ABOUT US
The Rainbow Centre Sri Lanka is a UK-registered charity, run by a small team of unpaid trustees and volunteers who are dedicated to ensuring that administration costs in the UK are minimised and that all donations benefit the Rainbow Centre children and their families in Sri Lanka to the maximum extent possible. The Rainbow Centre Sri Lanka supervises and finances the operations of the Rainbow Centre in Sri Lanka.
In Sri Lanka, the Rainbow Centre is registered as a non-governmental organisation and operates government approved and registered pre-school and daycare facilities. Its activities are overseen by a team of highly experienced local and foreign trustees and advisors.
The Centre’s day-to-day operations are managed by its local employees which include: its CEO, Shevi Balasuria; a head teacher; a welfare manager; day carers for babies and infants; a team of full-time and part-time teachers covering a full range of subjects for all ages; an accountant; an administrator who also acts as a welfare and educational assistant; two cooks who cater for 240 people a day; cleaners, including a small team of mothers in crisis; two drivers, who meet all the many bus and tuk-tuk transportation needs; a maintenance worker; and, a purchasing supervisor to ensure the safe delivery and storage of supplies. The Rainbow Centre and its children are protected by 24-hour professional security staff.
All of the Centre’s work is made possible by the generosity of its donors who enable this life changing work to continue and grow. The gratitude of everyone involved with the work of the Rainbow Centre is infinite.
Alison Nagle
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Alison is the Founder of the Rainbow Centre and Chair of its Boards of Trustees in the UK and Sri Lanka. Based in London, Alison visits Sri Lanka regularly and oversees and directs the Rainbow Centre’s work receiving daily reports. Working closely with the CEO, she is also responsible for planning and implementing the immediate and long-term direction of the Centre’s work. An Oxford graduate, Alison previously had an international, award-winning career in journalism, specialising in human rights issues in Asia. She says the Rainbow Centre is the happiest place she knows.
Alasdair Nagle
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Alasdair is a UK trustee. He is a Chartered Accountant in the UK, and recently retired from a career in accounting and investment banking primarily in Asia with PwC, CDC, HSBC and Headland Capital Partners. He oversees the Rainbow Centre’s finances and regulatory reporting in the UK.
Ajanta Hilton
Ajanta is the UK Director and a UK and Sri Lankan Trustee. Ajanta is a former Chartered Accountant based in the UK. She is responsible for a wide range of the Rainbow Centre’s operations including: directing and monitoring the work of professional accountants in Sri Lanka; ensuring the transparency and accuracy of accounting reports; arranging and reporting on trustee meetings; and, providing regular news and social media updates. She also builds relationships with UK schools to promote an understanding of the reality of child poverty, encouraging connections with the children in Sri Lanka. Ajanta helps arrange school visits to the Rainbow Centre, which said by students to be the highlight of their trip to Sri Lanka. Ajanta’s grandparents were Sri Lankan educationalists and a great inspiration to her.
Shevi Balasuria
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Shevi is the CEO of the Rainbow Centre in Sri Lanka. She has 30 years’ experience in management and education having worked with local and international organisations. She supervises every area of the running of the Rainbow Centre. She is guided by current international innovations which have been shown to improve educational outcomes. Shevi has made fundamental improvements to every aspect of the Centre’s work from close observation of the teaching of the children to ensuring that teaching employs Montessori methods to ensuring that the teachers and staff work as economically and sustainably as possible, to make the most of the invaluable donated funds.
Shevi reports on a daily basis to the UK trustees. She has ensured that the Rainbow Centre enjoys an excellent reputation amongst all the relevant authorities as well as elite schools in the area.
Randhima Devin
Randhima, the Head of Welfare, is responsible for a critical area of the Centre’s operations. She began her work by taking on the huge task of establishing relationships with all of the Rainbow Centre families, making regular visits and phone calls, often available on a 24-hour basis and working seven days a week. The Welfare Department has been able to gain insight into the root causes of poor concentration, learning difficulties, mental illness, extreme suffering and abusive behaviour suffered by the Centre’s children. The fact that the Rainbow Centre has expanded its scope to offer comprehensive support not just to the children but to their entire family has been a key to the department’s success. The Centre has become a haven for those in crisis and has made significant improvements in standards of care, despite the daunting extent of the work. Randhima’s exceptional dedication, diligence, wisdom and compassion has meant that the Welfare Department has both saved and transformed the lives of many Rainbow Centre families despite the often extremely disturbing and seemingly insurmountable problems it has had to address
Cordelia Nagle
Cordelia volunteers as an Operations Assistant for the charity, supporting the team in the UK. She grew up alongside the children at the Rainbow Centre ever since it was set up in 2005. She spent her school holidays volunteering there; teaching English, art, yoga and meditation and building life-long bonds with many of the students. She has a great insight into the experience of children and their needs. She is the children’s favourite member of the Rainbow team. Her excellent communication skills are a great asset both with the students and also through the construction and management of the website.