Sri Lanka / Chilaw: School for handycapped children

INTRODUCTION
Peter Bachmann Foundation in Srilanka completes thirteen years in the training of special children in 2015. In gratitude and appreciation we remember the founder chairman of Dr. Peter Bachmann & all the other magnanimous Swiss sponsors in high esteem, who have been supporting the services here in every possible way specially financially since the very inception of the services in 2002. Their support and corporation are not in vain. They have brought success to the special children by way of making them for independent living. Here we state successful achievements of the services in the past and near future.
PAST
Since the starting of the services two hundred & ten children have gone through the training here. While some of them are engaged in jobs others live independent life with their parents & siblings. Thus the training here has given hope to the parents who came here without hope and their negative attitude towards their children that they will always be depended on others have transformed into positive attitudes that they are a vital component of the family and they are to be appreciated for what they are.

PRESENT
At present there are seventy children in both centres at Chilaw & Lancigama. Age groups consist of age 5 up to 21. Eight teachers are engaged in training them. The children are trained in Literacy, Numeracy, Cooking, Carpet making, Horticulture. Other agencies such as caritas Italiana & Sunera foundation send volunteers to train children in special skills. Our recent achievements take the order of sending two children to normal school, employing a child in a printing press, employing two children in a shoe making factory and sending three children for juki machine training in a government run training centre.

FUTURE
In future too we wish to empower these children as independent as possible as their disabilities allow. With the past & present experiences we are confident and very positive that we could achieve such.

In conclusion I wish to say PBF in Srilanka has been engaged in very silent service for last thirteen years. No fan fare, advertisements…… Change from depended life to independent life in the life of the children is the very evident & loudable advertisement. People speak of it. They see children who have been confined to homes just because they happen to be special are now one with society. Dear friends all what you have done & doing for these special ones are not in vain. They have borne fruits hundred fold. You can be unspeakably happy because your generosity, attitude, acceptance & sense of humanity have empowered a mentally disabled child to grow in independence and find his due place in society. Please do continue to assist us to empower them and by doing so you empower your own inner spiritual being. In return we are too poor to give you anything except our gratitude, good will & prayers.