Serendip & Sappani Special Need Schools, Sri Lanka

Serendip Childrens Home  (UK) and the Sappani Foundation (Canada) are joining efforts to provide eight schools with special needs units in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka, with the Sappani Foundation matching every £1 raised! Our aim is to help children with developmental disabilities, such as autism, and physical disabilities affecting their daily life to have the educational environment that best supports their needs.

With the special need units for each school costing £1300, we need £12000 (approximately $20000 CAD) to upgrade eight schools and support efforts to train specialist teachers. To help us reach this target, for every £1 raised, the Sappani Foundation will match £1 to meet £12000. Please support today with your donations!

This collaboration is brought together by Smile for Sri Lanka , following the success of our Christmas shoebox appeal. 

Background
In North and East Sri Lanka, the necessary facilities to support children living with developmental and physical disabilities is lacking or non-existent. Furthermore, there is limited understanding of the needs of these children by teachers of standard schools as well as parents. Often these children are either kept at home or sent to standard schools. As a result, these children do not receive the support for their needs, limiting their opportunities to have an independent future. 

Special needs units
We will set-up a dedicated special need unit at each school with: 
- Group work tables and 1-to-1 workstations to allow group and individual teaching. 
- Sensory support equipment to stimulate and develop sensory attributes like pressure, weight, sound, colour, and tactile.
- Occupational therapy products and resources to help older children develop fine motor/gross motor skills and writing skills to build essential life skills. 
- Speech therapy support equipment, including visual aids and spech-output devices.
- Home working materials to continue their education at home with parental support.

For more information about the project, please visit the Serendip website.