Who we are
Every child deserves a future. Akuratatha believes that only through
education the future of our younger generation can be changed.
Education is one of the most powerful weapons in fighting poverty. So,
we teachers of government- schools in the area around Akuressa
established this organization to fulfill these needs.
What we doSri Lanka’s education system is pretty impressive for a developing
country of its size. Universal public education is available from the
age of 6 to the age of 18. However, many government schools,
particularly in rural areas like Akuressa, receive minimal government
funding – especially considering the size of the communities they are
expected to serve. The facilities at the schools are very basic,
particularly the classrooms that get extremely cramped as average class
sizes are around 40 to 60 children.
The ability to speak English is becoming of growing importance in Sri
Lanka. The two main sources of income in Sri Lanka come from tourism and
migrant workers going to the Middle East. Both occupations require the
ability to speak English – the world’s global language. However, the
level of English teaching in government schools is limited. Class sizes
are large and the teachers’ English speaking skills are by no means
perfect. It is only the middle and upper class children who can afford
private English lessons. Therefore it is no surprise that children from
most low-income families speak little or no English. Our aim is to give
the poorer children of Akuressa, the same opportunities as their more
wealthy peers so they too have the chance to develop their ability to
speak English.
Our English Teaching Volunteer Programme in Sri Lanka enables you to
teach English in two different types of placement: our own after-school
education programme and at school as an assistant.
In
our schools we work together with school Councillors.
Children who need help, are used to seek help from school Councillors.
School councilors have all details of children and they know what
children need. Some students are poor, some don’t have father or mother.
They live with grandfather or grandmother. to assist them we run a project called "God parents". In general we do not publish our students details but in case of
need we are ready to hand on their details at any time. We are finding them a God mother or a God father for them.
As many parents of the students are farmers who do not have
fix or regular income, they would need our help only in times of
droughts and famines. Sometimes the breadwinner of a family is in
hospital or at home without having any job. At that time children need our help, too.
Some children are very talented in some fields.
They need support to develop their talents and become independent for
their future lives.
to assist them we run a project called "assisting children to go to school".
Where we work
We do this project in a poor village called Akuressa near Mirissa,
Weligama and Unawatuna, Hikkaduwa and Polhena beaches. Sinharaja rain-forest
(World Heritage), elephant orphanage or the Ayurvedic snake doctor (who
runs a snake conservation project) are not far away. We are living
around paddy fields and tea factories. So, local people are farmers, tea
pluckers and factory workers. Lots of them are Buddhists. Although
Akuressa is close to tourist places you can still find innocent village
family life. So we expect from volunteers to respect our cultural
traditions
Akuressa town has all the amenities you require, such as banks,
hospitals and shops, a central bus station, which has good links to all
the major destinations you are likely to go to.
The beaches mentioned above have long been among the most popular ones
of Sri Lanka’s beach spots. They have a lively and fun vibe – and are,
without any doubt, backpacker towns. It is also your best choice for
evening drinks and meals out during your time with us. Furthermore, the
surfing in the Weligama region is quite well known and gets the best
surf during its dry season, November to March.
Our Mission
combining hearts who want to get and give hands
Our Vision
Paving way for a better world
Who we are looking for
There are endless ways to make a big difference in a child’s life – and benefit from your help.
You can use this program as part of a university or collage placement. It is certainly possible to use our programmes as part of your
university or college placement. Project staff can sign off any
paperwork required by your course. We started this service with the
students of university of Internation Coöperation North South in
Belgium. Every year they (University) send two or three students to
fulfill their internship and thesis for a six month. So this is a perfect
place for your internship or thesis, too.
Groups
No teaching experience is required to join this programme nevertheless
it is an advantage to have some. You will always have a syllabus to
follow and our local team will support you in planning your lessons.
This is really something that anyone can get involved in. We expect our
volunteers to spend an hour or two each day preparing the lessons of the
following days.
5,0
