Sri Lanka

An online meeting, with Mr. Rampukar (Clinical Psychologist ( M.Phil.)Trained in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (NIMHANS, India) Consultant at Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Kanti Children Hospital). A step into planning and disussion for the psychosocial support and intervention and referral mechanisms mobilization for children with special needs.

Nepal is a sovereign nation that respects and promotes the rights of all, especially for individuals with special needs. This maybe true, however, the government of Nepal has not been able to identify and provide effective assistance and cost benefits to children in specific. The budget allocated for mental health under the health budget is said to be less than 1%. While, children in schools such as Srijanshil with both mental and physical disabilities are in dying need of interventions that can be a sustainable gateway in learning to become independent for children for years to come. Similarly, interventions that can help train both teachers and parents in learning to self-care.
A meeting was held virtually due to the increasing Covid cases in the same week. Mr. Rampukar (Clinical Psychologist) Shah from Nepal an expert in this field along with the school principal (Mr. Krishna) of Srijanshil School (for children with special needs) was held to consult the necessary interventions that can mend the lack of
awareness, skills and connections for the wellbeing of children with special needs.

Srijanshil School Intervention
Support to Srijanshil School (for special needs children)
1) Assessment
2) Tests of each child
3) Training to teachers &
parents
4) Self Care Training
5)Advocacy& Lobbying
6) Follow-up sessions

An awareness and motivation programme was held for the students of Dabling village on 12th February. The purpose of the programme was to inform the students about different postal schemes, vocational training programmes, information on health during emergencies and a motivation talk. The resource persons came from
different departments including Indian Postal Service, ILFS, Dr. Robin Rai representing Red Cross Association and Ms. Minket Lepcha. 34 students took active part in the session and thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the activities that were conducted as a part of the programme. The session ended by providing certificates to the
participants followed by lunch as some of the students had come from far off villages.

“Thank you for a lovely
session! We thoroughly
enjoyed. It was very
informative and just what
we needed.”
-Seath Lepcha, Dabling

Interactive session with Miss Minket Lepcha

Dr. Rai conducting sessions

Financial Literacy webinar bannerThe GFF HELPS Philippines Team had successfully hosted and aired its fifth free webinar about Financial Literacy: The Need For A Retirement Fund which was beautifully presented by Mrs. Remedios Saldivia-Macabate, a Licensed Financial Planner whose one of the managers in an International Life Insurance Company in the Philippines. The webinar was held on 29th of October, Friday at 1 o’clock in the afternoon, via ZOOM application and it was attended by more than 20 individuals together with their families who came from different parts of Aklan Province, Philippines.

During and until the end of the webinar proper, different ideas from the speaker, participants and the PH Team were shared to everyone. During the open forum, financial-related questions were also thrown by the participants and were professionally answered by our beloved speaker. As quoted from Mrs. Macabate, “The best time to start saving and investing your hard-earned money is NOW.”

The webinar had been livelier as ever as Mr. Saom Namchu, the GFF HELPS Asia Coordinator along with the other GFF HELPS Representatives and Volunteers were also there. This 2-hour webinar includes the introduction to the GFF HELPS founder, Sir Owen Glenn, and the International and Philippines Programmes which were hosted by the Philippine Team Representative, Lady Peace and the Philippine Team Volunteer, Stifhany Salvador.

Sewing Project 

“Making good use of what they have.”

The GFF Sewing Machines have been a great support to the five (5) Sewing Project Women since they have been using those in sewing and marketing their outputs to make a living. The PH Team  has been receiving their monthly payments for these machines since August 2021 with the receipts given to them as proof of payments. They had given them those machines 30% less from the original price to continue their livelihood and make good use of their sewing skills since most of them became Licensed Dressmakers through our Sewing Project Phase 1. They are hoping to embark with Sewing Project Phase 2 by next year to make another group of Licensed Dressmakers through this skill-sharing project.

Vegetable Garden Project – Phase II

“Continuing the “Healthy Meals: Healthy Bodies and Minds” aim

The Vegetable Garden Project beneficiaries from the different parts of Banga had finally able to plant almost all of the seeds that we had provided for them this summer year – for countless times, they were able to plant by batches considering the weather and all natural phenomenon – the planting and harvesting became continuous activity since most of the keen farmers were able to replant seeds out from the matured fruits that they had dried under the sun. The nutrients from the soil from the previous harvest was still there that’s why the replanting became possible due to the fertile soil/land. Since they have sold produce to their neighbors and local markets, they were able to save few money for their children’s schooling.

