THE LITTLE LEADERS IN 2022

Thanks to our sponsors the following children in Sri Lanka were able to go to school in 2022.

We enforce the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) law in order to guarantee the privacy of our Little Leaders. Parents or guardians must always sign a sponsor agreement, which also includes the approval of usage of imagery, and personal data, directed at our campaign.

The registration day for the school year 2022

One year later…

During our most recent registration day, we saw many familiar faces of the Little Leaders who we sponsored last year. We feel honoured to be involved with their growth, and it is fascinating to see the young children develop into the little leaders that they are becoming today. In addition to the children we already knew, many new faces showed up during the late summer afternoon.

Apparently, the news of Little Leaders Foundation had spread through the slums in the neighbourhood of Mihiripanna, and its surroundings! We had anticipated the number of children to have doubled. But instead, there was an even larger turnout from children (and their families), with an urgent request to be taken into our program. To help enable them to receive education in the year 2022. That is why we have decided to put all our might together and try and find sponsors for 75 children.

An expanding community of Little Leaders

The new children who register with us are acquaintances or relatives of the Little Leaders of the class of 2021, but the biggest connection they share with each other are their living conditions.
**Sathsara** (14) is one of our newest Little Leaders who dropped out of school a couple of years ago. His motivation to work was to help out his family who were struggling to provide for basic needs. When the word about our program spread in his village, Sathsara’s grandmother attended the registration day seeking a spot for her grandson. Sathsara was not present himself because he was working. When Sathsara’s grandmother found out there was still a spot available, she returned home to share the good news. Sathsara’s grandmother believes he can create better opportunities for himself and his environment if he attends school and completes his education.

It is our priority to make sure the children are able to follow an education. In Sri Lanka, it is common for children to drop out of school before they receive their degrees. Children are often forced to work so that they can contribute to the family income. That is why we chose to physically hand over the school packages instead of donating money to the family. This way we kept track of what happened to the donations we receive from our sponsors. We also stayed in touch with our Little Leaders throughout the school year to make sure they were attending classes.

The donation day

In December 2021 we were busy buying the school packages for the Little Leaders. We bought these items from local shops to support the local economy. Our Foreign Representative Kokila Kaluarachchi and the volunteer team in Sri Lanka compiled the school package for each Little Leader individually. The school packages included a school bag, a uniform with several sets, shoes, textbooks, workbooks and notebooks, writing implements, a school cup and other supplies.

The school packages were handed over to the children during the donation day. We ensured that every Little Leader was equipped with everything necessary to participate in education and make a fresh start in the school year 2022!