"Spreading the wealth of knowledge"

Liberating the young from ignorance, spearheaded by Sri Lanka Telecom and the Asia Foundation

It is said that literacy is vital for liberating us from ignorance, empowering us to develop and apply our human capacity as well as fostering our creativity and imagination.

It broadens young minds; opening us up to a world of knowledge, where skills that help to develop a well-rounded individual are learnt. Thus the greatest lesson that we can pass on to the next generation is that one's thirst for knowledge should lead to a journey towards making reading a habit.

With the objective of "Spreading the Wealth of Knowledge" Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) and The Asia Foundation embarked on a partnership in 2004 as a part of the Foundation's ongoing 'Books for Asia' initiative.

This joint effort is aimed at the development of professional education in Sri Lanka by providing a diverse range of educational materials, particulary books, to schools, libraries, and other learning institutions.

This fosters a stronger culture of reading among schoolchildren, undergraduates, parents and the general public, encourages students to improve their literary skills, and helps educators and school teachers improve vocational and research skills. SLT actively participates in the program in Sri Lanka, assisting The Asia Foundation in logistics related to the distribution of books to six hundred educational institutions in the country.

The primary goal of the The Asia Foundation's program in Sri Lanka is to make available books relevant to the needs of receiving institutions. Most of the books that are distributed are brand new and are donated by publishers based in the United States.

Every year, Books for Asia distributes more than 900,000 books in 16 countries, including 100,000 to 600 schools and libraries all over Sri Lanka.

Each donation gives school children access to a wide range of books, helping them to develop their language and literary skills, learn math and science, and access information about the world around them.

Beginning in 2004, this SLT/Asia Foundation partnership began with the first book presentation program which was held at the University of Rajarata, followed by the University of Moratuwa, Sarvodhaya and the Banking Institute of the Central Bank, Technical colleges and school libraries.

The most recent presentation of book donations was made at the Kalutara Bodhi Gnana Library and to the schools in the Ja-ela area. In August the Sri Lanka Telecom and The Asia Foundation hopes to donate books in the Central Province, particularly to primary & secondary schools in Peradeniya.

Since 2004, SLT has provided support to The Asia Foundation to cover the in-country costs of the Books for Asia Program. Describing the project as purely a social service, Anton Nallathamby, Director, of the Books Program speaking on the partnership with SLT, said; "I greatly appreciate SLT being an active partner in the success of the program.

The company has made four donations so far, to cover in country cost particularly with the storage cost of the books as well as administrative costs of the program being met through these donations. The partnership has been immensely fruitful, with as many as 100,000 textbooks being donated annually, and we expect to exceed this number for this year. In collaboration with SLT in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

This number is expected to be repeated this year as well, due to the demand and the popularity of the program. SLT's contribution is very vital to the success of the program. "We are proud to be part of a program that provides an invaluable service to school children across the country as well as helping in the development of the future generation, especially with their academic pursuits.

The development of the country requires a major investment towards the access to information, education and English language skills, especially with the re-introduction of English as a medium of instruction," Shoji Takahashi, CEO, SLT said.

With the aim of being both a responsible corporate citizen as well as a catalyst for economic and social prosperity, SLT contributes heavily to broad areas of social reform, comprising IT knowledge enhancement, education, career guidance, English language skills, nature conservation, arts and culture. It is committed to addressing the needs of primary and secondary education through this program.

The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, just, and open Asia-Pacific region. The Foundation supports programs in Asia that help improve governance, law and civil society; women's empowerment; economic reform and development; and international relations.

Drawing on more than 50 years of experience in Asia, the Foundation collaborates with private and public partners to support leadership and institutional development, exchanges and policy research.

With a network of 17 offices throughout Asia, an office in Washington, D.C., and its headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation addresses these issues on both a country and regional level. In 2006, the Foundation provided more than $53 million in program support and distributed 920,000 books and educational materials valued at $30 million throughout Asia.

For more information, please visit http://www.asiafoundation.org.