Annual Progress Report

Dilini Nadesha M.m. and her community.

Community Name:	Dombagahawela
Information for:	Miss Wilson
Information collected by:	Dayananda U.A., Plan staff member
Person interviewed	Dilini's mother Gnanawathie

Introducing ther update

Ther report follows a visit to Dilini's family and uses a standard format to ensure that it provides an update on how Dilini and her family are and outlines the work that Plan is doing with them and their whole community.

Strengthening a bond

Dilini's mother Gnanawathie told us that Dilini enjoys skipping, dodge ball and reading, and is now able to help her family with small errands. Perhaps you would like to know more about these activities? Or perhaps about her life in the community? Below are some key facts, but please also write and send greetings to Dilini and her family so they can send you a message. Dilini is now able to write her own letters to you.

Dilini's health

Dilini has been healthy over the last year.

Dilini's education

Dilini is still attending the secondary school. She has been promoted to the eighth grade. Her performance at school is good now. This year her favourite lessons have been mathematics, local language and religion.
She still travels by foot and it takes her less than 30 minutes to get there.

Dilini's family situation

There have been no changes to who lives with Dilini.

The family's access to basic services

Dilini's family use a private latrine for their toilet facilities. There is enough water during both rainy and dry seasons. It comes from an open well. The water is safe to drink at all times.

The nearest health facility is the hospital which is about forty-five minutes away.

What has been happening in the area where Dilini lives

The projects undertaken to benefit Dilini's community include:

A monthly children's newspaper was provided to your sponsored family (and others) to increase their interest and opportunity to learn. The 4-colour, 20-25 page newspaper includes illustrated encyclopedia-like articles for use writing school reports, "how-to" columns ("How to operate Windows 95!"), sports, culture and history lessons, a "Personals" column, letters to the editor, poems, songs and a variety of games.

A community centre was constructed to serve as a venue for community activities such as the preschool or community library, and as a meeting point for the local youth club and other community organizations.

Your sponsored family received financial assistance from Plan to construct a water-seal latrine at home. This will improve the level of hygiene and sanitation around the home, and so decrease the incidence of related sickness/disease (diarrhoea, skin infections etc.) The project benefitted all needy families in the vicinity - to wipe out the locus of contamination throughout the community.

Local health-related workers (Ministry of Health, community health committee, preschool teachers) were trained on basic health topics such as maternal-child health, family planning, hygene and sanitation, and nutrition - to increase/improve outreach and information made available to local residents, to promote healthy behaviour.

A local preschool was provided with furniture and equipment (desks, chairs, tables, cupboards, bookshelves, blackboards and/or noticeboards etc.) to improve the quality of teaching and learning by students (3-6 year olds).

The local health centre was improved/repaired - to fix leaks, improve drainage, construct internal divisions, install a ceiling etc. - to improve the quantity and quality of health services in the area.

Plan paid a stipend to primary school teachers in several schools, for them to teach additional classes after school and on weekends - to increase students' access to instruction and their comprehension of the subject matter - in maths, language, social studies, and science.

Plan financed the training of teachers from the local secondary school(s). The training refreshed and updated their knowledge and skills on curriculum subjects and teaching methods. The objective is to improve the quality of teaching - and learning by students.

Plan conducted a seminar/workshop on "child rights and responsibilities" for children and parents in the community. The objective is to increase/ improve awareness and behaviour, concerning child rights.

We hope you have enjoyed reading ther report. We will continue to work with the community to improve the life of Dilini and all the other children in the area, for them to be able to realize their potential.

Through your link with Dilini you share in the work of the whole community. Your contributions help to fund community projects that families are doing with Plan to benefit their children. We thank you for your continued commitment.