In Pursuit Of Their Dreams - Grama Prabodhaya

Introducing “Grama Prabodhaya”, a community service initiative of Rotaract Mora

“In the end, the number of prayers we say may contribute to our happiness, but the number of prayers we answer may be of even greater importance.”
― Dieter F. Uchtdorf

The 16 member club of Rotaract club of University of Moratuwa initiated 21 years ago, has come a long way from its humble beginning.  Bearing in mind the staring Rotaract motto “Service above self” we have been there to listen to stories that were untold and has been able to lend a helping hand to many that weren’t reached before. And our journey will not stop there. What if this time our focus didn’t have to be limited to only education or health or community development? What if we can help a whole community to grow, to flourish and witness a brighter tomorrow?  What if we try to expand our boundaries?

Thus “Grama Prabodhaya” was born. We have a vision and a big idea. The concept behind this project is to create a platform via our club to help rural villages in Sri Lanka with burning problems. This will not be just a community service project with the concept of material donation but a collective effort to develop a village comprehensively in many aspects and to uplift the quality of life of villagers. And after brainstorming and planning for over a year, Rotaract year 2016/17 will bring this vision to reality.

“Ranugalla” is a small rural village in Monaragala district. It is a place of great historic importance due to its relation to legends revolving around King Ravana of Sri Lanka.  But sadly the village itself lacks many necessary infrastructure facilities and it has unhappily prevented the villages from leading a contended life. Hence considering the historical value, natural beauty of the village and the recurring issues faced by the villages, we have selected the village of Ranugalla for the first ever “Grama Prabodhaya”. Lack of electricity, issues related to water and sanitation, health problems, lack of proper roads and bridges, female unemployment and gaps in education facilities are the crucial issues in the village.

Rotaract Mora is going to try and assist them with the best of our abilities. It will be a long and difficult journey. But we will start small, just one step at a time. “Grama Prabhodaya” – Phase 1 will be dedicated to improving educational and health facilities in the village. Mo/Ranugalla Kanishta Vidyalaya is the only school in the village. It has no proper library or a science laboratory or ample sports facilities. The main hall could not accommodate the growing number of students. There is also a lack of teachers for some subjects. But all these obstacles have not yet disheartened the students or their parents.  Along with the passionate support of school Principal Mrs. Renuka Fernando, they all make an immense effort to give a better education to their children. Their educational goals and dreams could not fail to interest us at Rotaract Mora. It is our wish to assist them to take a step closer to their dreams. To aid them to get a proper foundation in education and better face, the life-changing examination hurdles.

Rotaract Mora is going to try and assist them with the best of our abilities. It will be a long and difficult journey. But we will start small, just one step at a time. “Grama Prabhodaya” – Phase 1 will be dedicated to improving educational and health facilities in the village. We have proposed to build a fully equipped science laboratory for the school along with a building to be used for the school library. We have already started collecting books for the library through the project “Bridge of Hearts”.

Hence under “Grama Prabodhaya” – Phase 1, we have proposed to build a fully equipped science laboratory for the school along with a building to be used for the school library. We have already started collecting books for the library through the project “Bridge of Hearts”. As of now we have a collection of over 800 books through the generous donations of our undergraduates, fellow Rotaractors and general public. We have also planned to donate sport equipment and help initiate several new sports in the school.

The project next in line is “Intellect 2016”. It is a series of Mathematics, Science and English seminars that will be held targeting the students facing the GCE O/L examination in December 2016. The project wishes to give prominence to help students to identify their weak areas and be better equipped to face the examination. “Sasnaka Sansadaya”, a not for profit organization devoted to education, will be partnering with us on this project. Mentoring and motivational sessions will also be integrated to the seminar series. The first and the second phases of “Intellect 2016” were successfully completed during the last two weeks.

The annual health camp of Rotaract Mora – “Healing Hands” will also be taken to Ranugalla this year, with the motive of improving health facilities in the village. An all-day medical camp will be held with the participation of doctors, nurses, PHI & MOH officers, local health workers and medical lab technicians. The idea behind this project is to make quality and reliable health care available and accessible for the much needy people in rural areas which at times are a luxury they cannot afford.

Of course a project of this caliber and magnitude is not a feat Rotaract Mora could complete on its own. Millennium Information Technologies (MillenniumIT), a forerunner in innovative trading technology business and a keen supporter of CSR projects to empower less fortunate communities, has readily stepped forward to partner with us for “Grama Prabodhaya” – Phase 1. With their generous assistance we could boldly take the first steps to bring our “Vision to Action”.

Not quite today, but may be tomorrow, “Grama Prabhodaya” will indeed succeed in assisting these warm-hearted people, in the pursuit of their dreams of a better life for themselves and their children…