Real progressWith the support of Plan, children and adults inSri Lanka are working together to develop theircommunities and claim their right to a betterfuture. And real progress is being made. Last year, our work included:

• Building a new school for 3,000 childrenand improving 14 other schools intsunami-affected regions

• Promoting child protection through aseries of Plan-supported workshops and training sessions for police officers

• Improving village health centres and building new ones, benefiting a total of 2,000 people

• Introducing 36 new water and sanitation projects, benefiting over 9,000families in rural areas.

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effortcombining the hard work and determination ofcommunities, children, volunteers, staff, and partnerorganisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors isa vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity andcommitment that allows us to continue to help childrenin 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!

Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

LKA

Children celebrate the completion of a new house builtas part of Plan’s post-tsunami reconstruction work

p

Challenge and change in Sri LankaIt’s been a busy year in Sri Lanka. Plan is working to provide better health, water andsanitation, early childhood care and education for Sri Lankan children. We’re alsohelping to make sure that children participate more fully in the decisions which affecttheir lives.

The tsunami reconstruction programme continues to be one of our biggest challengesin Sri Lanka, and we’ve supported the construction of 160 houses in the Hambantotaarea this year.

Juliano Fernando, Plan’s Country Director, comments: “We recognise that one of ourkey challenges for the future is to continue to encourage men, women and children to take full part in all areas of our work.”

In this Country Progress Report, we focuson one community among many wherePlan’s work with the local people toprovide better water supply and sanitationhas had a fantastic positive impact.

Sri Lanka country factsPopulation: 19.5 million

Capital: Colombo

UN Human Development Indexranking: 93rd (of 177 countries)

People with HIV/AIDS: 5%People in rural communities withoutadequate sanitation: 89%Infants with low birth weight: 22%(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UNICEF) Country Progress

Report 2007

Sri Lanka

Admagic No:Bright No:

Client name:File name:

Date:Size:

Studio proof:

0407100647PLAN0407_Sri Lanka16.11.07210x443.5mm FOLD TO A53 Client proof: 2

Any enquiries please contact:Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.comm: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150

Size (Prod) Colours(Prod) Art (A/D) Copy (C/W) Content (Acc.)

146.5mm FLAP 148.5mm BACK 148.5mm FRONT

Children play in a newly set-up playground at a Plan-supported nursery school

p

Real progressWith the support of Plan, children and adults inSri Lanka are working together to develop theircommunities and claim their right to a betterfuture. And real progress is being made. Last year, our work included:

• Building a new school for 3,000 childrenand improving 14 other schools intsunami-affected regions

• Promoting child protection through aseries of Plan-supported workshops and training sessions for police officers

• Improving village health centres and building new ones, benefiting a total of 2,000 people

• Introducing 36 new water and sanitation projects, benefiting over 9,000families in rural areas.

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effortcombining the hard work and determination ofcommunities, children, volunteers, staff, and partnerorganisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors isa vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity andcommitment that allows us to continue to help childrenin 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!

Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

LKA

Children celebrate the completion of a new house builtas part of Plan’s post-tsunami reconstruction work

p

Challenge and change in Sri LankaIt’s been a busy year in Sri Lanka. Plan is working to provide better health, water andsanitation, early childhood care and education for Sri Lankan children. We’re alsohelping to make sure that children participate more fully in the decisions which affecttheir lives.

The tsunami reconstruction programme continues to be one of our biggest challengesin Sri Lanka, and we’ve supported the construction of 160 houses in the Hambantotaarea this year.

Juliano Fernando, Plan’s Country Director, comments: “We recognise that one of ourkey challenges for the future is to continue to encourage men, women and children to take full part in all areas of our work.”

In this Country Progress Report, we focuson one community among many wherePlan’s work with the local people toprovide better water supply and sanitationhas had a fantastic positive impact.

Sri Lanka country factsPopulation: 19.5 million

Capital: Colombo

UN Human Development Indexranking: 93rd (of 177 countries)

People with HIV/AIDS: 5%People in rural communities withoutadequate sanitation: 89%Infants with low birth weight: 22%(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UNICEF) Country Progress

Report 2007

Sri Lanka

Admagic No:Bright No:

Client name:File name:

Date:Size:

Studio proof:

0407100647PLAN0407_Sri Lanka16.11.07210x443.5mm FOLD TO A53 Client proof: 2

Any enquiries please contact:Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.comm: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150

Size (Prod) Colours(Prod) Art (A/D) Copy (C/W) Content (Acc.)

146.5mm FLAP 148.5mm BACK 148.5mm FRONT

Children play in a newly set-up playground at a Plan-supported nursery school

p

Plan readily agreed and visited thevillage several times to assess the mainproblems. The village did have a well,but it was unprotected and was beingpolluted by waste water and animalwaste from the villagers’ homes. Plan’s technical officers recommendedthat the well should be rebuilt and thatpipes should be laid so that all thefamily homes could be connected to a pumping system.

