Miguel Cunat Hengstenberg

In the heart of Sri Lanka’s Hill Country, the Pekoe Trail passes through many tea-estate communities where children and schools continue to face significant challenges. The administrators of the Pekoe Trail Hikers community, have a particular interest in supporting children’s education in communities along the Pekoe Trail, and, where possible, elsewhere in the Hill Country. We have identified several schools and early-childhood education centres that require assistance. Their needs vary considerably, from repairing or renovating buildings to providing classroom furniture, sanitation facilities, learning materials and safe spaces in which children can learn and play. Our first objective is to support the renovation of a preschool serving the community of Elboda Upper Division on Kirkoswald Estate, between Bogawantalawa and Norwood. More than 350 families live in this community, many of whom work on the surrounding tea estate. The preschool currently serves approximately 26–35 children, but its temporary building must soon be vacated. The nearest alternative is more than five kilometres away, and the cost and difficulty of daily transportation would place it beyond the reach of many families. Funds raised through this campaign will initially help us establish a safe and sustainable preschool facility for these children. Depending on the amount raised, we hope to extend our support to other deserving schools and educational initiatives in the Hill Country. We also invite members of the Pekoe Trail Hikers community to suggest schools, preschools or other practical ways in which we might support education in these communities. We hope this fundraiser can become a shared platform through which hikers and friends of the Hill Country can make a meaningful and lasting contribution. No contribution is too small. Every donation will help improve educational opportunities for children in Sri Lanka’s Hill Country and give something back to the communities that make the Pekoe Trail, and the wider region, so special.