On the 4th of April 2025, I had the privilege to return to a place that had left a profound mark on my heart, Jana Jaya school in Morutuwa, Sri Lanka. This school had humbled me to my core, and within the school was the heart of an underprivileged community. It’s a place where every student faces unimaginable financial hardships. Many of these young students live far below the poverty line, where even affording a pencil is a luxury.

It was during my previous time at Jana Jaya in July 2024 that I first witnessed the quiet strength and resilience of its students. Despite the incredible lack of the most basic educational materials like stationery and textbooks with some even not having shoes, their spirits were unshaken. Their smiles never faded, their hands never lowered, and their curiosity never dimmed. They welcomed me with open arms and in doing so inspired a promise I made silently to myself that day that I would return not just as a teacher, but to serve.

So, in January 2025, I began planning something more permanent, something that would last for years, something that could empower not just a moment but an entire journey of education. On the 4th of April, I returned to Jana Jaya with over Rs. 215,000 worth of school resources which included but not limited to sets of textbooks and essential stationery for every student to have a complete learning experience. These are items that most children take for granted but for these students, they are treasures beyond reach.

For children who didn’t have a notebook or shared a worn-out book or broken pencil, the arrival of new school materials brought immeasurable joy. Their eyes lit up, not just because of what they received but because of what it meant, the fact that these students were seen, heard and believed in. One could feel the energy shift, suddenly, futures felt a little brighter and hope seemed a little closer.

The principal of the school was moved and stated that this project would change the trajectory of the school for years to come. Teachers now had all the resources needed to teach more effectively. Students can now walk into their classrooms with dignity and confidence.

This project wasn’t a charity, it was the empowerment of the students at Jana Jaya.

It’s easy to think the world needs grand gestures to heal but I’ve learned something far more powerful, that a single pencil in the hands of a dreamer, can write a future.

I left that day knowing that the drive had done more than fulfil a promise, it had planted seeds of hope that will continue to grow long after I’m gone. However, one thing is for certain, this is not a one-person journey. Thousands of schools like Jana Jaya still struggle in silence and countless children still enter classrooms empty-handed but not empty-hearted.

Education should never be a privilege, it is a right. Every child deserves the chance to learn, to dream and to thrive. At Jana Jaya School, I witnessed firsthand how much of a difference one act of kindness can make. This experience reminded me that true change does not require millions, it only requires a moment of compassion, a willingness to act and the courage to care. Any student, parent or teacher can be the reason a child stays in school. Let’s be the reason a classroom is filled with joy, not silence. Let’s be the pencil that helps them write their dreams. Even the smallest act of giving can create ripples of change that last a lifetime.

“A single pencil in the hands of a dreamer, can write a future.”