On Wednesday 1 March, representing the school’s Amnesty group, Lisa Panwar, Sharon Udensi and Rose Ling conducted an interview with Mr Nandana Werapitiya, the founder of the Nandana Werapitiya Village Trust. This Trust supports Sri Lankan village schools with funds which are used to purchase and provide resources which are in urgent demand, such as food, school stationery and uniform. Here is their interview:
"Nandana started this trust in 2006, with just £5 as a donation, but with the most important goal of enabling “Happy Children”. From Norfolk, he coordinates his team of five volunteers in Sri Lanka, and with their immense and continual help, as well as Nandana’s savings and donations, approximately 15,000 children are now being supported in education. This phenomenal number of children now being supported is outstanding, and the Village Trust’s help has enabled children to have a happy education, with enough supplies to experience equal educational opportunities. Nandana stated that the trust focuses on small village schools, with an occupancy of less than 100 students, aged 5-18, as this is where the severe lack of supplies is most apparent. After identifying what support the children need most, The Nandana Werapitiya Village Trust focuses its expenditure accordingly.
Sharon asked, “What do the pupils need most?” The answer was clear: Money. Teachers are widely available and enthusiastic, with several reaching out to Nandana personally for his support. What’s more, 95% of children are attending school, parents being very supportive of their education. Money was and still is the biggest difficulty, and the lack of it results in not enough supplies being available. Every gender and age is affected, so action is very much needed throughout all the schools. Our donations, whatever their amount, can have a large and positive impact on the pupils and their teachers: £10 can purchase 40 exercise books, with up to a month's use. Currently, with exercise books in low supply, pupils are using one book for three or more subjects; you and I can imagine how confusing this must be, negatively affecting their learning. £100 can provide most stationery and exercise books for an entire small village school. This shows that a little can go such a long way and as Nandana said: “Every penny counts, as I can make the children happy.”
COVID-19 had a profound impact on donations and supply resources due to raging inflation. The pandemic also prevented Nandana from being able to travel to Sri Lanka. Nonetheless he still wants to take people there to show the sizable impact of their donations and help. However, Nandana believes the Trust is on its way to recovery, having recently seen a 10% increase in donations.
In my opinion, a notable discovery from the interview was how hard Nandana works; both for the Trust and for his other commitments. Days are extremely lengthy, Nandana having to wake up at 04:00 as a result of his work starting at 05:30. As well as working at Norwich School and dedicating a considerable amount of time to his Trust, Nandana travels to London every Saturday to teach Sri Lankan dance. He has performed at the largest Sri Lankan dance festival and would love to set up a dance company in Sri Lanka.
One of our last questions was “What are your plans for the future?” Would the Nandana Werapitiya Village Trust be Nandana’s main focus in the years ahead? Ideally, in about five years' time, Nandana would like to start a small business of his own but would continue to help children in need. Moving back to Sri Lanka is an aspiration. However, stopping the charity is not a consideration at the moment: “It would be a disaster.”
In conclusion, I believe Nandana’s hard work, resilience, effort and passion have been recognised. Not just by Lisa, Sharon and me as part of Amnesty, but in Sri Lanka too, where Nandana was awarded the Best Charity Worker Award in 2022 by the Government. This recognition is richly deserved. Over 15,000 children are now being provided with sufficient provisions to learn successfully and aspire to a better future, thanks to the Nandana Werapitiya Village Trust. I certainly know, as well as the majority of you, that I will feel that extra bit of gratitude when I put on my school uniform in the morning or open my exercise book in class."