Daya and Sumi Thayan, the founders of UK care homes group Kingsley Healthcare, witnessed the devastation of the tsunami on Boxing Day 2004 while they were staying at the Sri Lankan resort of Bentota.
Their response to the disaster, which left a confirmed death toll of 60,000 people across Sri Lanka with many more unaccounted for, was to set up the Lotus Foundation, a registered UK charity, to support affected communities....
The charity has gone on to improve the lives of children and their families and provide much needed support to communities across the island; over the past 14 years, the foundation has touched the lives of several thousand families in a positive way.
To maximise the benefit of its work, the Lotus Foundation has connected with and supports Ladani Foundation, a prominent charity in Sri Lanka which runs a number of orphanages.
In 2014, the work of the Lotus Foundation was augmented by a sister charity – the Velummayilum Foundation - launched with the aim of supporting families and community projects in the north of Sri Lanka.
Mr Thayan’s ancestral home is Point Pedro in the north of Sri Lanka and the Velummayilum Foundation is dedicated to the memory of his parents. The Lotus Foundation is funded entirely by the Thayan family and does not take corporate or private donations.
The foundation assists families facing economic hardships, with grants to enable children to complete their education.
Food parcels are provided for those in need.
Seed funding is available to launch small enterprises.
Support is provided for older people.
We fund study materials and tuition fees for students at all levels enabling them to progress through O levels and A levels to further education.
We also put on extra tuition classes and courses to enable young people to fully realise their potential.
Daya and Sumi Thayan have launched a mentoring programme to make post A level students aware of further education possibilities.
The foundation supports children’s homes and undertakes building projects to improve school facilities.
Our education grant scheme has allowed many more girls to prosper academically.
We run regular health awareness seminars and drop-in clinics, providing free medical and eye check-ups and issuing free glasses.
The foundation has also funded a water purification plant for a girls’ high school.
We strive to support all areas of society from assisting school and children’s home projects to leading temple renovation schemes and providing financial relief for disabled Army servicemen. We know teamwork is the key and embrace partnership working with other organisations from charities to local government bodies.
