Kalkudah on Sri Lanka’s beautiful eastern coast is a melting pot of culture, colour and the tight-knit spirit of community.
At the MJF Foundation Centre Kalkudah, the sprawling 23-acre hub is always a buzz of activity. From excited 3-year-olds hosting their own little markets to young people learning new skills to women entrepreneurs taking the next step in a new journey – the Centre is a resource hub with something for every member of the greater community.
Here’s a roundup of some of our recent events!
A Celebration of Abilities: The Rainbow Programme Sports Meet
250 enthusiastic participants, including supportive parents and local government officials, all gathered for a day of spirited competition and camaraderie. This was the scene at the annual sports meet for the Rainbow Programme in Kalkudah.
The Rainbow Programme, an award-winning initiative by Dilmah’s MJF Charitable Foundation, is a beacon of hope, providing holistic education and crucial skills training for children and young people with Down Syndrome and other developmental disorders. Its impact in Kalkudah is particularly profound. Beyond our direct programmes, we also actively collaborate with state agencies and universities, establishing essential resource hubs and offering therapeutic services for children and their caregivers and opportunities for undergraduates in the field of special education and healthcare ensuring a sustainable impact.
Little Dreamers, Big Lessons: MJF Preschool Market
Recently, the students of the MJF Preschool in Kalkudah created their very own ‘Marketplace for Dreams’. This unique one-day market brought together 140 kids, parents, and teachers for an incredibly interactive learning experience. It was a delightful way to teach our youngest dreamers the value of money, decision-making, and essential social skills – lessons that will undoubtedly serve them well as they grow up.
The preschool at our MJF Foundation Centre Kalkudah is the newest addition to our preschool programmes across the west, south, and now east of Sri Lanka, collectively supporting 232 little ones. What makes our preschool at Kalkudah even more special is that it stands out as one of the few pre-kindergarten facilities available in the surrounding region, providing invaluable accessibility to resources and education for both parents and children.
Empowering Women, Fuelling Futures
Empowerment takes many forms, and in Kalkudah, we’re dedicated to uplifting women in the community. We recently had the privilege of inviting 37 rural female micro-entrepreneurs in the food industry from the Eastern Province to a comprehensive 4-day training programme. Held at our Empower Culinary & Hospitality School in Kalkudah, these inspiring women learned new techniques and recipes for local dishes and juices, enriching their culinary skills.
But the learning didn’t stop there. Our own Finance and IT instructors provided crucial knowledge on costing, financial management, savings, and even leveraging technology for advertising. To top it off, the local Public Health Inspector shared some vital information on food hygiene, ensuring their businesses thrive with both skill and safety.
Our community initiatives didn’t stop there.
Coconut Shell Crafting For the Community
23 participants (21 women and 2 men) from 09 villages joined students and teacher from the Rainbow Programme to learn crafting of coconut shells. Over days, they were taught skills to carve toys, jewellery, cups, mugs, flowers, and vases using coconut shells.
The success of the 5 day workshop is a reflection of the passion to learn and drive to succeed amongst the resilient communities in the surrounding villages. Learning through impact, we have already formed coconut shell craft groups at the village and centre levels to continue skill development, promote income generation, and strengthen community-based livelihoods!
Check out https://www.facebook.com/MJFCF/ and https://www.instagram.com/mjffoundation/ to learn more about how we #MaketheWorldABetterTea.
