I am participating with a small group of friends (mostly from The Gap Uniting Church) in one of our "Bridge The Gap" projects, this time to Sri Lanka. We look after our own costs for the trip over 12 days and also commit to raising funds to help fund schooling for thousands of children and young people with disabilities in the north of Sri Lanka. Included in this work is the training of teachers who can work with the children with disabilities in main-stream schooling. The funds will also be used to allow older young people with a disability to learn skills which will allow them to earn a living and become self-sufficient. Our Church Partner in Sri Lanka is the local Methodist Church. As a participant in the "Bridge The Gap 2016" project, we have each committed to raise a minimum of $2000 towards the work in Sri Lanka.

We will also spend 5 days trekking through the rural area of Sri Lanka, visiting local villages, meeting the local people and meeting with the children and young people with disabilities who the project is designed to help.

Like most of you, I have made donations to Development Projects in Developing countries, but this is the first I have been able to visit the country concerned to see and meet the people who will benefit. 

I urge you to donate what you can (no matter how small) so that the local church partners can respond to opportunities to make their communities more sustainable.