This is us

About Sri Lanka Orphanage Foundation

How it all started

At the request of a doctor friend in Sri Lanka Marja van Leeuwen, started days after the tsunami in late 2004, with the collection of 24 boxes of medicines and bandages. On December 30, she was back in the Netherlands with a new mission in life: building an orphanage to help the children in the severely affected area in the south of Sri Lanka.

In a television broadcast by Karel van de Graaf on New Year’s Day she spoke about her dream, and that was the start of the first private aid project for the youngest victims of the tsunami.

The fundraising began, a committee was formed, relief goods were shipped and a team of 300 volunteers put up their sleeves to provide professional assistance.

Sri Lanka Orphanage Foundation has a partnership with a local partner organization and 45,000 m2 of land was made available by the generous Saparamadu family.

One hundred days after the disaster the Somawathi Home orphanage opened <link!> its doors and the first children were brought here by the child protection. Today there are 104 children permanently in Somawathi Home; at least until they are 18, this will be their safe and loving home.

Since its creation in early 2005, Sri Lanka Orphanage Foundation has grown into a professional organization with ANBI status, the CBF Certificate for charities, it has been often nominated and winner of the Transparency Award.

The Foundation strives to minimize overhead each year to 5%; and we manage to do that every year!

You can view and download the The Statutes of Sri Lanka Orphanage Foundation in pdf.