A mason in the village volunteered tosupport the building work and thevillagers eagerly organised themselvesinto committees to work together with Plan’s technical officers on thevarious tasks.

Children were included in thecommunication team so that they couldtake on some of the responsibility andfeel part of the shared efforts.

Plan’s technical officers explained to thevillagers how the water and pumpsystem would operate and the kind ofwork the villagers would have to do inorder to manage and maintain it bythemselves in the future. The villagers,in turn, proved very enthusiastic andreally took to their tasks.

Sumithra enjoyed watching as thebuilding work began during the

drought season. Canals had to be dugto lay pipes but the soil was very hard.So Sumithra, other children andvillagers had to fetch water in bucketsand pots from the lake to help softenthe soil.

Children were included in thecommunication team so that they could take on some of theresponsibility and feel part of the shared efforts.

In line with Plan’s technical advice, thewell was dug much deeper than thevillagers initially planned. A pump housewas built close to the well to pump thewater along the newly laid pipes.

Learning new skillsFull training was given to the villagers inall areas of water management so thatthey could improve their waste andsanitation practices. The new systemincluded domestic latrines in all thevillage homes, with children themselvesoverseeing all the work and learningvaluable skills at the same time.

Today Walpalugama is no longer indanger of becoming an abandonedvillage. The people don’t live in fear ofthe drought season and their generalhealth has dramatically improved.

148.5mm INSIDE 148.5mm INSIDE 146.5mm INSIDE

But while the village may be virtuallycut off from the outside world, it is stillhome to 26 families. And the health ofthose families has been at serious riskbecause until recently there was noregular water supply and what waterthey could find was often contaminated.

Ten-year-old Sumithra says: “My parents used to leave for theChena (land used for farming) early inthe morning, so my sister and I had tofetch water most of the time. We had to do this even if we were sick, becausewater is so precious.”

Sumithra and her sister walked aboutfive miles to and from the nearest lakeeach day, but the water they broughthome would often be the very cause oftheir illnesses. Frequently the lake hadbeen used already by animals such ascows and the water was contaminatedand unsafe to drink. But with no otherchoice, the villagers continued to drinkthe water and to suffer from water-borne diseases. Children, with their lessdeveloped immune systems, wereamongst those who suffered most.

Children were also falling sick becausethere was no proper sanitation in thevillage, and the latrine in the school hadno water. Often, kids would miss lessonsbecause they were too sick to attend.

A shared planBut eventually, the problems posed bypoor water supply and sanitationgalvanised the villagers into action. It was they themselves who came upwith some ideas about creating a watersupply they could maintain. After that,they approached Plan to help withtechnical support and expertise for their project.

They have proper toilets, their housesare clean and because they aren’tspending hours each day collectingwater, families are finding more time tobe with one another.

The school also has a new latrine andschool attendance is excellent as thechildren are no longer falling sick fromwater-borne diseases.

The success of the project issending positive ripplesthroughout the area.

Another very positive aspect of theproject has been the way the villagershave made contacts with people andofficials outside their village who gotinvolved with the programme. Thevillagers now feel part of a much widercommunity and this is bringing a wholerange of new benefits to their lives,both commercially and socially.

The success of the project is sendingpositive ripples throughout the area andshowing other villages what can beachieved when everyone workstogether to achieve a shared goal.

Some names have been changed for privacy and childprotection reasons.

Jubilant kids enjoy the new water supply at Walpalugama Schoolp

Abandoned no moreDue to its isolated location, Sumithra’s village in North-west Sri Lanka iscalled Walpalugama, which means ‘abandoned village’.

This overhead storage tank was built to supplement supply from the wellp

Plan readily agreed and visited thevillage several times to assess the mainproblems. The village did have a well,but it was unprotected and was beingpolluted by waste water and animalwaste from the villagers’ homes. Plan’s technical officers recommendedthat the well should be rebuilt and thatpipes should be laid so that all thefamily homes could be connected to a pumping system.

A mason in the village volunteered tosupport the building work and thevillagers eagerly organised themselvesinto committees to work together with Plan’s technical officers on thevarious tasks.

Children were included in thecommunication team so that they couldtake on some of the responsibility andfeel part of the shared efforts.

Plan’s technical officers explained to thevillagers how the water and pumpsystem would operate and the kind ofwork the villagers would have to do inorder to manage and maintain it bythemselves in the future. The villagers,in turn, proved very enthusiastic andreally took to their tasks.

Sumithra enjoyed watching as thebuilding work began during the

drought season. Canals had to be dugto lay pipes but the soil was very hard.So Sumithra, other children andvillagers had to fetch water in bucketsand pots from the lake to help softenthe soil.

