MCC Centre of Excellence aids post-tsunami Sri Lanka

Date released: 27 June 2007

Sri Lanka captain, Mahela Jayawardene, has opened an MCC Centre of Excellence to aid the post-tsunami recovery in Seenigama, Sri Lanka.

"I am happy to be part of this excellent initiative taken forward by MCC and thank the Club for its sponsorship and donations. The Centre of Excellence is crucial to the recovery in Seenigama, providing the local community with vital infrastructure." Jayawardene said.

MCC helped to fund the new Centre with the proceeds of the tsunami relief match, staged at Lord's in June 2005.

Featuring 22 of the world's best cricketers, including: Shane Warne (Australia); Brian Lara (West Indies); Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka); and Andy Flower (Zimbabwe) - the match raised around £650,000 for tsunami recovery projects.

The MCC Centre of Excellence is an ambitious project to help rebuild the lives of the local community following the devastating tsunami on Boxing Day 2004.

The new Centre includes an MCC gallery and sports facilities, but also a business skills centre, school, accommodation and medical centre.

The Centre was developed, and is now being managed by, the Foundation of Goodness which was one of the good causes to receive the proceeds of the fund-raising match.

"I am immensely proud of what we have achieved in getting this Centre to where it is today - a unique landmark project against the backdrop of a rural community.

"Our heartfelt gratitude goes to Marylebone Cricket Club in the UK for sponsoring the entire project, beginning with the tsunami relief match at Lord's, which has helped to make it all happen." said Foundation of Goodness founder Kushil Gunasekera.

Other beneficiaries included Sarvodaya (whose work is aimed primarily at women, children and orphans), the British Red Cross (on behalf of the Disasters Emergency Committee) and the Leonard Cheshire Foundation.

MCC's Secretary & Chief Executive, Keith Bradshaw, said:

"It is tremendous to see the donations raised through MCC being used in such a positive way.

"The MCC Centre of Excellence in Seenigama is a great example of effective collaboration, between a number of organisations, which will provide on-going relief and contribute to the area's long-term recovery."