What We Do

Lak Saviya Foundation (LSF) currently focuses on four key areas for helping the needy in rural Sri Lanka.  They are:

• IT Education
• Renewable Energy
• Education for Young and Old
• Health

IT EDUCATION

Bridging the ‘Digital Divide’

One of the major issues affecting the lives of the needy is the “digital divide”.

The ‘Digital Divide’ is the gap between those with regular, effective access to digital technologies and those without.

This is aptly true for Sri Lanka. There are many schools without most of the basic needs let alone IT access.

From Sri Lankan context Digital Divide can take many forms. Primarily it is the lack of affordability to access to a basic computer. Followed by lower-performance computers, lower-quality or high-priced connections (i.e. narrowband or dialup connections), difficulty in obtaining technical assistance, and less access to subscription-based content.

The ultimate effect of this inequality is another vicious cycle for the destitute. It goes around like “No access to IT due to poverty and hence less chances of jobs and economic recovery which in turn feeds into more poverty”.

LSF is currently implementing projects in different part of Sri Lanka to bridge the ever-increasing gap between rural and urban communities.  We provide second-hand or new computers to rural:

• Computer Centres
• Schools
• Community Centres

How you can participate
     
If you have second-hand computers (Pentium 3 or above) you are most welcome to donate them to us. LSF will ensure you that those computers are shipped to a well-deserving rural school or to a computer centre that we assist. You will be informed of the details of recipient of your computer such as the name of the institution, number of beneficiaries and relating photographs.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

LSF is currently implementing a program – “Light Up Lives” - to provide solar electricity to disadvantaged rural households that are unlikely to access the national grid in the foreseeable future.

The objectives of the “Light Up Lives” program are to:

• uplift the living standards of rural household’s by providing an environment conducive to improve children’s education and to enhance productivity of adults.

• promote solar energy projects to generate clean, sustainable and viable source of energy, in lieu of kerosene oil currently being used.

• minimise accidents involving kerosene lamps.

• avoid the need to expand the national electricity grid to very remote-uneconomical locations, thereby providing opportunity to re-direct government expenditure to other more pressing socio-economic needs such as rural health.

How we do it

LSF provides the initial down payment of 15% of the cost of a 40 Watt system to deserving families nominated by our service provider – Apollo Solar Lanka Ltd. The balance 85% is provided by the financier –Sarvodaya Economic Enterprises Development Services Ltd. (SEEDS), and recovered on a monthly basis over a three-year period.  A World Bank subsidy of Rs10,000 is available for 40 Watt or lesser systems, and the above prices are after taking account of the subsidy.

Current Status

To date, 28 solar powered lighting systems have been provided to rural households in various parts of Sri Lanka.  Our target is to provide similar systems to another 122 houses before end of 2008, for which funding is available.

How you can participate
     
If you donate A$100, LSF will ensure you that the 15% down payment, for a 40 Watt system, will be deposited in the name of a needy rural family in Sri Lanka. You will be informed of the details of this family including the location, number of adults and children, main occupation of the household, education status of the children etc. After the installation of the system, you will be provided with a project completion report including 2 photographs, a copy of the invoice to the family, and a testimonial from the house owner to indicate the receipt of your donation.

EDUCATION FOR YOUNG AND OLD

LSF strongly believes that enhancing the education of both young and old in the village is important to secure employment and thereby raising the economic standards of the village and their self-esteem.    

LSF aims to help the needy in rural villages by supplementing the schools and education centres in following ways:
 

• collecting and sending second-hand books to school libraries and education centres.

• arranging scholarships for talented/gifted students to enable them to continue their education uninterrupted.

• supplying school needs such as exercise books, pens, pencils, school bags etc for needy students who cannot afford them.

• providing funds for purchasing newspapers to help both young and old to improve their literacy, and be aware of what is happening elsewhere in the world.

• helping village children to develop confidence, leadership skills and other character strengthening  abilities through workshops and training sessions.

How you can participate

Donating Second-hand Books
     
If you have second-hand books you are most welcome to donate them to us.  It will cost nothing for you but the recipients of these books will be benefited enormously. LSF will ensure you that those books are shipped to a well-deserving rural school or an education or a library that we assist. 

To date we have shipped about 25,000 second-hand books to various schools, libraries and other institutions in Sri Lanka.

Sponsoring a Needy Student

If you are willing to help a talented/gifted student who cannot find sufficient funds to either continue or further their education you could sponsor one of those needy students through Lak Saviya’s scholarship program. It will cost only AU$10 for a month to help such a student. You could contact us on secretary@laksaviya.org.au for more information.

Currently we are sponsoring 30 students in various parts of Sri Lanka with the help of kind-hearted people.

HEALTH

LSF is in the opinion that the health of the village communities is vital to sustain their economies that are often based on agriculture. These lowest socio-economic groups have consistently been found to have the poorest of health.

Death rates and the incidence of serious chronic illnesses are unacceptably high among the rural population.

LSF intends to provide various needs of hospitals to facilitate a better health service to rural communities.

How you can participate

Kandy Teaching Hospital Project
     
Currently, Lak Saviya in collaboration with a group of well-wishers in Sydney launched a fundraising campaign to raise funds to purchase medical equipment to upgrade the two neuro-surgical intensive care units and operating theatres of the Kandy Teaching Hospital. These facilities need to be upgraded for treating a large number of trauma patients, undertaking brain and spine surgeries, and treating patients with life-threatening illnesses.

If you are interested in helping this well-worthy project you could contact us on secretary@laksaviya.org.au for more information and how you could donate funds.