What are the Lasallian Projects?

From the very start, John Baptist De Le Salle set out to address the educational needs of the poor and we follow in his footsteps.

As Lasallians, the provision of education for the poor is central to what we do as we see it as the way out of poverty. To achieve this aim we build and improve educational facilities in communities where poverty is rampant and where the literacy rate is very low.

 For the last thirty eight years Lasallian volunteers from Ireland have completed hundreds of projects both big and small across Asia and Africa, thus making sure that education is provided for the poor, the marginalized, the downtrodden and those with little hope.

 All our efforts and resources are concentrated on small regional areas to gain the optimum impact and a lasting positive result. 

Keelamudiman 2025

In 2013, St. Joseph's De La Salle School in Keelamudiman contacted us, seeking help with a project. We quickly learned of the dire educational situation in the surrounding area, with many children going uneducated due to social inequality. Even if children could get access to education, they often had to sit on the floor, and were discriminated against based on income, gender, or race. St. Joseph's school was one of the only schools which did not discriminate against it's students and was committed to helping children get a good education. However, the school was vastly oversubscribed and there was ever-increasing demand to get into the school.

As a result, a team from the Lasallian Projects went to Keelamudiman and added a second floor extension to part of the school, accommodating over 100 extra students. In 2018, the Projects returned again to build an all-purpose building, 2 floors in height, which was completed in 2019. This was one of the biggest tasks undertaken by the Projects and is used everyday. There are 120 boys living in the hostel there and it is used for classes, talks, functions, etc. This space is also rented out during holiday periods and the money obtained is used to help fund the school.

Study facilities for students were previously non existent, with students often having to study outside in the stifling heat and dust during the dry season, and there was no facility for them during the monsoon seasons. In 2022, the Projects completed a new all-purpose building that allowed up to 400 students to study, no matter the weather.

There are currently 732 students in the secondary school from 22 surrounding villages. In 2024, we began construction of 8 additional classrooms (pictured above). This will help facilitate the huge rise in student numbers over the coming years. We have previously raised €110,000 towards this project and the work is still ongoing. This year we need to raise an additional €50,000 in order to ensure the classrooms are finished and ready in August for the start of the new school year.