Rathnasiri Rajapakse Sarana Foundation Sri Lanka

Rathnasiri rajapakse sarana foundation - helping children in sri lanka

Foundation Concept

• Ultimate focus on the education & creating access for opportunities for low income   earning family children.

• Formulating an expertise panel which will comprised with experts who represent   different areas (academic, sports, professional & other) & select young talents from   disadvantaged families across Sri Lanka.

• Arrange a sponsoring program by gathering a strong people network around the    world to donate their funds through a propertransparent system.

• “Ran Nuwan Gaman” scholarship program is the main campaign initiated by RRSF to    provide monitory funds to lower income family children for continues education

Problems & Opportunities

Problems:
•	50% of 15 to 18 year old Sri Lankan children drop out of the school system annually & 12% of 5 to 14 year old never attend school.
•	In low-income areas the rate of children not attending school is as high as 30% (source: UNICEF “The annual State of the World’s Children” Report)
•	The relationship between the lack of education & the growth of poverty – “This situation leads to the perpetuation of poverty because such children will have no access to jobs & will acquire no skills” (Professor Swarna Jayaweera – Head of the Centre for Women’s Research –SL)
•	Sri Lanka’s 45% of students leave schools after the “Ordinary Level” the main secondary examination in the country & only 25% of those who have been originally enrolled at the schools complete the studies for the “Advance Level” & others drop out along the way (Source: UNICEF Report)
•	The total number of students admitted to university is only 2% of the potentially eligible student population.
•	In Sri Lanka 40% of the population live in poverty
•	70% of the population earn less than the Rs.5,019 (AUD $52) per month estimated as the amount needed to maintain basic living conditions - (source: Department of Census & Statistics Sri Lanka)
•	Poorest 10% of the population earn an average monthly income of Rs.1,199 (AUD $12) – (source: Department of Census & Statistics Sri Lanka)