Following the tsunmani caused by the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake our youth decided to build a school through the Free The Children program. (www.freethechildren.com) The youth involved the Westbank congregation and raised more than the $6,000.00 required to build the school. The school has been built and is now in use.

The Thirukkovil Primary School is in Pottuvil village which is situated on the Indian Ocean in the dry zone of Sri Lanka’s South-East coast. Since the weather conditions are very dry, growing agricultural products is difficult. The population of the area is 9,800 with 2,200 families. The illiteracy rate in the village is 71%. With the average annual income being just $203.00 Canadian approximately 25% of the village lives below the poverty line.

The Thirukkovil Primary School has five classrooms which hold 200 students ranging in age from 6-14. The school has 5 teachers meaning a ratio one teacher for every forty students. The first semester term goes from January to April with May off, returning for the second semester from June to September. The attendance rate since the school opened has been 98%.