Tackling the Human Elephant Conflict

Mahinda Primary School is located in Ehetuwewa, Kurunegala.

More than 150 students study there until their scholarship exam. The parents of these children are mainly farmers and casual day labourers.  Since 2019, 33 elephants and 20 people have fallen casualty to the Human Elephant Conflict in this area.  Elephants often raid and consume their crops and damage buildings, severely affecting their economic well being. As for the school, they have a fence-however that fence is not electrified and elephants easily cross it and cause havoc in the school. One of their concerns is that no teacher will agree to teach in Eriyawa due to the frequency of elephant attacks.

For children to thrive academically, they require a sense of peace and security within a conducive learning environment. Regrettably, the looming uncertainty of the next elephant raid undermines these fundamental prerequisites. Understanding the plight faced by the school and the concerned parents, the principal reached out to Gammadda, an organization committed to addressing community issues.

The principal of the school as well as the parents made their pleas known to Gammadda and Gammadda responded swiftly, Gammadda took up the cause and launched an initiative to erect an electric fence around Mahinda Primary School. Commencing the construction on 28th June 2023, this project seeks to establish a reliable barrier that can effectively safeguard the students and staff from the dangers associated with the human-elephant conflict.

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