SLJ Talks to Teen Philanthropist Sarasi Jayaratne
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By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 7/9/2008 2:10:00 PM
Sarasi Jayaratne isn’t your average 18-year-old. When a tsunami struck Sri Lanka in 2004, she began collecting books to create classroom libraries in her parents’ native country. Four years later, Jayaratne’s efforts have turned into a major project and her very own successful charity, Keep Reading.
Jayaratne has big plans—she wants to create 100 libraries in needy Sri Lanka schools and promote English as a universal language there to help ease the ethnic differences that have fueled the country’s civil war. SLJ caught up with the Cornell University-bound teen to talk about her lofty goals.
Today’s teens are so busy, so how do you find the time?
Three things: time management, self-discipline, and my parents. But I have to admit, the beginning of senior year was really hectic with applying to colleges, doing well at school, and organizing the book drives.
Your original intention was to just help kids in Sri Lanka affected by the tsunami? But four years later, you’re still helping out in more ways than you expected.
Being a native of Sri Lanka, I suffered emotionally by the tragic tsunami that devastated the country in December 2004. I especially felt very sad when I saw the television footage and read the news reports about the poor children in Sri Lanka who had lost all their educational privileges as a result of this tragedy. Right after the tsunami, I fund-raised through my Girl Scout troop for the Red Cross. But after sending money to the Red Cross, I thought I could do more for this devastated community. I officially started the Keep Reading Foundation about two years later based on the increasing turnout of book donations and the increasing demand from the community to help out.
Tell us about the libraries you started.
At first, I established about 25 small school libraries. Now with so many books coming in, I have increased my goal to a hundred small school libraries. Even though that may seem like a high goal now, the rate at which the charity is growing, I know for sure the possibilities are endless. Having books to read is a happy moment for them.
Why do you place such an emphasis on English being a common language there?
Back in Sri Lanka, Sinhala and Tamil are the official languages, while English is the second language. With the knowledge of English as a common language, people from different ethnic and language backgrounds in Sri Lanka can have an easier time to communicate with one another and help form peace in that war-torn country.
Was the response from your local community in Virginia immediate?
Oh yes, definitely. I got emails and calls from neighbors almost immediately that wanted to donate more books, and I’m always touched by their volunteerism. I mostly get my book donations in the DC area, which also includes the Virginia and Maryland areas. But recently I got an email from a lady from North Carolina who wanted to donate some books. It’s amazing how people in the U.S. will go out of their own daily lives to help someone.
When was your last donation to Sir Lanka?
All the books that I send over to Sri Lanka are children’s books for grades K through six. So mostly all the books go to elementary schools in rural villages and tsunami-effected areas in Sri Lanka.
My recent shipment of 4,000 books and five computers has been my third major shipment. When you are shipping about 25 large boxes of books to the other side of the world, the price is considerably higher compared to a package that you would send your grandmother living in Florida. But with all the monetary donations from average American citizens and the reduced rate offered by the shipping company for my philanthropic deed, the shipping cost came to about $500. Also, to clear these boxes from harbor and delivery to schools, the cost would be another $500.
Where do you get funding and who designed and maintains your Web site?
I get funding from local community organizations and private donors. And right now, my parents and I are both maintaining the Web site.
What reaction did you see from the kids who received books and computers?
I’ve been visiting Sri Lanka since I was two years old. The reaction I saw from the kids was a poignant happiness. I mean, through all the events that they had gone through for the past four years, this was a true message that there is still someone out there in this world who cares for them personally.
Congrats on your acceptance to Cornell University. What are your plans?
I’m planning to major in Biological Sciences at Cornell and apply to med school. And after that, I want to become a pediatrician. The idea of being around kids and caring for them seems so natural for me. Plus, it’s a habit of mine to make sure that the people around me are well and happy. My friends even say that I act like their mothers at times.
