Sri Kanaga Thurkkai Amman Girls' Home, Palugamam, Batticaloa district
Anathi Project of Sri Lanka
 

Sri Kanaga Thurkkai Amman Girls' Home, Palugamam

Palugamam Sri Kanaga Thurkkai Amman Girls' Home
Palugamam Sri Kanaga Thurkkai Amman Girls' Home
The 80 girls of Palugamam Sri Kanaga Thurkkai Amman Girls' Home live happily despite conditions of relative poverty.
Palugamam Sri Kanaga Thurkkai Amman Girls' Home

Sri Kanaga Thurkkai Amman Girls' Home, Palugamam, consists of 80 girls ages 8-18, two matrons, and two cooks. These 84 individuals live in a home built in 1996 that originally housed only 15 girls. All 84 share a single well and only three toilets. Because so many people are using the same well to bathe, they face a severe drainage problem. Anathi.org intends to arrange for construction of more toilets and a large septic tank, so the drainage problem can be solved. But a host of other health, nutritional, educational, etc. issues remain to be addressed.

Sri Kanaga Thurkkai Girls' Home is associated with the Sri Kanaga Thurkkai Temple in London, UK. But the home's needs far outstrip the London temple's ability to do more than to feed the children and pay the four women who look after them. They have however been able with help from the London temple to build an adjoining classroom and computer lab with five old computers, and are attempting to give the girls and neighboring school children some basic training in computer operation.

Despite the overcrowded conditions, the girls and staff of Sri Kanaga Thurkkai Girls' Home, Palugamam, are remarkably cheerful, living harmoniously together and taking their studies seriously. Anathi.org would like to place a full time lady volunteer to look after the girls here and at the nearby Chettipalayam and Sakthi Illam homes as well. If you would like to spend time with these girls as a volunteer, or if you would like to sponsor some of the home's immediate needs, kindly contact the Anathi.org Project Coordinator Patrick Harrigan.

Sri Kanaga Thurkkai Amman Girls' Home needs:

  • Construction of septic tank for well water drainage: ca. US$180
  • Additional line of toilets
  • Completion of parapet wall around the home
  • Refrigerators: ordinary size (2) or large (1)
  • Telephone connection: US$240 connection fee + ca. $25/mo. for calls
  • Almirahs (4) metal closets for the girls to store their belongings
  • Computer: $700 for complete desktop system
  • Shoes for all 80 girls
  • Color television

Contact details

Ms. Sasikala, Director
Sri Kanaga Thurkkai Amman Girls' Home
Palugamam, Batticaloa district
e-mail: swo@slt.lk
Tel: +94 65 225-0189

Cheque, drafts and money orders should be drawn in favour of "Social Welfare Organization":
Account No. 20275, People's Bank, Kaluwanchikudy, Batticaloa