Distributing School Supplies To The Children of Trincomalee
On August 19th, 2024, we have distributed school supplies to children in Trincomalee, in partnership with The United Children.
Many parents in Trincomalee find it very difficult to buy the school supplies needed for their children’s education due to their lack of financial resources. Nevertheless, parents and children alike value education and the pathways of success it offers to children, as well as the acquisition of precious knowledge. Therefore, a group of 10 underprivileged children in Trincomalee were specially selected to each receive a pack of school supplies for the current school year.
Trincomalee on the Northeastern Coast of Sri Lanka
Trincomalee is both a town and a port in Sri Lanka, on the island’s northeastern coast. It is one of the world’s finest natural harbors.
Agriculture, Fishing, and Tourism are important sources of income of the local economy.
According to the 2021 Survey on Multidimensional Poverty by the Department of Census and Statistics of Sri Lanka, approximately one out of every six (16.0%) people in Sri Lanka are multidimensionally poor, and more than four out of every ten (42.2%) children under the age of five are multidimensionally poor although there are no statistically significant differences between the poverty levels of young girls and boys in Sri Lanka. Trincomalee is no exception.
According to a survey conducted by the UNDP (United Nation Development Programme) in 2023, 25% of households in the Trincomalee District, reported having members whose highest educational qualification was the O/L examination, while only 12% reported having members whose highest educational qualification was the A/L examination. Only 2% of households reported having a member that had completed a university degree. Of the households that reported having members of school going age that are not attending school, 11.1% reported they were unable to afford to pay for learning material, travel etc.
Distributing School Supplies to Children of Trincomalee
On August 19th, 2024, we have distributed school supplies to children in Trincomalee, in partnership with The United Children.
The United Children is a non-profit organization founded by a little boy and his friends from Primary School in France. When this little boy turned 8, he decided to involve his entire school to collect school supplies for poor children of Sri Lanka. Throughout the little boy’s 3rd grade year, the school teachers and principal collaborated with the little boy in his endeavor. The little boy and his classmates drew posters and made speeches in different classes to motivate the children of the school to donate. Books, pens, pencils, erasers, rulers, were collected and safely stored for the distribution.
When the little boy travelled to Sri Lanka with his mother during his summer holidays of 2024, he was able to distribute the school supplies to a group of 10 underprivileged children in Trincomalee who were specially selected to receive a pack of school supplies each for the current school year.
Project Details
Project Team
The United Children:
- 1 Project Manager – the little boy
Renaissance Sri Lanka:
- 1 Project Coordinator in Sri Lanka (Empowered Sri Lanka),
- Volunteers in France and Sri Lanka
Photos of the Project
References
Sri Lankan Department of Census and Statistics. “Multidimensional Poverty in Sri Lanka”. Accessed July 2025. https://ophi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/MPI_in_Sri_Lanka_briefing_2021.pdf
Britannica. “History of Sri Lanka”. Accessed July 2025. https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Sri-Lanka
UNDP. “Understanding Multidimensional Vulnerabilities: Impact on People of Sri Lanka – District Profiles”. Accessed July 2025. https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2024-03/mvi_district_profiles_eng_final.pdf