In January 2007, I was introduced to former Times Business Features Editor, Jon Ashworth, who set up the tiny charity www.yala.org.uk after visiting Sri Lanka on holiday just after the tsunami. Jon later gave up his job to focus on his charity.

Yala Fund works mainly in the Yala Park region, initially helping tsunami victims from inland villages overlooked by the larger charities who focused their efforts on the coast. Now Yala Fund also works with the indirect victims of the tsunami. Money is never handed over – every family has to make their own contribution to a project – the aim is to give them a helping hand to make a better life for themselves.

The big point of difference with this charity is that there are no offices, no staff, no overheads, no expense accounts - ALL the money raised goes direct to the people who need it most.  Jon so inspired me with his work that, accompanied by Tory Stroud, my best friend of 30 years, we went to Sri Lanka on on 11th October  2007 to see what we could do - paying all our own expenses of course!  

Our report is attached and includes some highly emotional stories - we found 'Blossom' - a tiny 78 year old lady who lives in a shack without walls on the side of a lake; we took 2 very poor families shopping for shoes and fabric to make clothes; we arranged the installation of a water supply for a desperately poor family with a severely disabled son; we bought musical instruments to teach music to young children. All was achieved within just a few days. We also visited the Sith Sevana Home for Mentally Handicapped Children - and since we returned we have acquired sponsorship for 7 of the little girls there.  We have recently bought a milk cow for the mother of the disabled boy to provide an income for her and milk for the local kindergarten.  

Now we need to raise funds to continue this work with existing and new deserving cases.
We are going back in early May -  car boot sales and other events are being planned - but we also need your help.  Thank you most sincerely to all of you who have already sponsored us - I do hope you will continue to help. To those of you new to the site, please read the reports of our trips - you cannot help but be moved by just how much can be achieved in very little time with very little money.

To read more about our trips, please click on the following links.

Latest Trip to Yala, May 2008

Trip to Yala, October 2007