The Day of First Meeting for the Ihaladiggala School Building Project

Date: 9 May 2018
Location: Ihaladiggala, Sri Lanka

On 9 May 2018, we visited Ihaladiggala for the first discussion about the possibility of constructing a new school building to support the educational needs of the children in the area. This meeting marked the beginning of what would later become a particularly meaningful community project.

We met with the school principal, parents and members of the local community to understand their needs and discuss what could realistically be done. The discussion took place in a simple outdoor setting beneath the trees, where ideas were exchanged about the school, the needs of its children and the possibility of creating the required building.

At this stage, there was no completed project—only a need, an idea and a shared hope of turning that idea into something real. This makes these photographs particularly meaningful today, as they preserve the very beginning of the journey.

When the completed building was eventually handed over for the children on 9 December 2019, this first meeting of 9 May 2018 gained even greater significance. What began as a simple discussion beneath the trees had developed into a tangible contribution for the children of Ihaladiggala.

For me, this day remains important as the starting point of a journey that moved from identifying a community need to eventually turning that idea into a real school building for the children.