One Sponsor at a time …

Gift lives in Wakitaka village in Uganda. Many families in this area have only a small plot of land on which they grow some food like yam and beans.  Many parents survive by working as day laborers that receive a very low income of less than US $ 2 per day.  Nine-year-old Gift’s father works hard to support his family but still their basic needs are not met.   He works in a brick-making factory.  CEI has been able to give Gift the right to go to school, where she enjoys learning English and she makes every effort to learn the language so that she can become a doctor. Your sponsorship can help her receive a quality education, including ESL classes to support her career goals.

  

photo/graphic via Half the Sky It’s #GivingTuesday! A day to celebrate with gifts that give back. Why not sponsor a child in the name of a friend or loved one this holiday season? It’s a gift that ensures that a child receives a quality education which means opportunities for their future. A perfect gift for the person on your list that has everything. Visit our website or call our office to select a child to sponsor: http://www.childempowerment.org/sponsorship or (831) 622-9416
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photo/graphic via Half the Sky

It’s #GivingTuesday! A day to celebrate with gifts that give back. Why not sponsor a child in the name of a friend or loved one this holiday season? It’s a gift that ensures that a child receives a quality education which means opportunities for their future. A perfect gift for the person on your list that has everything. Visit our website or call our office to select a child to sponsor: http://www.childempowerment.org/sponsorship or (831) 622-9416

(via halftheskymovement)

halftheskymovement: Google marks Universal Children’s Day with a doodle On December 14, 1954 the United Nations’ General Assembly suggested each country adopt a Universal Children’s Day, and today, November 20, is the day in the US. The day also marks the date the UN’s Assembly enacted the Declaration of the Rights of a Child in 1959 and the Convention on the rights of the Child in 1989.
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halftheskymovement:

Google marks Universal Children’s Day with a doodle

On December 14, 1954 the United Nations’ General Assembly suggested each country adopt a Universal Children’s Day, and today, November 20, is the day in the US.

The day also marks the date the UN’s Assembly enacted the Declaration of the Rights of a Child in 1959 and the Convention on the rights of the Child in 1989.

#DayoftheGirl Success Stories from CEI, Sri Lanka: Jeyaruth

CEI Sri Lanka photo: During lessons, Pussellawa School

This Day of the Girl Success Story comes from Jeyaruth, in her own words:

I’m Miss T. Jeyaruth Krishnaveni and I benefited from the project in Pussellawa. There are five members in my family including myself. My father is a day worker and my mother is a housewife. I have a brother and a sister. I’m the eldest in my family. My brother and sister also studied in the project and now they are also in a good position. My sister is a teacher and my brother works in a bank. I’m a science teacher. We live in Wahugapitiya.

I studied in this project for nearly five years. I learned a lot through this project. I improved my English knowledge and now I’m continuing my higher studies (B.Sc.) in English Medium in an Open University. The knowledge I gained from this project is very useful to my life and my studies. My school fees were paid for me and it was a great help to me to improve other subjects as well as English.

My aim is to be a good teacher and to transfer my knowledge to all of my students. I like to help all the poor children as much as possible. I like to help the AED project (CEI in Sri Lanka)  with pleasure. Thank you for giving me this unmeasureable, valuable education.

Yours faithfully, Jeyaruth

CEI Sri Lanka photo: Children playing at the Pussellawa School

Diwali is popularly known as the “festival of lights”. It is an official holiday in two countries where we work, Sri Lanka & Nepal. The festival holds special religious significance to Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists.

halftheskymovement:

Happy Diwali!

#DayoftheGirl Success Stories from CEI, Sri Lanka: Julakshika

CEI Sri Lanka photo: Julakshika doing her homework

Julakshika is from a remote area, Batticaloa, which is one of the areas badly affected by civil war, violence, the 2004 tsunami and other natural disasters. She is a very intelligent girl who excels academically, especially in English, and she is very interested in learning more of the language. She has proven her ambition by joining the Calsda Institute for English and performing well in a speech competition where she achieved 100% and was awarded with a trophy. She has also participated in many general knowledge quiz competitions where she was the best performer at the national level and awarded a gold medal.

