A. is 8 years old and is one of our students at St Xavier Boys College in Mannar, northeastern Sri Lanka. Like most of his classmates, A. is of Tamil descent, a long-marginalized minority group that speaks the Tamil language in a country where the Sinhalese language is dominant.

A.’s family, like almost all Tamil families in this area is engaged in subsistence farming and fishing. His home is very simple, and he shares it with his parents and 3 siblings.

Every day, A. rides his bike to school. He passes through fishing villages, palm-shaded unpaved roads, and arrives in the courtyard of St Xavier Boys College. He is very proud of it; the La Salle school is one of the oldest and best known in the area.

Many alumni, with the education they have received, have become important and accomplished professionals, who, grateful to the school, continue to support it with their donations. They, the alumni, are the ones who secured A. his uniform and backpack. It is a government school, but it is run by the La Salle Brothers, who have ensured its quality and inclusion for more than 75 years.

Hearing the stories of alumni before him and seeing himself in that uniform, in such a large school, A. is slowly beginning to convince himself that perhaps change is possible for him, too. He did not think he could dream big for his future, but the Brothers and teachers encourage him so much that he is working hard to build the tomorrow he wants for himself, his family and his community.

A residence for 80 secondary school students was recently built in St Xavier Boys College. Due to the condition of roads and public transportation, many students take several hours to get to school and have to change even two or three buses to travel a few kilometers.

Many of them then have no electricity at home and cannot study and prepare for exams. For these reasons and to help their families, many of them end up dropping out of school and abandoning their dreams.

That is why the presence of this new residence hall is so crucial in the lives of our students. Living within walking distance of the school, the 80 residents of the residence will have the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in their studies and future aspirations, without the distractions of commuting or other logistical challenges.

The residence was built thanks to 8xmille funds to the Italian Catholic Church.

The 8xmille and 5xmille funds result from your signature in your tax declaration and can change the lives of thousands of children, like the students in Mannar, Sri Lanka.

Non dimenticarti di firmare per la Chiesa Cattolica nella sezione dedicata all’8xmille della tua dichiarazione dei redditi e di inserire il nostro codice fiscale nella sezione dedicata al 5xmille.