by the devastating tsunami, which claimed the lives of 31,000 people, with the Eastern province being particularly impacted.
The community in the village of MAHAMAR, located in the TRINCOMALEE district in the northeast of the island, took the initiative to establish a community-based preschool. Despite the economic difficulties faced by families, they mobilized to remunerate the local teacher and acquire educational materials. However, the school building remained in a very dilapidated state and required reconstruction.
Thanks to this project, the school underwent renovation and was equipped with a protective fence and toilets. Additionally, outdoor play areas were built and installed in the school’s courtyard to encourage physical education and the mobility of young students.