02/02/2026
2025 was another big and busy year for our volunteers and our Sri Lankan program.
We began with a second op shop at 61a Kareela Rd Frankston in January and over December we had a group of fabulous people helping to renovate and place all we needed before we opened up mid January.
Our original op shop at 51 Kareela Rd Frankston was changed to clothing etc and the new shop is homewares.
We have a group of volunteers who work of a Monday at our factory at Kitson Street Frankston sorting all the education items that are donated and they check pens, textas, sharpen pencils and then pack pencil cases.
We also have a jewellery lady and an online seller there of a Monday as well.
Up until June, I packed all of the boxes with everything that we had donated which needed to be shipped to Sri Lanka for the 2025 school deliveries.
Our volunteers who work at our op shops do amazing and supportive work six days a week. Over the year due to our new shop and business, we added another 12 volunteers to our already great group.
Once I arrived into Sri Lanka, we contacted the school principals to confirm how many children at each school, boys and girls and grades. We also confirm the number of teachers at each school as we have items to give to them for their roles at school.
We ended up supporting 820 school children and 135 Montessori (kinder) children as well at 9 schools and 5 Montessori’s
The schools are in very poor areas around the Island so it takes sometimes a week to travel to the area, visit the schools and travel back to Kandy. Believe me, it’s not a restful period, the work in readiness for delivery takes a lot of work.
During the last donation trip, i had 3 members of Percy’s family who came to help unpack the 112 boxes and sort for all schools. That was fantastic for them to do.
Once i arrived back home again, working with around 6 schools who donate heaps of school items at the end kf the year was again great. I also had communication from 2 ladies from Sydney who donate exercise books, pencil cases and backpacks from Sydney via aus post or Officeworks such annually generous ladies
As the year came to an end, we held a “Thank You” morning tea for our volunteers at Sages Cottage Baxter. It was a great event and everyone enjoed being together chatting and laughing.
At the end of November 25, there was a cyclone that hit Sri Lanka and caused great flooding across the country, killed many people and caused atou d 1000 landslides which caused very big problems for families, childrens schools and businesses for the first 10 days, it was a very bad situationfor food and water so we as the charity got friends in Sri Lanka, Kandy district to provide food for families locally who needed it. Many people were staying at the local Temple and others couldnt work due to the high level of water and the train and road disasters so we ended up supporting 120 approx families with basic food. We were also donated good amou ts of money so that we could provide educational items to children whos school were damaged or destroyed by the cyclone
Im here now and have bisoted one scho with 63 students and next school visit has 43 students ive purchased, backpacks and exercise books for them and are using the filled pencil cases that we had remaining here.
I have added heaps of photos that we took through the year.
I hope you enjoy reading and looking at the pictures.
