Prof. I.M. Dharmadasa, Sheffield-Hallam University, UK made a presentation on "Solar Villages" on 29 January 2024 at th NSF which created a great deal of interest among the scientists and academics who attended it. Given the potential benefits of "Solar Villages" in creating wealth, improving socio-economic standard of the rural folk and ameliorating the environment, a follow-up meeting was held on the 06th February at the NSF with the participation of Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne, President, Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, Prof. I.M. Dharmadasa, their teams and the NSF staff with a view to extending it to more needy communities.
In this connection, Kanatholuwa, an under-developed and under-resourced village in Kuliyapitiya, Kurunegala, was selected and a proposal would be formulated by the NSF jointly with Prof. Dharmadasa and Dr. Ariyaratne drawing upon their long-standing experience and expertise for possible support by philanthropists. This will afford a new dimension and momentum to the outreach programmes of the NSF which looks forward to forging partnership with the Association of Professional Sri Lankans (APSL) in the UK and Helasarana Charities in strengthening this unique community development programme.