The ongoing projects were a year long projects and the participants for the webinar were from these projects. The webinar enhanced the participants to equip themselves with the financial literacy, an often not addressed topic for marginalized communities.

GFF Helps Nepal and GFF Philippines works towards emotional learning with their creative ways of engaging with various partners who can create a better mental well being of the community.

MENTAL HEALTH PROJECT
A VIRTUAL PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT FOLLOW-UP SESSION

Mrs. Ruth Shrestha conducts the Virtual Psychosocial Follow-Up Session

A Virtual Follow-up Session on School Psychosocial Support was conducted on – 17th November, 2021. The session time being 5:30pm- 6:30pm, was effectively conducted by Mrs. Ganesh Maya Ruth Shrestha (Counsellor Psychologist) on the virtual platform Zoom . The enthusiastic participation of teacher participants from community schools, was put into excellent engagement during the session.  excellent ability to engage our teachers and understanding their dedication towards their students was embraced by the participants.

A testimonial was shared by Mrs. Shanta Sharma, (teacher from Janaklyan Secondary School), on how after the workshop, the training was able to help her communicate with a young students going through a turmoil of emotions. The virtual session was a part of the project’s accountability and evaluation.

Ms. Rojina a nurse in a community school participates in the session

Ms. Sulochana Faciliates the session alongside Ms. Ruth

 

Effective Project Evaluation Session

 

IMPORTANCE OF TREE PLANTATION SESSION & ACTIVITY

Five Fruit Tree Saplings were selected for plantation. Namely_ POMEGRANATE, MANGO, GOOSEBERRY, GUAVA & PAPAYA.

Senior most students from Tri-Jyoti Higher Secondary School Participate in the tree plantation activity.

An awareness session on the Importance of Tree Plantation was conducted by GFF Helps at Tri- Jyoti School; Dated: 26th, October. This session was followed by a Tree Plantation Activity on 19th of November. A TREE PLANTATION ACTIVITY took place within the premises of Tri-Jyoti Higher Secondary School, Kapan. The senior most students participated in planting  over five fruit trees within the premises of the school. GFF Helps Nepal with the support of the school principal Mr. Ganesh Mishra and senior teacher Mr. D.B. Basnet, was successfully able to execute this project into action.

 

This activity also enhanced the mental well being of students as nature has always healed humans.

GFF Helps volunteers, students and school teachers, digging into mud intentionally to bear real fruits.

The plantation activity took place within the school premises.

School Principal Mr. Ganesh Mishra and senior teacher Mr. D.B. Basnet involve with the students as tree plantation takes place within the school premises.

Launch of the Shaper Buddy Programme

GFF HELPS Sri Lanka in collaboration with Global Shapers Kandy Hub and SANASA Campus has launched a three-month long Capacity Development and Career Guidance Programme where weekly workshops will be conducted targeting 18 students who are following degree programs at SANASA Campus. These workshops will cover a variety of topics aimed to equip the participants with 21st century skills and employability skills which will greatly enhance their chance of landing better jobs after the completion of their academic program.

Project launch and orientation programme of the “Shaper Buddy Programme” was held on Friday, October 8th 2021 with the presence of Mr. T. Karunasena, Registrar of SANASA Campus, Mr. Saom Namchu, GFF HELPS Asia Coordinator, Mr. Tharaka Munidasa, International Advisor for GFF HELPS Sri Lanka, and Ms. Pavithra Wijethunge, Curator of Global Shapers Kandy Hub.

Participants for the launch of the Shaper Buddy Programme

To briefly introduce our partner for the programme, Global Shapers are a community of young professionals brought together under an initiative of the World Economic Forum consisting of young professionals under the age of 30 working together to address local, regional, and global challenges. With more than 13,000 members, the Global Shapers Community spans 448 city-based hubs in 150 countries. Kandy Hub, the second Global Shapers hub in Sri Lanka, comprises of 25 shapers from diverse career paths and their projects focus mainly on the impact areas of Education & Employment and Climate Change & Environment.