Children were included in thecommunication team so that they could take on some of theresponsibility and feel part of the shared efforts.

In line with Plan’s technical advice, thewell was dug much deeper than thevillagers initially planned. A pump housewas built close to the well to pump thewater along the newly laid pipes.

Learning new skillsFull training was given to the villagers inall areas of water management so thatthey could improve their waste andsanitation practices. The new systemincluded domestic latrines in all thevillage homes, with children themselvesoverseeing all the work and learningvaluable skills at the same time.

Today Walpalugama is no longer indanger of becoming an abandonedvillage. The people don’t live in fear ofthe drought season and their generalhealth has dramatically improved.

148.5mm INSIDE 148.5mm INSIDE 146.5mm INSIDE

But while the village may be virtuallycut off from the outside world, it is stillhome to 26 families. And the health ofthose families has been at serious riskbecause until recently there was noregular water supply and what waterthey could find was often contaminated.

Ten-year-old Sumithra says: “My parents used to leave for theChena (land used for farming) early inthe morning, so my sister and I had tofetch water most of the time. We had to do this even if we were sick, becausewater is so precious.”

Sumithra and her sister walked aboutfive miles to and from the nearest lakeeach day, but the water they broughthome would often be the very cause oftheir illnesses. Frequently the lake hadbeen used already by animals such ascows and the water was contaminatedand unsafe to drink. But with no otherchoice, the villagers continued to drinkthe water and to suffer from water-borne diseases. Children, with their lessdeveloped immune systems, wereamongst those who suffered most.

Children were also falling sick becausethere was no proper sanitation in thevillage, and the latrine in the school hadno water. Often, kids would miss lessonsbecause they were too sick to attend.

A shared planBut eventually, the problems posed bypoor water supply and sanitationgalvanised the villagers into action. It was they themselves who came upwith some ideas about creating a watersupply they could maintain. After that,they approached Plan to help withtechnical support and expertise for their project.

They have proper toilets, their housesare clean and because they aren’tspending hours each day collectingwater, families are finding more time tobe with one another.

The school also has a new latrine andschool attendance is excellent as thechildren are no longer falling sick fromwater-borne diseases.

The success of the project issending positive ripplesthroughout the area.

Another very positive aspect of theproject has been the way the villagershave made contacts with people andofficials outside their village who gotinvolved with the programme. Thevillagers now feel part of a much widercommunity and this is bringing a wholerange of new benefits to their lives,both commercially and socially.

The success of the project is sendingpositive ripples throughout the area andshowing other villages what can beachieved when everyone workstogether to achieve a shared goal.

Some names have been changed for privacy and childprotection reasons.

Jubilant kids enjoy the new water supply at Walpalugama Schoolp

Abandoned no moreDue to its isolated location, Sumithra’s village in North-west Sri Lanka iscalled Walpalugama, which means ‘abandoned village’.

This overhead storage tank was built to supplement supply from the wellp

Plan readily agreed and visited thevillage several times to assess the mainproblems. The village did have a well,but it was unprotected and was beingpolluted by waste water and animalwaste from the villagers’ homes. Plan’s technical officers recommendedthat the well should be rebuilt and thatpipes should be laid so that all thefamily homes could be connected to a pumping system.

A mason in the village volunteered tosupport the building work and thevillagers eagerly organised themselvesinto committees to work together with Plan’s technical officers on thevarious tasks.

Children were included in thecommunication team so that they couldtake on some of the responsibility andfeel part of the shared efforts.

Plan’s technical officers explained to thevillagers how the water and pumpsystem would operate and the kind ofwork the villagers would have to do inorder to manage and maintain it bythemselves in the future. The villagers,in turn, proved very enthusiastic andreally took to their tasks.

Sumithra enjoyed watching as thebuilding work began during the

drought season. Canals had to be dugto lay pipes but the soil was very hard.So Sumithra, other children andvillagers had to fetch water in bucketsand pots from the lake to help softenthe soil.

Children were included in thecommunication team so that they could take on some of theresponsibility and feel part of the shared efforts.

In line with Plan’s technical advice, thewell was dug much deeper than thevillagers initially planned. A pump housewas built close to the well to pump thewater along the newly laid pipes.

Learning new skillsFull training was given to the villagers inall areas of water management so thatthey could improve their waste andsanitation practices. The new systemincluded domestic latrines in all thevillage homes, with children themselvesoverseeing all the work and learningvaluable skills at the same time.

Today Walpalugama is no longer indanger of becoming an abandonedvillage. The people don’t live in fear ofthe drought season and their generalhealth has dramatically improved.

