WE SRI LANKA SOLAR VILLAGE

A joint project between APSL-UK and FOG Sri Lanka

 

Sustainable Development

 

Sustainable development meets requirements of the present without compromising ability of future generations to meet theirs – eradicating poverty and harmonising economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection.  In September 2015, world leaders gathering at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York agreed a universal, transformative development agenda underpinned by 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  These SDGs (also known as the Global Goals) span a wide range of development objectives.  They include ending extreme poverty, zero hunger, sustainable agriculture, good health and well-being, clean water and energy, good quality education, gender equality, decent work and economic growth, environmental protection and combating climate change, facilitating peaceful, just and inclusive societies, and finally developing institutions and partnerships to achieve these goals.

 

Pilot Solar Village in Kaduruwewa

 

As envisioned in the SDGs, establishing ‘Solar Villages’ to harness clean, affordable solar energy is an ecologically friendly and socially effective approach to drive economic growth, eradicate poverty and sustainable development. Professor I M Dharmadasa formulated the concept of ‘Solar Villages’ in the 1990s to develop deprived, agriculture based rural villages in Sri Lanka.  In September 2008, a pilot project was launched in the Kaduruwewa village cluster, in the Kurunegala district, Sri Lanka.  A solar powered system replaced a costly to operate diesel pump to provide clean water for drinking and household use.  The Village Development Committee then used the savings to improve the village school, library, temple, roads etc.  Guided by Prof Dharmadasa, villagers also participated in productive activity such as tree planting, organic farming, brick making, bee keeping, carpentry, vegetable and fruit production, as well as voluntary community initiatives.  This way, villagers were empowered to forge their self-development, village children benefitted from a positive learning atmosphere, and the whole village had a greener natural environment to live in.

 

APSL – Hela Sarana Solar Village in Nochchiya

 

In 2017, APSL in collaboration with Hela Sarana UK jointly funded the installation of a Net Plus solar power generating system in the village of Nochchiya, in the Anuradhapura district, Sri Lanka.  This solar power system was set-up under the Government of Sri Lanka’s ‘Surya Bala Sangramaya’ programme that aims to install one million solar roofs to make households both consumers and producers of power, moving the country to self-sufficiency in power generation. While pumping water for household use is powered by electricity from the National Grid, income from solar power generated by a 6 kW solar roof is added back to the National Grid via the Net Plus system.  This income not only covers a large part of the cost of electricity to pump the water, the net savings are then used for improving village infrastructure in Nochchiya based on priorities identified by the Village Development Committee.

APSL “We Sri Lanka”

 

Following the end of the internal conflict in Sri Lanka in May 2009, APSL recognised that promoting connectivity and understanding among Sri Lankan communities living in Sri Lanka and the UK would contribute positively towards strengthening peace and reconciliation.  APSL launched the ‘We Sri Lanka’ initiative – a series of events focused on reconnecting people, reconciling differences arising from years of conflict, and rebuilding lives of war affected people in Sri Lanka by reaching out to the Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim communities living in the UK.  Establishing a Solar Village in the previously conflict affected areas in North East area of Sri Lanka was one of the key projects envisioned as part of APSL’s ‘We Sri Lanka’ initiative.

 

APSL FOG “We Sri Lanka” Solar Village in Puthiya Nagar

 

Based on the success of Solar Villages in Kaduruwewa and Nochchiya, APSL is now working with the Foundation of Goodness (FOG) in Sri Lanka to establish another Solar Village in the village of Puthiya Nagar in the Vanni area of North East Sri Lanka previously affected by 30 years of conflict.  Puthiya Nagar consists of around 80 refugee families re-settled after the end of the conflict.  A number of families in the village are headed by a widow, or have disabled family members to take care of.

 

APSL has fully financed the installation of a 6 kW solar roof on top of the Community Centre in Puthiya Nagar which also houses a Library and Pre-School for the village.  The ~ Rs 1.3 million cost of installing the solar roof, as well as providing an electricity connection, wiring and illumination to the Community Centre was met through the combination of proceeds from the 2018 APSL Dinner Dance, individual donations, and corporate giving.  The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has now provided an electricity connection to the Community Centre, and soon the village will be able to generate an alternative income stream from the Government’s Net Plus system.

 

FOG, our development partner working with the Village Development Committee in Puthiya Nagar has carried out an assessment of the most essential development needs of the village.  The priority needs identified include:

  • Pumping and storing clean water for drinking, household use and agriculture
  • Water purification for cleaner drinking water
  • English language learning and IT training for children
  • Employment creation as an alternative to manual labour and cattle breeding

The net income generated from the solar power system will be utilised to meet some of these essential needs in a phased approach.  Meanwhile FOG has already undertaken improvements to the Village Library as well as repaired and upgraded five public water wells in Puthiya Nagar to improve access to a regular source of clean water for the villagers.

 

Season’s Greetings

 

2019 was another highly productive year for APSL. We celebrated our 15th Anniversary and continued to serve the Sri Lankan community both in the UK and Sri Lanka through our highly successful projects and events.

In the UK we continued the ‘Living in the UK’ discussion series for Sri Lankan children and ‘Young Professionals Event’ to showcase achievements of young Sri Lankan professionals.  APSL represented the Sri Lankan professional community at number of high-profile events including the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. APSL marquee at the Festival of Cricket was popular among the visitors and a significant number of new members joined APSL during the event. The highlight of this year was the ‘APSL 15th Anniversary Ball’ held in London in November.

In Sri Lanka we continued to support over 70 children through the ‘Scholarship Scheme’ in its 5th anniversary.  The association is in the process of completing the third ‘Solar Village’ in Vanni district, continuing its support for rural communities in Sri Lanka. One of the main highlights of this year’s projects was the launch of APSL Florence de Silva Memorial Trust for children. APSL already delivered five projects successfully through this fund and in the process of funding six more projects. APSL Cancer Relief Network also continued to grow through the partnerships with Badulla, Kurunegala and Batticaloa General Hospitals. The project is currently providing monthly financial support for over 25 patients and well over 100 through various means around Sri Lanka since its inception in 2017. Moreover, APSL supported Sri Lankan communities affected by natural disasters as well as the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks in numerous ways.

The Executive Committee for the year 2019-20 was elected at the AGM in May 2019 and the new committee will continue to deliver and grow the events and projects during 2020. We will also focus on improving member services and introducing number of exciting projects and events to the APSL portfolio during 2020.

On behalf of the Executive Committee I wish you and your families a wonderful Christmas and very happy and prosperous New Year!

Dr. Mahesh de Silva

President, Association of Professional Sri Lankans in the UK (APSL-UK)

APSL 15th Anniversary Ball

APSL 15th Anniversary Ball was held on Saturday 16th November 2019, at Heathrow/Windsor Marriott Hotel. A wonderful evening packed with live music by Sky High, traditional and fusion dances by Dilini Seneviratne and troupe, performance by Osandi Kodagoda, Dutch auction and raffle draw with exciting prizes.