Come with me and I will show you my home.

The development of the Little Smile Association (LSA) results from an aid project for Singhalese and Tamil children in need founded by Michael Kreitmeir. Since 2002 the children’s aid organization is officially registered as a local non-governmental organization in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, LSA gets support in terms of organization and coordination by the German non-profit organization Little Smile e. V.

The main project, children’s village Little Smile Koslanda in the mountains of Sri Lanka, was started in 1999, funded and built by TV journalist and director Michael Kreitmeir. Since then it has been enlarged continuously. Today it comprises six children houses, working quarters, a school, a training centre, a sewing school, a Buddhist temple and Hindu Kovil, a Virgin Mary chapel, two houses for widows with children, a guest house, staff quarters, a hospital ward with traditional medicine, a traditional house for meetings, extensive plantations for pepper, vanilla, cinnamon as well as rice and vegetable fields for Little Smile’s own consumption. The children’s village has an area of 15 hectares with a height difference of 120 meters and a maximum length of 2 kilometers.

Part of it are also a home for boys and a nature reserve, which has become a retreat for species like wild elephants and the very rare leopards.

The Tsunami catastrophe and its results changed life in and around the Little Smile children’s village. A lot of time and energy is invested in Tsunami aid, but it is very important to concentrate also on the work in children’s village Little Smile and to care for its children. Houses for Tsunami victims have been built, schools have been repaired, and kindergartens opened. 2006 the centre for traditional medicine in Buttala was opened, 2007 a school and a training centre in Galle. And in January 2010 Little Smile opened a hospital building in the city of Kalmunai on the east coast.

Still under construction at the beginning of 2010:

- A community centre in Pilane near Galle

- An international school near Kalmunai on the east coast

- Extension of the children’s village near Koslanda

- Enlargement of the boy’s home Poonagala

- Total renovation of the girl’s home near Batticalao

Planned are:

- A living and a training centre for organic farming in Dikkapitia

- Extension of the centre for traditional medicine in Buttala

- More projects for deserted women and widows with children

- Construction of a storeroom in the children’s village Koslanda

Working for peace is important for Little Smile in all its projects. To live together and learn from each other is cultural exchange, but, moreover, Buddhists, Hindus, Christians and Moslems, as well as Singhalese and Tamils live together in peace in the children’s village Koslanda. Together we care about nature protection (the Little Smile nature park provides a home for 2 rare wild animals because 100 ha mountain jungle is protected against clearing and poaching). In addition to this biological farming, production and use of herbal medicine is learned as well. Further activities are generating power out of biogas and protection of water.

Another remarkable point is the fact that Little Smile is probably the organization that during the last years has planted the largest number of trees in the province of Uva. “Only if we’re able to change people’s attitude towards nature, if we help to avoid that forests burn every summer and wild animals are being killed without scruples, the children of this country will have a future”, Michael Kreitmeir describes one of Little Smile’s objectives.

For organizations which work seriously for reconciliation, peace and fairness in Sri Lanka, the situation is becoming increasingly more difficult. If malicious campaigns and lies fail, violence is increasingly used. A mess of government regulations and constantly new legislation are an additional impediment for social work. But Michael Kreitmeir and his team are not frightened and will continue to be there for children and mothers with children in need, no matter which race or religion they belong to.

Our current short information sheet about Little Smile in Sri Lanka for downloading, printing and sharing by passing around.