SANASA Campus is providing higher education under government supported financial plans to students from low socio-economic background who have not been selected into public universities and are unable to afford tertiary education at private universities. Therefore, getting good professional opportunities are of utmost importance not only for their future but also for their families and this programme aims to equip the beneficiaries with skills required for them to achieve their career prospects.

This programme is implemented under GFF key focal areas of Education, Professional Development and Skill-sharing. Moreover, the programme will be contributing towards 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through the impact overlapping with targets of SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth,and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.

Workshops under Shaper Buddy Programme

Shaper Buddy Programme is implemented by GFF HELPS Sri Lanka in collaboration with Global Shapers Kandy   Hub, an initiative of the World Economic Forum, with the aim to equip 18 students who are following degree   programs at SANASA Campus with necessary skills to enhance their employability and to succeed in a work   environment. Under this programme, weekly workshops will be conducted covering 16 modules delivered be   competent and experienced resource people. The first session of module two, “Mental well-being” was conducted   by Michael Fronczak, Co-Founder and Manager at Sanatha Suwaya Meditation & Retreat Center, Kandy on 09th   October 2021. The resource person for the second session (10 October 2021) was Dr. Ravihansa Rajapakse   (PH.D., AFHEA), a researcher, UX practitioner and a strong advocate for human-centered design. Dr. Rajapakse   holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science (Human-Computer Interactions) from Queensland University of Technology.

Mental Well-being by Dr. Ravihansa Rajapakse

Language Proficiency and Confidence Building by Shamilka Karunanayake

The second week of the workshop consisted of two interactive sessions on “Language Proficiency and Confidence Building” on 16th and 17th of October 2021. The sessions were conducted by Ms. Shamilka Karunanayake and her colleagues from Global Shapers Kandy Hub. Mr. Mohomed Yasir, Area Director of Area F3 at District 82 Toastmasters and Ms. Jithmini Amunugama, a digital marketing specialist, a writer and a public speaker joined the sessions as resource people and delivered invaluable tips on how to improve public speaking skills.

Mental Well-being by Michael Fronczak

The first session of module two, “Mental well-being” was conducted by Michael Fronczak, Co-Founder and Manager at Sanatha Suwaya Meditation & Retreat Center, Kandy on 09th October 2021. The resource person for the second session (10 October 2021) was Dr. Ravihansa Rajapakse (PH.D., AFHEA), a researcher, UX practitioner and a strong advocate for human-centered design.

Public Speaking by Mohamed Yasir and Jithmini Amunugama

CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES DURING LOCKDOWN

Melissa giving prize to one of the youngest participants From Chibbo- Ms Kashish Tirwa

In the month of May, Covid-19 cases in the country and the district had surged. Our team at GFF Helps India, was prepared for yet another lockdown and thus started planning activities for the children of Chibbo, Bong and Pudung villages. No sooner did the first week pass, than the state went under complete lockdown for three months. Our main objective was to keep the students engaged in an academic yet through non-traditional activities/method- to make learning fun.

Mr. Karan Rai with the calendar he made

The children were familiarise with the QWERTY keyboard. Mr. Sujit Tirwa of Chibbo Centre

Nikita and Melissa giving away prize to the best leader- Mr. Yugen Lepcha

The mentors were assigned with the task of guiding their respective students and sending photo and video reports. Upon completion of all the activities, evaluation was done based on consistency, creativity, punctuality and effort. The leader was evaluated on punctuality and reporting.

‘I really enjoyed learning Portuguese. I did not know that we could do it online. Thank you dear Miss for giving us this opportunity. I want to have an in depth knowledge of Portuguese and will learn more in days to come.’

Anisha Rai, Bong centre.

Gff Helps Representatives with the participants of Pudung

Gff Helps Representatives with the participants of Chibbo

Based on the suggestion of the leaders, a winner for each category from every group was chosen. On the 13th of September, with prior notification, we visited Bong and Kameshi centres, Pudung centre on the 14th and Chibbo on the 20th of September to distribute prizes to the students, who were gathered in the centre. We interacted with the students and sought feedback for the activities. Some of them spoke in the language they had learned, while others read short paragraphs from the mobile library books. The children were excited to receive prizes and ensured their participation in future activities as well. To encourage participation of all the students, we provided small stationery gifts.

A student showing the seed she had germinated and observed over one week

Miss Anjela Rai of Kameshi with one of the crafts she had made