Last month outreach program was based on Nigagaha Kanishta Vidyalaya School in Bulatsinghala. Ex volunteer Anne secured funding in the U.S. to build a curry kitchen at the school to give all students a free and delicious school lunch every day. Work
closely with the Ministry of Health, she also aims to create a greater awareness of health and dental issues in underprivileged communities.

With help from Projects Abroad volunteers here in Sri Lanka, a dental awareness campaign was launched at the school where children and parents were all invited to learn about the importance of dental hygiene. The skills and enthusiasm of the volunteers was the key to make the day a success.

So, armed with crates full of materials and a bus load of volunteers, we set out on the road for Bulatsinghala arriving after a rough 1st 5 hours drive, where we were kept entertained by some eager gymnasts. When see the temporary leaky kitchen building upon arrival, it became very clear why a permanent kitchen building is needed here. Despite the obvious lack of facilities have mothers a great job cooking a nutritious lunch for both children and volunteers.

After our lunch, got a spot of cricket kids a little over excited, but they soon settled down when Furqan began his speech about the importance of teeth, and why & how we should keep them clean. While the children were screened by the mobile clinic, Furqan came to work on the parents. Meanwhile, medical volunteers taught the older children some basic first aid. It seems that a lot of fun can be had with painting scars and connected each other up.

At the same time as all this, but all remaining volunteers stuck into the ‘pretty messy, “but
fun arts and crafts competition with the younger children. This involved each group comes up with a theme and then use a wide range of materials to make a beautiful and creative collage. Flowers, butterflies and both seemed to be order of the day and despite the mess around them, their artistic flare shone through in the finished collages. Most creative of all perhaps was the boys who decided to cover their faces and necks with colored glitter (hilarious).

The day flew by and before we knew it, it was home time for the children. All adults and
The children were given free toothbrushes, toothpaste and mirrors that had been kindly donated. We
had a quick ceremony for the winning arts & crafts teams, where prizes were awarded to the most imaginative and beautiful creations. We then boarded our big old bus for our efforts to a nearby hotel where our Projects Abroad Weekend began.

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