148.5mm INSIDE 148.5mm INSIDE 146.5mm INSIDE

But while the village may be virtuallycut off from the outside world, it is stillhome to 26 families. And the health ofthose families has been at serious riskbecause until recently there was noregular water supply and what waterthey could find was often contaminated.

Ten-year-old Sumithra says: “My parents used to leave for theChena (land used for farming) early inthe morning, so my sister and I had tofetch water most of the time. We had to do this even if we were sick, becausewater is so precious.”

Sumithra and her sister walked aboutfive miles to and from the nearest lakeeach day, but the water they broughthome would often be the very cause oftheir illnesses. Frequently the lake hadbeen used already by animals such ascows and the water was contaminatedand unsafe to drink. But with no otherchoice, the villagers continued to drinkthe water and to suffer from water-borne diseases. Children, with their lessdeveloped immune systems, wereamongst those who suffered most.

Children were also falling sick becausethere was no proper sanitation in thevillage, and the latrine in the school hadno water. Often, kids would miss lessonsbecause they were too sick to attend.

A shared planBut eventually, the problems posed bypoor water supply and sanitationgalvanised the villagers into action. It was they themselves who came upwith some ideas about creating a watersupply they could maintain. After that,they approached Plan to help withtechnical support and expertise for their project.

They have proper toilets, their housesare clean and because they aren’tspending hours each day collectingwater, families are finding more time tobe with one another.

The school also has a new latrine andschool attendance is excellent as thechildren are no longer falling sick fromwater-borne diseases.

The success of the project issending positive ripplesthroughout the area.

Another very positive aspect of theproject has been the way the villagershave made contacts with people andofficials outside their village who gotinvolved with the programme. Thevillagers now feel part of a much widercommunity and this is bringing a wholerange of new benefits to their lives,both commercially and socially.

The success of the project is sendingpositive ripples throughout the area andshowing other villages what can beachieved when everyone workstogether to achieve a shared goal.

Some names have been changed for privacy and childprotection reasons.

Jubilant kids enjoy the new water supply at Walpalugama Schoolp

Abandoned no moreDue to its isolated location, Sumithra’s village in North-west Sri Lanka iscalled Walpalugama, which means ‘abandoned village’.

This overhead storage tank was built to supplement supply from the wellp

Real progressWith the support of Plan, children and adults inSri Lanka are working together to develop theircommunities and claim their right to a betterfuture. And real progress is being made. Last year, our work included:

• Building a new school for 3,000 childrenand improving 14 other schools intsunami-affected regions

• Promoting child protection through aseries of Plan-supported workshops and training sessions for police officers

• Improving village health centres and building new ones, benefiting a total of 2,000 people

• Introducing 36 new water and sanitation projects, benefiting over 9,000families in rural areas.

Plan’s greatest successes come from a joint effortcombining the hard work and determination ofcommunities, children, volunteers, staff, and partnerorganisations. The ongoing support of our sponsors isa vital ingredient, too. It’s their generosity andcommitment that allows us to continue to help childrenin 49 of the poorest countries in the world.

So on behalf of the children and communities we work with, thank you to all our sponsors!

Plan UK Registered Charity No: 276035

LKA

Children celebrate the completion of a new house builtas part of Plan’s post-tsunami reconstruction work

p

Challenge and change in Sri LankaIt’s been a busy year in Sri Lanka. Plan is working to provide better health, water andsanitation, early childhood care and education for Sri Lankan children. We’re alsohelping to make sure that children participate more fully in the decisions which affecttheir lives.

The tsunami reconstruction programme continues to be one of our biggest challengesin Sri Lanka, and we’ve supported the construction of 160 houses in the Hambantotaarea this year.

Juliano Fernando, Plan’s Country Director, comments: “We recognise that one of ourkey challenges for the future is to continue to encourage men, women and children to take full part in all areas of our work.”

In this Country Progress Report, we focuson one community among many wherePlan’s work with the local people toprovide better water supply and sanitationhas had a fantastic positive impact.

Sri Lanka country factsPopulation: 19.5 million

Capital: Colombo

UN Human Development Indexranking: 93rd (of 177 countries)

People with HIV/AIDS: 5%People in rural communities withoutadequate sanitation: 89%Infants with low birth weight: 22%(Sources: the UN, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UNICEF) Country Progress

Report 2007

Sri Lanka

Admagic No:Bright No:

Client name:File name:

Date:Size:

Studio proof:

0407100647PLAN0407_Sri Lanka16.11.07210x443.5mm FOLD TO A53 Client proof: 2

Any enquiries please contact:Nick Burton. e: nick@bright-uk.comm: 07884 367567. d: 020 7620 8150

Size (Prod) Colours(Prod) Art (A/D) Copy (C/W) Content (Acc.)

146.5mm FLAP 148.5mm BACK 148.5mm FRONT

Children play in a newly set-up playground at a Plan-supported nursery school

p