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<div><strong>Dear Amazing Supporters,</strong>
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<div>Thanks to your incredible generosity, we have officially raised over <strong>$23,000 from 157 donors</strong>—a massive milestone in our shared mission to bring education, dignity, and workplace opportunities to a rural mountain community just outside Walapane, Sri Lanka.
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<div><strong>The Dream / Securing the Foundation</strong>
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<div>Five years ago, to ensure our dream of creating educational opportunities for underprivileged children took a major step forward, I stepped in to personally purchase a large parcel of land right beside Pubudu and Naomi's home that currently serves as a school, community center, and church.
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<div>By taking care of the land cost out of my own savings, it meant that we could bypass years of fundraising just for property. <strong>Instead, every single dollar raised by our community of supporters goes directly where it matters most: straight into the bricks, mortar, and materials for the children's classrooms and project.</strong>
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<div>Because you chose to care, real change is happening on the ground right now. Here is how your love is being transformed into action, and the vital next steps we are taking together on this very piece of land:
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</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/75994763_1783197469738027_r.jpg" width="100%" />
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<div><strong>Stage 1: A Classroom for Change </strong>
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<div>We are on the home stretch of completing a dedicated classroom for 50 beautiful children who have previously been locked out of education due to complex economic, cultural, and religious barriers. This new space will be a sanctuary—an inclusive, safe, and welcoming environment opening the doors to literacy, confidence, and a brighter future. Thank you for breathing life into this room.
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</div><img alt="" media_type="3" src="https://d2g8igdw686xgo.cloudfront.net/75994763_1754335222475537_r.jpeg" width="100%" />
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<div><strong>Stage 2: A Sanctuary for Those Who Give Everything</strong>
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<div>For 20 years, Pastor Pubudu, his wife Naomi, and their son Caleb have been the beating heart of this community. They have lived in a single building that has had to serve as their family home, a community center, a school, and a church.
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<div>Today, they are literally being squeezed out of their own living space by the sheer number of children seeking an education and vulnerable community members looking for hope. They have sacrificed their privacy, comfort, and space for two decades to lift others up. It is time we give them a home of their own. Stage 2 is about building a safe, private residence for this beautiful family, ensuring they have the rest and sanctuary they need to keep pouring love into Walapane.
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<div><strong>Stage 3: Community Funded by Culture &amp; Tourism</strong>
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<div>To ensure this project thrives for generations, we aim to build two self-contained studio apartments above the school. These will be offered to travelers and volunteers seeking a raw, authentic experience of this stunning mountain region. <strong>Every single cent </strong>generated from these stays will be directly reinvested into the school's daily operations and local community initiatives.
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<div><strong>Stage 4: Growing a Sustainable, Off-Grid Future</strong>
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<div>True empowerment means self-sufficiency. Our final stage involves purchasing a plot of nearby land to establish a small-scale farming project—growing crops like pepper and raising chickens. This will not only generate organic, sustainable income for the school’s longevity but will also create vital, dignified employment for local families.
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<div><strong>Why Sri Lanka?</strong>
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<div>My deep connection to this beautiful island nation began in 2004, in the raw aftermath of the Boxing Day Tsunami. Volunteering with Project Galle, we built greenhouses and grow bags to help displaced families rebuild their lives from the dirt up.
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<div>It was during those intense, defining days that I met two extraordinary human beings: Pubudu and Naomi. For over twenty years, I have watched them selflessly devote every waking hour to serving their people. This project isn't just about brick and mortar; it's about standing shoulder-to-shoulder with lifelong friends who give everything to humanity.
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<div><strong>Team effort, thank you all</strong>
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<div>Thank you for being part of this beautiful journey. We are changing lives—one child, one brick, one bag of cement, and one day at a time.
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<div>With deep gratitude,
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<div>Garry (Gazza) Sullivan, Pubudu, and Naomi
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<div><strong>Connect &amp; Ask Questions</strong>
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<div>If you would like to know more, or if you are interested in visiting, staying, or volunteering at the school, please reach out directly using the "Contact" button next to my organizer profile on this page, or through my website ( see link below ) . <strong>I would love to hear from you—just having people ask questions is incredibly inspiring to us!</strong>
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<div><strong>Follow us </strong>
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<div>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/simplybarefoot.life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Simply Barefoot Life</a>
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<div>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/simplybarefoot.life/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Simply Barefoot</a>
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<div>Youtube :<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@simplybarefootlife" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Simply Barefoot Life</a>
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<div>Web: <a href="https://simplybarefoot.com.au/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Simply Barefoot</a>
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Anonymous

Ava Shirley

Jacqui Bell

Karen Lembach

Elizabeth Coffey

Josephine Downey

Matthew Hallows

Brigid Doyle

Jane Corben

Krystina Ross

Hannah Passfield

Monika Dresden

Garry Sullivan

Bailey Hand

Amie Bond

Trent Agosta

Justine Sandstrom

Lol Mob

School and Farm in the Hills . Transforming Lives

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School and Farm in the Hills . Transforming Lives

Still $26,247 to go. Help us build momentum.