Manitha Neyam Trust is proud to serve many more homes and people throughout Sri Lanka, and are grateful to our donors for supporting these projects fully. As a celebration for our 20 years of service, MNT will be hosting a musical night fundraiser at the Lexington Christian Academy on September 28th, 2019, thanks to wonderful artists who volunteered their time and talent. For tickets and more info, please email ustrust@manithaneyam.org or visit lokvani.com.

Sri Lanka endured a civil war for nearly three decades, disrupting communities and lives across the country. As a result, tens of thousands of civilians were displaced, and lost their homes, loved ones and lives. In addition to the existing turmoil, in 2004, a massive tsunami shook the nation, and inflicted more pain and suffering on an already devastated population. Though the war has ended, the wounds persist, and the memory of the troubles lives on.

Manitha Neyam Trust (www.manithaneyam.org) has undertaken and lived the mission to recreate a future of love, opportunity and happiness for all those who have suffered and continue to suffer, as a consequence of civil strife and natural disasters. We work to achieve this by:

•Raising awareness of the suffering that is largely ignored, forgotten or unknown

•Providing our donors a direct channel to support sustainable high-impact projects, with no overhead charges such that 100% of donations (other than bank transfer charges) go towards the projects and people

•Focus on educational, vocational and re-orientation training to improve individual lives, and allow them to better their community through positive contribution

MNT is a registered 501(c)(3) organization, and started operations in 1999. We have about 15 ongoing projects, that we are thankful to annual donors for funding.

Here are a few of the projects we support:

The Mahadeva Ashram is a long-standing home for children who are orphans due to the conflict and natural disasters. Currently, the home cares for 150+ children and provides them with all needs for comfort, food, education and extracurricular activities. Standing with the “right to life with dignity”, the home provides a protective environment to children and continue to look after their mental and physical wellbeing.

Manitha Neyam Trust continuously supports the Ashrams service. Two of such noteworthy projects are the Cashew and Coconut Farm and the Dairy Farm, which were initiated with the purpose of self-sufficiency and sustainability, creating an extra source of income to support the children. Using the technical assistance of the veterinary health department, the ashram also raises and nurtures 32 cows and 25 calves, which helps the home to self-sustain their organic milk needs and adds to their sustainability initiative.

The Sivapoomi School is the place to experience first-hand the resilience of a few incredible people that hail from the Northern Peninsula of our country.

A completely free of charge school with over 160 children with Down syndrome, autism and different abilities, parents were overwhelmed with gratitude for the high-quality education and care given to their children. Among their educational development, students are also highly encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities and sports.

In 2011, Sivapoomi School made Jaffna and all of Sri Lanka proud by producing a Youth Special Olympic medal winner. Sivarajah Thushyanthan, a Sivapoomi student who participated in the Youth Special Olympics 2011, succeeded in winning a silver and bronze medal at the games.

Sivapoomi Elders home is a haven for the elders where they are cared with endless love and affection. All of our residents are provided with medical facilities, a recreational area, temple and a library. The Home has in-house nursing care, offering physical and mental support, and a healthy, nutritionally balanced diet.

Manitha Neyam Trust has actively supported The Elders Home since the its doors opened, with the grace of our donors. MNT has been able to donate an electric escalator chair to assist elders to reach the first floor of the facility where the rooms and main hall located, as well as a minibus, to transport residents wherever they need to go.

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