Almost seven years ago, things were quite different at the Foundation of Goodness. Established in 1999, the Foundation's staff consisted of two volunteers and work was carried out on a very small scale. However, when the tsunami devastated the coastline on the 26th December 2004, the pace changed dramatically and the Foundations focus moved quickly to large-scale emergency relief.

Since that day, a magnitude of work has been carried out in Seenigama and surrounding villages. Recently, the Foundation celebrated the opening of its 300th brand new home - an amazing achievement that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago! 443 livelihoods have now been provided to villagers through a variety of means, including our new cement block, coir yarn and brush handle manufacturing plants and by providing other necessary items and equipment. The remaining housing projects have now been finalised and are in the construction stages.

Now that the relief work is levelling out, the pace is slowing down and the community is getting back on her feet, the aim is to set up certain facilities and processes to ensure that the villagers are exposed to opportunities by way of education and livelihoods, thus sustaining and improving the villagers' wellbeing. Two major projects that are currently under way to achieve this goal are the Centre of Excellence and the Seenigama Sports Complex.

Seenigama Village is home to more than 350 families including 300 children. After the effects of the tsunami, more than ever, the community's youth need a place of guidance, focus and training so that they may realize their potential that might have otherwise been swept away. The Foundation of Goodness, in partnership with major donors, is planning to develop a Centre of Excellence in Seenigama. The concept is to develop the existing site at Lahiru, which currently houses the Foundation offices and other basic amenities, to provide a first-class learning institution for the people of Seenigama and surrounding villages, with a focus on youth development.

At The Centre of Excellence, the highest standards will be maintained. For the first time, village youth will have the opportunity to interact with top instructors, professionals and athletes from across the globe. State-of-the-art equipment will aid them in their studies. Those who participate in the Centre will garner first-rate experience so as to achieve excellence in whichever field they choose to pursue, never forgetting the quality of Goodness.

The Centre of Excellence is planned to comprise:

• Computer / IT Training Facility;
• English Language School;
• Medical Centre;
• Pre-school Building;
• Womens Livelihood Building (handicraft and sewing);
• Business Leadership Building;
• Office Block;
• Accommodation (for trainers and volunteers); and
• Public Toilets

In addition to the Centre of Excellence, the Foundation is planning a Sports Complex to develop and nurture the physical talents of village youth. A brand new cricket venue (funded by the Surrey Cricket Club) will be an integral part of the sports complex, which will also include a volleyball court, 25m swimming pool (to be sponsored by Bryan Adams), a table tennis room, badminton court, and a gymnasium. The centre will host a variety of sports and will encourage young athletes of the villages and seven schools in the region to participate. The new sports centre will enable us to enhance our sports facilities and build on the current sports projects we are running in the area; it will be wonderful for the Foundation to be able to offer new facilities to our youth in order to pursue their favourite sports.

For more information on the Sports Ground, please refer to the Draft Plan.

What a fantastic gift to the Foundation and the villagers of the Seenigama region! This is truly a landmark project for the rural community and will assist us, in leaps and bounds, to edge our way further to our ultimate goal in creating a rural community model.