In Sri Lanka today, many families are struggling to provide the basic needs of their children and committing their limited resources for educational expenses is becoming increasingly difficult. According to a recent needs assessment by Save the Children, 50% of Sri Lankan families are currently struggling to support their children’s education and some children are already dropping out of school.
To address this immediate need and mitigate the long-term negative impact on Sri Lanka’s future, Sarvodaya is launching the ‘Light a Future’ initiative, in partnership with Atlas, Sri Lanka’s leading education brand.
In its mission to impact the lives of 100,000 children in need, the initiative will provide the necessary learning tools to those who are most in danger of dropping out of school. The ‘Light a Future’ initiative has set itself the bold target of raising USD 1.5 million in the next 90 days to ensure all 100,000 children receive their essential learning tools packs in time for the 2023 school year.
As the main collaborative partner, Atlas is contributing the necessary funds for 2,500 children and will also be providing subsidised products for the ‘Light a Future’ initiative. The company has also set up a dedicated team of volunteer Atlas staff who will devote 10,000+ of their work hours for the duration of the project. Together with this dedicated team, the company is funding the setting up of the initiative infrastructure and will be working to reach 3+ million global citizens including global Sri Lankans to ensure the success of the initiative.
Globally renowned Ernst & Young (EY) is onboard the project as the auditing partner and will be auditing the end-to-end process of the initiative to ensure accountability and transparency. Donors will also have the ability to view the status of their contribution via the ‘Light a Future’ website, which will carry live updates on the progress of their contribution.
The ‘Light a Future’ initiative calls on Sri Lankan corporates and individuals to join the cause – not only as donors and benefactors but as partners. The project seeks collaborators willing to connect the initiative to global Sri Lankan communities, associates who can amplify the message to other organisations, and support to amplify the cause among international donor audiences and networks.
For more information visit the ‘Light a Future’ website at www.lightafuture.com
