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“With our young talents, we link up with the community to enrich our own lives and the lives of others, while reaching out to those in need.”
Famed for our Community Service Programme, we are proud of our efforts to provide assistance to the community. This programme adds a dimension outside the regular academic curriculum focusing on community awareness and concern, a sense of responsibility and the skills needed to make an effective contribution to society through caring and sharing. The experiential and emotional learning that the students get from working in this programme is a life-long skill built on values of respect and caring. Students are expected to develop a positive and active attitude towards rendering service to those lesser privileged than them, thereby developing the “whole person” in an environment of economic and cultural diversity.
Success in Community Service is mandatory for receiving an IBO qualification with Friday afternoons at OSC dedicated to Community Service. From 2:40pm onwards, the whole school is geared for various Community Service activities. Students visit different places to perform their Community Service activities and in some cases do their service right in school.
Some of the most outstanding projects OSC students participate in are:
“The Prisons Babies Project”
Students from OSC volunteer to help the children of female inmates who are born behind bars. While attempting to improve the quality of life of these children, our students identify their actual needs as being basic necessities like milk powder, fresh fruit, cereal, baby food and clothing. Since inception, our students have worked hard to provide these children with the basic necessities and also pay for a teacher to run a pre-school for them.
In 1999, this project won First Prize for outstanding Community Service due to the unique nature of the activity. In 2000, the project was selected from a group of 27 International Schools to receive a NESA (Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools) Grant.
“The Sunflower Village for Disabled Children Project”
Our students and swimming coaches make learning to swim a fun-filled activity for the children of the Sunflower Village. The regular sessions at OSC’s swimming pool bring smiles and joy to these children suffering from cerebral palsy and other orthopedic disabilities.
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“The Rehabilitation Centre for the Communication Impaired Project (RCCI)”
This is a community based Rehabilitation Centre where people from all over the island come for the treatment of voice-related problems. Presently the centre caters for over 200 students. OSC student volunteers visit the Centre and work with patients to overcome their communication difficulties.
“The Sri Panee Pre-School, Ganalanda Ancient Temple Project”
At the Ganalanda Temple, OSC students assist in teaching English to children through fun games and activities. Our students organize special events and invite the children to attend our UN Children’s Day, Primary School productions and various school functions which is an eye-opening experience for them.
“Friends of Child Cancer Victims Project”
Having identified the need for education and social activity for children at the National Cancer Hospital in Maharagama, OSC with the support of the International School of Amsterdam and the Canadian High Commission of Colombo built a Centre for Education and Recreation in June 2003. Our students visit the Cancer Hospital and organize art, music, video shows, storytelling and other fun activities for the children.
Recently, we purchased and installed a much needed piped oxygen air gas system for critically ill children at the Intensive Care Unit of the Maharagama Cancer Hospital.
“Dog Awareness and Welfare Project (DAWG)”
This school-wide project is intended to reduce stray dogs by sterilization and the prevention of rabies. Funds are raised by our children with the sale of t-shirts and students visit dog homes and care for the dogs by bathing and feeding them.
“Wetland Conservation Project”
In an effort to work with the local community to protect the ecosystem, OSC organizes the “Walk for Wetlands” where we raise funds to develop the Talangama Lake as a wetlands education centre. This project is in collaboration with the University of Colombo and the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. With the assistance of Professor Sarath Kotagama, President of the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL), we printed a ‘Student’s Wetland Pictorial Resource Book’ as a teaching guide with a directory of flora and fauna. The book has been translated into Sinhala so as to teach the community and students in other schools about wetlands conservation.
“Tsunami Projects”
OSC has actively participated in the rescue and rebuilding efforts after the Tsunami. As an immediate effort to aid, we collected and sent food and other supplies to some of the most badly affected areas. |
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