London: London Sri Kanaga Thurkai Amman Temple Trust (SKTATT) and Tamil Information Technology Association (TITA) have joined hands to open a free computer training centre, on October 9 2003. This Centre will be opened at Kilner Lane in Jaffna.

The SKTATT has undertaken to provide full sponsorship for this Centre including capital cost and recurring expenses. TITA will look after the administration, teaching, course planning and other activities to be spearheaded by the Centre in its region.

The Centre will be started with 10 PCs and will be run as a free computer training centre. Underprivileged students and youth will be given priority in admission process.

SKTATT has also joined with TITA to open another Rural IT centre in Vaddakkachchi (Kilinochchi district), towards the end of October.

The SKTATT is one of the very active organisations operating among the Tamil Diaspora, providing several services to the war-affected Tamil speaking society in North, East and Upcountry of Sri Lanka. They have donated a total of £ 3,23,517 in 33 months, to date, according to one of their recent news releases to the press. They are already running two free training centres in the East. They are:

1. Sri Kanaga Thurkai Amman Temple free IT Centre, Thiruppalukamam, Batticaloa. This centre has 10 PC's and is managed with the help of Social Welfare Organisation (SWO) in the East.

2. Sri Kanaga Thurkai Amman Temple free Sewing Training Centre, Thiruppalukamam, Batticaloa. This is also managed with the help of the SWO.

The Sri Kanaga Thurkai Amman Temple Trust is also helping over 500 children in 16 orphanages in Sri Lanka and out of the 16 orphanages four are run in the name of SKTAT Illam. More details are available about these orphanages at http://www.changetheirlife.org/ a site maintained by SKTATT.

TITA would also like to take this opportunity to recall with gratitude a previous instance in which SKTATT supported TITA’s activity. The SKTATT sponsored the cost of a four-month long IT training programme conducted by TITA from March 2002, for underprivileged students in Trincomalee, at the Vocational Training Centre, Uppuveli, with material help from the Department of Industries, of the North- East Provincial Council.

The Kilner Lane Computer Centre will be the third IT Centre run by TITA in the Jaffna district. The other two centres are already running in Inuvil and Velanai.

TITA expresses its sincere thanks to the SKTATT for coming forward to join hands in TITA’s Rural IT Centre Project. TITA also welcomes other Tamil Social Welfare organisations in Europe, USA, Canada and Australia too, to take part in this project to take fundamental IT Education to our rural villages and underprivileged youth.

For further information please contact S. Karunalingam on (+44) 07958 08 3456