Life-Saving Clean Water: 300 Villagers, 15 years

Introduce yourself and what you're raising funds for

My name is Kanishka Wanninayaka, a kid who grew up in one of the most impoverished villages in Sri Lanka without access to basic infrastructure like electricity and water. Ever since moving to the states and getting into entrepreneurship, I've observed the desire the community around me has to give back and support people in places like where I am from.

I am eternally grateful for the unique circumstance life has placed me in to be a connector of kind and giving people like yourself to places that are in need. Over the past few years, with your help, we have been able to:

1. Build a school for 180 children

2. Build 4 homes for homeless families where the main breadwinner has died or has health issues prevent them from being able to work

3. Put 12 kids through high school and college

4. Provide critical medical supplies during the pandemic to hospitals so mothers didn't have to give C-section births without anesthesia

5. Provide access to food and supplies when the country was gridlocked to prevent a village of 100 people from starving

Through these initiatives, I have assembled a team of some amazing volunteers in Sri Lanka who take the money we donate and maximize its reach. They use it only to buy the supplies they need and use volunteers to do as much work as possible to increase the ability to impact.

The project

This village is next to the one I grew up in. While I was in Sri Lanka last month, a distant relative came to say hello while holding on to their grandchild. She was on her way to our village with 2 buckets in her hand to get water from an old bacteria-filled well. That's when I asked about it and learned how her village hasn't had access to clean water in years. They drink river water or have to make a 2-hour journey to nearby villages and use old abandoned and unmaintained wells to get their drinking water.

What water filtration can do for this community

Immediate Relief: Your support will immediately provide clean water to these 300 villagers, ending their daily struggle for survival. No longer will they have to fear waterborne diseases or spend hours traveling to fetch water.

Health and Well-being: Clean water is a cornerstone of good health. With your help, these villagers will enjoy improved health, fewer illnesses, and a chance at a longer life.

Education: Clean water means children no longer have to spend their days fetching water, and schools can focus on providing quality education. Your contribution ensures that the next generation has a chance at a brighter future.

Economic Empowerment: Access to clean water enables adults to engage in income-generating activities, breaking the cycle of poverty and providing a sustainable future for the village.

Legacy: Your generosity will create a lasting legacy. The water filtration system you help us build will serve this community for at least 15 years, impacting the present and future generations.

Describe why it's important to you

Work like this is important to me because every child deserves a fighting chance to try to make something of themselves. These communities are slowly getting access to the internet, self-educating, and being able to work over a few more generations to overcome the harsh conditions they're born into. If we can provide something as little as $20,$50,$100 dollars, which we would spend on ONE meal, to create a generational impact that may change the future of so many people, why not do it? We who live and benefit from the opportunities the developer world provides us and are driven by our natural instinct as humans to be caretakers have such a HUGE and EASY path to create so much change.

Explain how the funds will be used.

With $5000 we can construct a deep well on the local school grounds (so that the school can continue to maintain it once it's constructed). Then, buy and connect a water filtration system to that well, providing 1000 liters of clean drinking water daily. The volunteer group I have curated will create a board of locals that will collect monthly dues from the villagers to pay the electricity bill and manage the maintenance of the system and well for the next 15 years.

How you can help

First, if you clicked into this GoFundMe and read this far down, thank you. I appreciate your taking the time to learn and care about something like this. That is already half the battle.

1. Donate: Every dollar counts. Don't worry if you can't donate $200; donate $1. It still matters and counts.

2. Share: This is the most important one. It takes one click to share this on your LinkedIn or facebook.

Finally, thank you so much for those who have donated to projects like this with me in the past. Join me in taking comfort in the thought that there are 100s of people alive today, and even those not born yet, that will benefit from the little kindness we were able to do.

Side-note for you super wealthy folks:

There are 100s of villages like this in Sri Lanka. If you want to make larger contributions and build and serve even more people, we can. If this donation exceeds $5000, I will start another project in a different village. There isn't any limit to how much impact that can be created.

Once it's built, for anyone interested, I can organize a trip so we can go to the opening ceremony and hangout with the people of the village and experience their gratitude firsthand for our contributions.