The island nation of Sri Lanka has been in the news often recently, and the news has been depressing. There are food shortages and inflation is out of control. The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 6.2 million Sri Lankans are food insecure as its inflation hit 93.7% in August. There seems to be no end of the chaos is in sight.
Sri Lanka has a troubled past with religious and ethnic tensions. Even the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, a guerrilla organization, did not bring lasting peace or prosperity. And China has been able to assert control over parts of the economy due to debt that Sri Lanka cannot pay.
Fortunately, schools that the Bill Cook Foundation is helping to build are providing education and community stability in rural areas in the interior of the country. The story of our involvement is a good illustration of how we choose projects and how we bring them to fulfillment.
A few years ago, I gave a lecture about the Italian Renaissance and St Francis of Assisi at the home of one of our biggest donors. Afterward, I had a conversation with one of the attendees, emeritus Episcopal Bishop of San Francisco, William Swing. His Excellency formed United Religions International (www.uri.org) to bring together people of different faiths, and to have them work together for the good of all people. No place is more idea for URI than Sri Lanka, which has significant Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, and Christian communities.
As I talked to Bishop Swing about our foundation, he suggested that I visit the island and meet with Ahangomage Ariyaratne, the founder of an organization called Sarvodaya and winner of the Gandhi Peace Prize. He invited me to his home, and over a home-cooked meal, I explained what the BCF did. He urged me to go to the rural center of Sri Lanka to see the needs of small villages for pre-schools. He explained that not only was a preschool important for the children of a village, but it would also serve as a gathering place for villagers to meet with Sarvodaya teams who travel to teach peace and tolerance to villagers. Each preschool would also have a microlending bank, and serve as an important social center for the community.
Bill meets with truly appreciative students, teachers, and parents.
I did indeed visit the center of Sri Lanka, meeting with clerics of all religions and also learning a lot of history. Oh, and my driver almost hit an elephant! By the time of my second visit, there were three preschools that we had built that were already functioning and three more that I dedicated with much joy.
These schools cost little to build, about $5000, each, because the people of the village do the construction with materials we purchase. We, of course, need the continued support of our generous donors. There are, as you might imagine, many villages still in need of preschools, with thousands of needy children and their families. Thank you for your continued support!
