Sponsor a Child

Change a Life

Anushika

Wattala, Sri Lanka

Girl, Age 11

Anushika will transfer to join Dove Class at Paalam School in September 2025. Despite having attended an English medium school for the past 4 years, Anushika has almost no understanding or knowledge of English as the school she was attending did not teach properly and had extremely under-qualified teachers. Anushika’s mother has got into debt by trying to pay the school fees each month, with sadly no fruit to show.

Anushika lives with her mother, elder brother (19), and her paternal grandparents. Sadly, Anushika’s father died in 2015 due to kidney failure. Her elder brother left school after completing his O Levels and works in a hardware store. From this small wage he tries to support his mum and sister. Most months he gives the majority of his salary to pay for the house rent to relieve some burden from his mother. The house they rent is small and has lots of issues, like a leaking roof and flooding during the rainy seasons.

Reference Number -

0246

Family Information

Anushika’s paternal grandparents are both quite unwell and suffer with various sicknesses including arthritis and fluctuating blood sugar levels. The medicines they need each month can be expensive if they are not available from the free government hospitals. Anushika’s mother and brother both suffer from wheezing and have to attend a monthly clinic for checkups on their health and lungs.

Anushika’s mother has started working in a food shop cooking. Frustratingly, due to loan repayments (from after her husband’s death and more recently), each month she has very little left to make ends meet. Financially, it would be hard for her to pay the full school fees for Anushika without going into further debt.

Support Anushika

Reference Number -

0246

Sponsor my Education

For £30 a month you can ensure that your sponsored child is able to go to school. Your sponsorship covers Tuition fees, academic materials, school uniform, extracurricular activities and basic health care, including glasses if necessary.

'If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.'

Mother Theresa

What can I expect from my Sponsorship?

Once you make your selection and fill in your details, you’ll be prompted to set up a Direct Debit or Standing Order with The Dust Project to cover the costs of your chosen child. This will come out of your account on a monthly basis. Quarterly, The Dust Project makes a Sterling transfer of these collective funds to Sri Lanka, which provide our Ambassadors, local employees and sister-charity The Palaam Project (click here to find out more) with the allocated funds to buy groceries, clothing, school items and other needs, as budgeted for your child.

After you've signed up to sponsor a child, we’ll send you further information in the mail about him or her. You can expect to receive a letter from your child each trimester. We encourage you, however, to write and introduce yourself as soon as possible, as they’ll be so excited to have a sponsor! Feel free to send photos of your family, have your own children draw pictures or write letters, and begin to develop a relationship with your sponsored child. You are incredibly special to them, and they'll treasure every word they receive from you.

You can post letters and small gifts to your sponsored child at one of the following addresses, depending on his/her location.

Please send them clearly labeled with the name of your sponsored child to either:

If your sponsored child lives in Jaffna -

Name of your child

c/o The Dust Project

'Jenny Cot'

Kopay South,

Kopay,

Jaffna,

Sri Lanka

If your sponsored child lives in Wattala -

Name of your child

c/o The Dust Project
22A 1st Lane,
Palliyawatta,
Hendala,
Wattala,
Sri Lanka

In no way is this a compulsory measure - in fact, we strongly advise that if you must send anything, send simple things they can relate to and enjoy within the context of their families and ‘sisters’ at the hostel. Electronics, expensive clothing, ‘slime’ and things of an impractical nature don’t translate very well. They DO enjoy things like stickers, dolls, school supplies, and small items such as marbles, bouncy balls, drawing pads, etc. And it goes without saying, Sri Lanka is a HOT country and it takes up to 3 months to get things to the children… so chocolates and melting candies don’t bode well.

Acceptable items to send - MUST be a flat letter up to A4, or fit in medium-sized JIFFY BAG (boxes/parcels require a fee to be 'released' and must be picked up at an inconvenient location) -

Stickers
Small packs of sweets (non-melting!)
Letters with life updates and messages
Postcards with nice phrases and images - or a postcard from a place the sponsor has recently visited
Photos of sponsor and their families / pets
Drawings for the sponsor child from your own family
Stationary items
T-shirt / lightweight clothing / modest apparel
Colouring sheets
Hair accessories / small & cheap jewellery items (friendship bracelets etc)
Small toys: Paper gliders / fidget spinner / GoPop (pop-it) / bouncy ball / yo-yo
Pack of balloons (consider age of child)
Bookmark
Pencil case
Toothbrush / comb
Key chain

UNACCEPTABLE items - please DO NOT send! -

chocolates, melting or home-made foods
cash of any currency
boxes of any size / anything larger than medium-sized Jiffy bag (padded envelope)

Thank you!!!!

Thank You

We — as the Trustees, and all who work alongside us — want to say a heartfelt THANK YOU for your selfless generosity of spirit in sponsoring your child. We know there are countless ways to use money every month, and that to give is a sacrifice. However, we also firmly believe that to sow into the life of another human being — who otherwise would have a very difficult time surviving, let alone thriving — is the VERY best investment you could possibly make. Your financial support and connection will inevitably change the course trajectory of their lives, the health of their growing bodies, and encourage the stability of their growing sense of hope and self.