Nella Fantasia concert in aid of Tiny Stars pre-school and day care centre

Don’t miss a unique chance to hear Soul Sounds’ leading soloists Shehara and Dinushka on 10 February at the Lionel Wendt Theatre. All proceeds from the concert will help provide a new building for Tiny Stars Pre-School and Day Care Centre which serves very low income families living in the Dehiwala/Mount Lavinia area.

Tiny Stars’ current, rented school building has a leaky roof (which leads to flooding), crumbling walls and broken ceiling plaster. In addition, because the building is rented, there is a constant drain on the school’s already limited funds to pay the rent. Work on a new building to house Tiny Stars has been halted several times due to lack of funds and has now been stopped again. Rs. 1.6 million is still needed to complete the work.

Tiny Stars was originally started to help address the problem that older children from poor families are often unable to attend school because they have to take care of younger siblings at home while their parents work. The pre-school prepares children for government school which, whilst nominally free, presents huge financial and practical challenges for these low income families. A day care facility after school is also offered so that mothers can go to work and improve the family circumstances. Upwards of 75 children currently attend the program and 40 more are looked after by the day care facility.

This pre-school and day care centre is run by the charity Community Concern, which has served the local community for over 15 years. Once the building is complete, Community Concern plans to introduce even more after school programs, allowing additional opportunities for these children to excel in life.

Tickets for Nella Fantasia are now available at the Soul Sounds Academy 57/2 Kassapa Road, Colombo 5.