Library for rural school by Facebook undergrads

Ag roup of Uva - Wellassa University undergrads recently coordinated a campaign on Facebook to assist Kohonawala Vidyalaya, a rural school in the Madolsima area in Passara in the Badulla District, to establish a library in the school, with the assistance of both local and foreign donors.

Donations for the project were received from many areas including Kandy, Peradeniya, Galle, Colombo, Gampaha, Kurunegala and Maharagama and from various foreign countries too, including Australia.

Kohonawala Vidyalaya, situated in a remote area, has only one teacher and a principal to teach 20 students studying from Grades 1-5.

As the village has no proper access roads, the students walk along a rugged path, carrying their books, over 9 km to reach their school.

The organizers said more than 1,000 books were donated to the library. Text and pix by Nayanajeewa Bandara