She enjoys sports activities too, she plays badminton very well and likes to be competitive. She spends her free time playing with the younger children and teaching them English, passing on her knowledge. Julakshika is now in 2nd grade and she values the support extended by AED’s (CEI in Sri Lanka) sponsorship of her education. She knows that with this support, she can achieve her goal of becoming a teacher when she grows up so that she can be “helpful to others” like herself.

We hope that you’ve enjoyed our #DayoftheGirl Success Stories that we’ve shared on the blog inspired by the First International Day of the Girl that was celebrated on October 11, 2012. If you missed reading about any of the girls, just click on “older posts” to find the rest of the series. Also, anytime is a good time to become a part of one of our children’s success stories but sponsoring a child’s education on behalf of someone you love this holiday season is an especially great time. Become a sponsor today!

#DayoftheGirl Success Stories from CEI, Sri Lanka: Prasangika

CEI Sri Lanka photo: Prasangika enjoying an opportunity to learn in a supplemental class provided by the Kalapuwa Sri Leadership Academy in the newly completed Lance Berkman Learning Center.

In spite of her difficult past and having to live away from her family, Prasangika has a pleasant disposition and a friendly smile. Her mother is a housemaid and her father is a fisherman. Both are unable to maintain a steady income because of limited job opportunities. Her family’s situation would have had a permanent impact on her development so Prasangika was brought to live at Samudra Sri Leadership Academy.

She is a very intelligent and talented girl. She has won first place at both Science and History quiz competitions and second place at an English news reading competition. She excels in learning English which earns her good grades in the subject. Also Prasangika has earned the top position in her class because of her performance in the last school-wide examination. She has also been given the honor of being the class monitor this year. Prasangika also has a natural talent for drawing. She has participated in an art competition where she was selected as a winner.

Prasangika is a natural athlete. She is on the track team where she participates in the 100m sprint event, high jump and long jump events and she has won first place for these events in her school’s Inter House Athletic meets. She is also an active member on her school cricket team.

CEI Sri Lanka photo: Prasangika cheerfully helping to serve after-school snacks at the Kalapuwa Sri Leadership Academy

Thirteen year old Prasangika is now an eighth grader who works hard to balance her studies & extra curricular activities. Her future goal is to be an athlete so that she can bring glory to her motherland, Sri Lanka.

We have no doubt that she will achieve her goals because she will have the support of a quality education behind her. Keep smiling, Prasangika!

#DayoftheGirl Success Stories from CEI, Sri Lanka: Birunda


CEI Sri Lanka photo: Birunda practicing her Sinhala


In her own words:

My name is Birunda Nallaiya from Chenkalady, it’s a remote area in Batticaloa which is one of the badly affected areas by civil war, violence and tsunami and other natural disasters. I study at Chenkalady Central College. Our area is not industrial or any trade based so the people here move on with their livelihood with greatest difficulty, we have a peaceful surrounding now and the educational support extended by AED (what CEI is called in Sri Lanka) is showing new meaning to our life.

I was successful in General Certificate of Ordinary Level which is conducted by the Department of Education. I became the best performer in the debate competition organized for the celebration of Tamil day and awarded the 1st place as well. I also won the second place in stage performance at the same event. I have participated in the leadership program conducted by Kalkuda Education Center and was awarded for being a good leader.

I like to learn English and Sinhala, as it is very important to all Sri Lankans. I want to learn Computing and Information Technology as well, to advance my knowledge as my desire is to become a journalist and a presenter. I have ambition and I want work hard towards achieving my goal. I have chosen Arts subjects in General Certificate of Advanced Level and I’m very positive that I will be very successful.

We are too, Birunda! Remember, you can be a part of Birunda’s and other girls success stories. Become a CEI sponsor today!



#DayoftheGirl Success Stories from CEI, Sri Lanka: Promodya

CEI Sri Lanka photo: Promodya out on Kalapuwa Sri Leadership Academy’s new basketball court

Promodya was just a bright nine-year-old when she came to live at Samudra Sri Leadership Academy, a CEI/AED facility for children in need, orphans as a result of Sri Lanka’s civil war, poverty and natural disaster. She is from a very poor village called Inginiyagala – Ampara. Her mother had abandoned the family and her father was unable to take care of her due to his disability as he is partially paralyzed.

