After returning from Sri Lanka’s tsunami, CSLI helped finance the building of a community centre in Kalmunai (2006), and build & replace schools damaged by the tsunami throughout Sri Lanka (2005).

After returning from Sri Lanka’s tsunami, CSLI helped finance the building of a community centre in Kalmunai (2006) by buying capital to buy land for $20,000.

The latest educational project for Rose Charities: Kalmunai is seeking land to buy and build their own school to support students from the public school system that only provides part-time study.

CSLI helped two promising Cambodian students (2010) Mao and Nhor, who without funding, wouldn’t not be able to go to university.

Eight children* through Children International* from the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, India and Chile have been supported financially over the last 10 years through regular contributions from CSLI and student fund raisers (1995).

Twenty students* from Kalmunai have been provided university scholarships so as to be able to attend college in Colombo and Jaffna (2006, 2010) through a Rose Charity initiative called UniversiTea* (Tea is one of Sri Lanka’s major exports).

With the help of our charity partner Rose Charities Canada, CSLI has adopted a township called Kalmunai on the neglected east coast of Sri Lanka. This is  the centre of many of our projects.

Providing help for survivors of floods, famines and earthquakes was the first of CSLI’s projects including

CSLI has been active with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada for a number of years with both Directors ‘adopting’ single-parent kids, Big Brother Lawrence with Kris (1990) and Big Sister Lori-Ann with Kenta (1994).

CSLI staff and students has been active participants at Terry Fox Runs over the last 10 years

Teachers and administration staff rather than taking end of year bonuses, they gave to individual local causes they cared about most including the foodbank, animal shelters and community support groups.

This is just one example from Val.

CSLI has an established recycling policy with student and staff waste materials (2005) and is currently undergoing a revolutionary energy saving program

Lawrence Keenan, Director of CSLI was the co-founder of Rose Charities Micro Credit (2006), established to provide low interest small loans to families needing to (re)start small home-based businesses after the destruction of the tsunami on communities like Kalmunai in Sri Lanka.

CSLI reaches for health and sports. At the Winter Olympics in Vancouver (2010)  CSLI students volunteered as Vancouver hosts during the games acting as translators and community support. http://vancouver-games.posterous.com

There is no sport that unites the world more than football and it is the most popular game that all our students from around the world want to play and watch, girls and guys included.

As an extension of our education programs in Sri Lanka we are beginning an exciting new project! Sonia Herndier, (public school teacher and mother of our staffer, Erika) is graciously volunteering her time and skills to help teach English to Rose Charities staff and teachers in Kalmunai.

UTW is biking across Canada along the Trans Canada Trail (coast to coast) to create greater awareness as to the benefits of micro credit in creating true sustainability for communities in economic need.