The aim of HELP is to provide assistance to the families, and specifically the children, in the Ampara district of Eastern Sri Lanka who have suffered as a result of the tsunami. HELP operates on the simple principle that all funds raised will be spent on the projects identified by the Trustees.
Learn more about HELP
Helping East Lanka Progress (HELP) was set up as a trust by Dr Vip Thiagarasah in August 2005 to relieve the suffering of victims affected by the devastating tsunami of December 2004 on the East Coast of Sri Lanka. Charitable status for the trust was granted in September 2005. Our three core priciples are:
The objective of HELP can be described very simply - to provide assistance to the families, and specifically the children, of East Lanka who have suffered as a result of the tsunami.
The principle upon which the charity operates is equally as simple - ALL funds raised by the charity will be spent in East Lanka on projects identified by its trustees. There have not been, and will not be, any administrative fees incurred by the charity.
Everyone involved with HELP offers their services on a voluntary basis and the banking arrangements have been set up specifically to ensure that all funds transferred to Sri Lanka will go directly to the worthwhile causes identified by the trustees.
Our Trustees, Dr Vip Thiagarasah, Viji and Senny Viyakesparan and their families visited the Home in July together with Vip and Viji’s mother, Mrs Kamala Thiagarasah. The families held a moving commemorative service at the Home with tha staff and girls to celebrate the anniversary of the passing of their father, Mr Thiagarasah. The families also had a wonderful time getting to know the girls and of the various activities that the Home offers. It was a truly rewarding trip for all, involving teaching, dancing, singing and playing with the girls. Vip has discussed future requirements for the Home and we will ensure we do our best to accommodate their needs.
In May, Tess Hawley, and her parents, spent a week at the girls’s orphanage and had a wonderful time providing some teaching activities for the Home’s VT Trainees and the children. The girls had were very happy about their visit. Tess has provided some teaching resources which will be put to very good use in the pre-school attached to the Home.
As a result of the generosity of our donors, we have been able to sponsor the university fees in the past few years of four of the young ladies who had previously been orphans in the Amman Girls Home. It was an incredible achievement of the young girls to gain university places and we were delighted to be able to sponsor them. The Principal of the Home advised us in March that the fund we had provided for these fees had run out and asked if we could continue to support the fees of three of the girls whose studies were ongoing. One of the girls had completed her studies. We were delighted to do so.