Ridma Rayak 1 – (2011)

Our Beginning: How we started. The RIDMA seed is Planted!

It was Monday, 18th May 2009. The Perth Sri Lankan community was so relieved when they got the news that the cruel civil war that plagued their motherland for 30 long years was finally over! The feeling of freedom, the freedom from the tyranny of the brutal terrorists, was immense! Every Sri Lankan all over the world, irrespective of the race, cast or the creed have openly expressed their elation! Mother Lanka was free!

The Government of Sri Lanka has started an accelerated rebuilding program to bring back the vital infrastructure that has been mercilessly destroyed by terrorist. A group of Sri Lankan friends who have been meeting every Sunday at the Sri Lankan Buddhist Vihara in Perth, floated the idea of helping their motherland at that crucial time in the history of their country of origin. After all, Sri Lanka is their country of birth, the place where they made their dreams! Moreover, they had a feeling of gratitude that they were owing to their motherland! It was the free education that they received from Sri Lanka that helped them to get where they are today! So, they thought it is the right time to pay back, at least, in some smaller way! As a first step, they distributed thousands of educational books donated by state library of Western Australia among many libraries in Sri Lanka.

After a few brainstorming sessions, the group settled on the idea of launching a project to improve infrastructure facilities at rural schools in villages that had been badly affected by the civil war. These were called border villages. They were located in areas bordering the patches of land controlled by terrorists & the rest of the country controlled by government forces. Despite the enormous threat posed by the rampaging terrorists, the people in those villages stayed-put, safeguarding the little, basic infrastructure such as schools that were still left in their villages. So, the group of friends, (which later came to be known as the RIDMA Foundation Inc.), thought it was the time to help those villages. The facilities at those schools were barely sufficient & almost, negligible. That is how the group arrived at the decision to launch a project to upgrade facilities at rural schools in Sri Lanka!

One of the group members came up with the idea of staging a cultural show, showcasing the local talent available in the community as the first fundraiser to raise funds needed for the project.

After 3 months of meticulous planning, rehearsing and many hours of volunteering efforts, Perth Ridma Rayak – 01 went on stage on 29th January 2011 at Roncalli Hall, John XXIII College. It was a resounding success! The group gratefully remembers the enthusiastic support provided by the Perth Sri Lankan community, in making their first project such a great success! That was the beginning!

Memories  

Team with no name, but big hearts ……………. 

Outcome of the Project: 

Rebuilding Ethawetunuweva Maha Vidyalaya 

Exposure of exceptional talents in dancing, singing and acting among the own Sri-Lankan community living in Perth, Australia. 

Laying the foundation stone of forming RIDMA Foundation Inc