Promodya is extremely intelligent, she is one of the brightest students in her school. Out of all the candidates from her school she achieved the best results for General Certificate of Ordinary Level in 2010 which is conducted by Department of Education in Sri Lanka. For our American audience: O-Levels, taken from the British system of education, this test marks the end of compulsory education and by passing this test students can then go on to studying for the Advanced Levels (A-Levels) which gets them ready for college.

Promodya was also the head girl of her school in 2010. She has also won first place in the Literature quiz at school and prizes for English copy writing and dictation competitions. In addition to schoolwork, she is also very creative, a natural artist. She makes beautiful greeting cards and bookmarks in her spare time. She works hard in her studies and is a dedicated athlete, too. Promodya has won track medals in the 100m and 100x4 events. She is also a member of her school’s volleyball and basketball teams, and has won prizes in these two sports.

CEI Sri Lanka photo: Promodya being studious

Now Promodya is eighteen and currently studying in grade thirteen. She is the secretary of her school’s Red Cross Society. Her future ambition is to become a primary school teacher and spend her time educating small children. She is getting some good practice for her future career by helping the younger kids at Samudra Sri with their homework each day after school.

Congratulations, Promodya! We are so proud of your many achievements. None of Promodya’s story could have been possible without the sponsorship of children living at CEI’s Leadership Academies. Our thanks to sponsors & donors for their continued support. If you aren’t already, become a sponsor today and support education for every girl!

#DayoftheGirl Success Stories from CEI, Sri Lanka

 In celebration of the world’s first annual International Day of the Girl, we thought that we would bring you five impressive stories this month of five impressive young women who are succeeding in CEI’s education projects in Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka, CEI is AED or, Asiana Education Development and our dedicated staff there have been preparing for this historical day through an in-country awareness campaign to educate communities about the importance of educating girls and what their education can mean to their families and communities. Check their outreach materials on our facebook page & on Pinterest!

CEI Sri Lanka photo: Children in class at AED Ranvirugama school

Let our #humblebragging begin! We are pleased to bring you the story of Chathuni from the Ranvirugama village, an AED school which has seen immense growth in attendance recently. Almost all the children who attend are very academic and successful in their schoolwork. Though most of the parent’s occupations revolve around manual labor in the tea and rubber industry, they display a positive attitude towards the program and they encourage their children to be more involved in school activities. 

Chatuni is a 12 year old girl who has been involved with this AED project for nearly 6 years. She is very talented in various activities such as speech, drama, dancing and computing. She specializes in playing Piano. She has participated in Drama Competitions and Spoken English Competitions and won medals for both. She has also succeeded in these same events at the national level too. She is very talented in her studies as well. She has proven that by passing the grade 05 Scholarship Examination which is conducted by the Department of Education in Sri Lanka in 2010. Out of 240 candidates from her school, she placed seventh by earning 169/200 marks, a passing grade is 142/200.

Chathuni is a member of her school chess team and she placed third in the school chess championship. Also she has won so many certificates for Essay, Drama, Singing and Drill competitions. Here are some of her special achievements:

·         Certificate for the Speech and Drama Competition (2007).

·         First place from the District Piano Competition (2008).

·         First place in All Island Drill competition (2009).

·         First place from the Sabaragamuwa Province Sunday School test (2008 and 2010).

·         Gold Medalist for the All island Piano Competition (2009).

·         Certificate of ‘A’ grade for Piano Competition (2010).

·         Certificate for the Bible Quiz Competition (2009 &2010)

·         Grade 05 Scholarship Examination (2010)

Apart from these awards, Chathuni was a recipient of a special gift that was awarded to her from the Department of Education, an award for proper handling and maintaining of school text books that are given to students free of charge. She takes a lot of pride in this award and is grateful for the recognition she received from the Education Board.

As you can probably tell, Chathuni is a well-mannered and disciplined young girl at school and thus the favorite student of many teachers. At home, she helps to care for her younger brother, helping him with his schoolwork and she helps her mother with many household chores. She is also a very compassionate and generous, in the future she aspires to be a doctor so that she can save human lives.

“When I reach my goal of becoming a doctor I will help the poor children who are studying at AED schools”.

These were the words that came from her heart. Congratulations, Chathuni on all of your achievements! Due to the support given by CEI/AED through our sponsorship program, Chathuni was able to be successful and become an example of what can happen when girls are given opportunities to thrive and access to education.