NCYE’s international work supports school-aged children and families in Sri Lanka who were affected by the civil war, focusing on education, clean water, and accessibility. ← Back to all Projects
- Virtual Education Initiative
- Healthy Water for Schools
- School Supplies for Uyirilai
- Backpacks for the Visually Handicapped
- ORHAN Donations
Virtual Education Initiative
Since August 2019, NCYE has partnered with Annai Illam (under Aram Trust Fund), an education program in Sri Lanka providing free schooling to low-income students, many affected by the lasting effects of the Sri Lankan war. Our members hold regular video calls with students to help build their English speaking skills, while learning about Tamil language and culture in return.
Healthy Water for Schools in Rural Sri Lanka
Alongside the North Carolinians for Peace Foundation (NCFPF), NCYE partnered with the Pari Foundation to bring clean water to schools in rural Sri Lanka. Over several months, the 2024–2025 NCYE Board, NCFPF, and the Pari Foundation installed five water filtration systems for schools where safe drinking water was scarce. We raised more than $1,900 for this project through door-to-door fundraising and consistent donor outreach.
Thank you to NCFPF, the Pari Foundation, and the families in our community who made this possible. The photos below are from a visit by Anjalee (former Executive Director), Amalee (Co-President), and Geethan (member) to the schools where the systems were installed.
School Supplies Donation to Uyirilai
In partnership with NCFPF, NCYE donated $1,042 (308,212.66 LKR) to Uyirilai, a community in Mankulam, Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka supporting individuals with spinal cord injuries from the Sri Lankan Civil War. This community of over 250 members needed school materials for about 50 grade-school kids — using prior fundraiser proceeds, we were able to provide them.
Watch a short recap of the school supplies handoff at Uyirilai:
Backpack Initiative for Vanni’s Association for the Visually Handicapped
Over the 2023 holiday season, NCYE worked with the Vanni Association for the Visually Handicapped to donate around 50 personalized bags — filled with pencils, colored pencils, notebooks, toys, and postcards — to children of Tamil people who became visually handicapped due to the war.
- Money donors: the Rasathurais, Nithianandarajahs, and Pathmanathans, whose donations funded notebooks for each student’s grade level.
- Item donors: the Sutharshans, who donated backpacks, fidget toys, and pencils.
- Logistics: NCFPF and NCFP presidents Puviindran Nadesan and Deni Walter, plus Aathushan, Abishan Sutharshan, Akshana, and Abeena Roni, who delivered the backpacks.
Thank you to every volunteer who helped pack them.
ORHAN Donations
NCYE completed donations for ORHAN, the Organization for the Rehabilitation of Handicapped Persons in Vavuniya, Sri Lanka, including printers, school supplies, and clothing.