"How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world."

~ William Shakespeare

The following is a story about a gentleman who saw the plight of villagers - not necessarily those affected by the tsunami, but those with basic human needs. This is a story about a man with a heart of gold who gave to those in need without hesitation...

Power, and in particular, electricity, are luxuries that many of us so often take for granted. For more than 200 years electricity has been available in the world, yet many are still without access to power. The provision of energy services, notably electricity, offers a range of benefits, including alleviating poverty by providing better living conditions, an increase in employment opportunities, and an increase in skills and education (i.e. the ability to enhance skills and study at night).

A humble philanthropist, Shaktha Amaratunga, recently sponsored the installation of electricity to ten village homes in the Seenigama region that had never before experienced power. This is a remarkable gift that has greatly improved the quality of life for these families. For many people throughout the world, it costs so little to provide electricity (approximately AUD $100 to supply one home with electricity,) depending on the size of the house. Yet, this was not a donation made out of compulsion, but out of pure compassion.

Similarly, many village families were without water or sanitation facilities in their homes and Shaktha Amaratunga so generously offered to assist in this area.

Mr Amaratunga's generosity towards the Foundation of Goodness and the plight of the villagers stems back to pre-tsunami days, when he sponsored 250 children to receive essential school supplies for one year (costing approximately US $20 per child annually). Even after the tsunami, Shaktha continued to support the village children by way of education, including the sponsorship of another 150 children to coincide with the 1st year tsunami anniversary commemorations in the village.

Were it not for such kind and noble deeds, these village children may not have had more than one book to use throughout the entire year, nor shoes, school bags, water bottles, or the like.

Shaktha Amaratunga is not only an inspiration to the villagers and Foundation of Goodness staff, but also to his very own two children. Having witnessed such generosity and selflessness at such an early age, such givings will multiply through these children, setting a fantastic example for youth in the future. And so the cycle will continue...

Every year, like clockwork, Shaktha Amaratunga committs himself to a new wholesome and charitable project, regardless of where in the world he is or what he is doing. We look forward to the next project that Mr Amaratunga will offer to assist us with and have no doubt that it will be as extremely worthwhile and rewarding as those in the past.

Long let our relationship continue with this wonderfully generous individual and long let all parties grow as a result. The only thing that we are unsure of now is whether Shaktha, being such a humble gentleman, will continue to contribute after he sees such a public tribute to him, but we are willing to take that risk in order to recognise and honour a great man who has done much for the community of Seenigama!

On behalf of the villagers whose lives have been uplifted to grand new heights as a result of Shaktha's incredible generosity and warmth, we would like to thank Mr Amaratunga for the wealth of support that he has provided us over the last few years.

May more be yours to give, Shaktha, and may the power of generosity continue to light up the world.