Collecting funds through Facebook page for kids in Matara

Helping Hands Project at work

Over the past five years choir mates Andreas Palbrand and Franz Lundberg Palbrand of Gothenburg Sweden have collected funds through their Fb page ‘Andras&Franz Helping Hands Project’ to help the children and the differently-abled community of Matara.  
“Since 2012 ‘Helping Hands’ has provided financial assistance and equipment to many orphanages in Matara. They have established the Music for Youth (MFY) programme which provides free training on vocals as well as instruments to music-oriented youth. It is Helping hands that has provided all the instruments as well as pays the teacher’s wages” said Conrad Francis Director of the Institute for Development of community Strengths (INDECOS) who assist Andreas and Franz in Matara. “The Matara Childrens’ Center (MCC) was the first institution that Helping Hands assisted financially in 2012. A few days ago over 170 grade ten students were awarded Child Development Scholarships and also provided assistance for disabled persons” he added. 
“We have been able to collect more than ten million rupees during the past five years from friends of our Facebook page ‘Andras & Franz Helping Hands Project” said the duo when I met them on the eve of their departure at hotel in Mirissa. “Franz and I were members of Oscar Fredriks’ choir in our home town in Sweden. Franz was born in Kandy, Sri Lanka and adopted by Swedish parents when he was three months old. He is a musician while I work as a cabin crew member of a domestic airline in Sweden” said Andreas explaining how Helping Hands was formed.  
“In 2012 we were contemplating on helping children with HIV in South Africa as Franz was in charge of music at a large concert held for African children and Swedish children in two Swedish cities. It was at this concert we met Dasun, who was working with the Matara Children’s Center which helped us decide to help orphaned children of Matara. We were invited for MCC’s fifth anniversary celebration which we were happy to accept. We wanted to give the children something substantial so we went on Facebook and asked our friends for contributions towards these gifts. In less than a month we were able to collect Rs 850,000 which we donated to MCC. That was the start and for the past five years we have been able to collect more money from Swedish donors through our Facebook page. We were lucky to make contact with INDICOS and have been able to channel every cent we receive for deserving welfare projects in Matara. We are very proud to see the achievements of those who have benefited from our projects” said Andreas.  
“Each year we invite our donors to join with us to come to Sri Lanka and join us in distributing their donations” said Franz. “Last year 32 friends joined us and this year it was a group of 50. I was amazed to see the accomplishments of the children who attend the MFY classes and so were our friends who were generous to fund the project. We hope to be back again next year.”

Text and Pix by P D DE SILVA

Fb page of the  Helping Hands project