AIESEC 'brightens' rural SL with ‘Switch Off’

Eight underprivileged households without electricity, from the mixed community in Deltota, Kandy, were provided with electricity connection through a 6-week long community project called 'Switch Off 4.0' executed by members of AIESEC at the University of Moratuwa, and foreign volunteers from 5 countries.

AIESEC is a non-governmental, youth-run, non-profit international organization present in over 120 countries.

‘Switch Off ’ is 1 of 15 community volunteer projects biannually executed by AIESEC Colombo South. Working towards United Nations ( UN) Sustainable Development Goal 7, ‘Affordable & Clean Energy’, ' Switch Off' focuses on reduction of energy wastage and making electricity available to rural Sri Lanka.

Based on the initial information provided by the Sri Lanka Center for Development Facilitation (SLCDF) and an onsite survey by the organising committee members on January 27, 9 households in Piyasenapura, a rural area in Deltota, (Kandy District) were chosen for the wiring. The chosen households were of mixed ethnicity, with Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim families who were Samurdhi recipients, with no regular occupation or income.

To execute the project, 9 undergrads, including 5 Engineering undergrads, from Egypt, Indonesia, UK, Italy and China arrived in Sri Lanka in February 2017, as exchange volunteers. They traveled around the country, participating in various project activities, during their 6- week stay in Sri Lanka.

An information session and a get- together event was also organised in the village, where the foreign volunteers shared their cultures, and the villagers were taught energy conservation.

This project was financially supported with Rs. 50,000 from the State Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Corporation ( SPMC), and donations of Rs. 25,000 each from Dr Amith Pussella ( Teacher at SASIP Institute - Nugegoda) and Mr. Erendra Canjemanaden (Teacher- Regency, Kandy, and Shakthi Institute, Colombo), and was conducted by collaborating with the UN Development Program (UNDP) and SLCDF.

The Richmond College 60-70 Group will hold the AS Wirasinha Memorial Lecture at 5 pm on Sunday, March 26, at the OPA Auditorium, Prof. Stanley Wijesundera Mawatha, Colombo 7.

The lecture will be delivered by former Head of UNDP's Poverty-Governance Unit, Dr Fredrick Abeyratne, BSc(Cey), MSc(UK), PhD(USA).

Mr. A.S. Wirasinha, BA(Hon), MA(UK), a Classics scholar, was a distinguished Richmondite who was its Vice Principal and later Principal from 1957 to 1962. Subsequently, he was the Principal of Wesley College, Colombo.

This is the 3rd in the series of Memorial Lectures organized by the Group. Earlier lectures were on Mr. D.G. Welikala and Mr. H.D.A. Gunesekara.

All Richmondites, past and present, and old Wesleyites and other well-wishers of Richmond are invited to attend.

Schoolchildren visit Pakistani Warships