Eradicating poverty as a barrier towards Education and Empowerment

A charity made up of professionals, graduates and public and national school students who have helped educate and nurture less privileged but talented children, has stepped up its programmes to assist more children.

Sasnaka Sansada, founded in 1997 to “Unleash the Power of Youth to Build a Better Country,” has been working single-mindedly to that end these 17 years.

Sasnaka Sansada’s student welfare initiative- “Academic Scholarship and Personality Development Programme”, in operation since 2004, helps promising students who have financial constrains. Through this pro- gramme, annually, some 50 students receive scholarships to aid them throughout their ALs. However, assistance isn’t confined only to financial aid; the programme provides academic assistance, as well as training aimed at Pe r s o n a l i t y Development.

To date, almost 600 students have benefited from this project, with many currently in campus, or established as professionals. They are thankful for this project which helped them transcend barriers which otherwise would have been insurmountable.

The other affiliated project of Sasnaka Sansada is the Professional and Career Development Initiative: the “Higher Education Scholarship, Career and Leadership Development Programme”. Called Div Jaya, this project benefits students chosen to follow university courses; particularly students who have performed exceptionally well, after receiving the basic scholarship through the Student Welfare Programme.

Div Jaya today enjoys the pleasure and pride of having molded those who are now professionals in many fields including Medicine, Engineering, Manag ement, Finance, Ayurveda, Fine-Arts, Law and Logistics. Just as in the Student Welfare Programme, it’s not just financial assistance that is dispended; professional career advice and counseling too is provided.

Just as they benefited from the kindness of others, the protégés of these projects get together, once established as professionals, to aid the community. Engineering students organise island-wide programmes to promote, educate and sustain innovation in Sri Lanka, while the Medical students take pride in conducting Medical camps and other related activities in underprivileged areas.