Adult Literacy - Weppamadu
Some of the mothers of the children in the homes run by Footprints come from a gypsy community in the Puttalam District. The village is called Weppamadu. Most of the mothers work in the famous salt mines located in the Puttalam District, and earn small wages in return for hard labour. The majority of these women are illiterate having never attended school.
CAVALS run an adult literacy programme for these women at a dedicated site. Most of the women who work, are employed during the week, and on a Saturday or a Sunday, they participate in the educational programme co-ordinated and run by CAVALS. Two teachers are employed to teach them and volunteers/Staff from the head office visit Weppamadu to monitor progress and efficacy. There is considerable work to be done in this village among the mothers and the children, and we intend to prioritise this work when time and resources permit.
God willing in the future we would like to expand this initiative into other areas around the island. We would like to introduce new centres at a rate of 1 every 18 months, and plan to appoint a dedicated committee to oversee these plans.
