On 27 October I plan to swim 180 lengths in 180 minutes at 180 Strand, and I’m asking for your generous support.

Founded in 2012, The FARS Chanmugam Trust has helped over 2,000 vulnerable children in Sri Lanka build better lives. We run a residential home for girls, fund two pre-schools and a day centre, support a large government secondary school, and provide outreach, food aid and pathways to self-sufficiency for children leaving our care. The Trust has 19 staff in Sri Lanka dedicated to the children, no paid administrators in the UK, and relies entirely on the generosity of our supporters.

In December 2025, severe flooding devastated communities we support in Kelaniya, Madampitya and Puttalam, damaging our Kelaniya pre-school and leaving many families homeless or without income. The Trust responded with rice packets and dry-ration food parcels, including for 100 farming families in Puttalam whose land was ruined by a sea-water swell. That emergency response is now complete, but it required significant unbudgeted expenditure.

A Funding Shortfall Ahead

The Trust is facing a funding shortfall for two main reasons: the unbudgeted cost of the flood relief effort, and a large, unbudgeted capital investment now required to refurbish the Home in Wanathamulla. We now need to fill this gap through new and increased support.

Proof It Works

Samadhi, our first resident at Wanathamulla, completed her degree and now works for a multinational IT company while studying for a Masters. Kokila, abandoned as a child, is now a cyber-security graduate at a multinational audit firm and a role model for the children who followed her. Many others are following in their footsteps: Suchara is part way through her nursing exams, Ramya is in her final year of a teaching degree, Sanjuda has begun a university degree in law, Amasha has just started a degree in Finance, and Bhagya is part way through a degree in Hotel Management.

Thank you for your kind and generous support.

Nick