Grace Review | Profile in Grace| Images of Grace | Quoteworthy

Profiles in Grace: Meet Dinesha Devasagayam, Grace Girls Home Age: 20 (Born: November 2, 1988) Date of Admission: January 12, 2003 Birth Place: Nuwera Eliya, Sri Lanka Height: 59" Weight: 93 lbs. History: Dinesha is an amazing Grace Home success story. One of the first 15 children to be received into Grace in 2003, Dinesha comes from the "Up-County" of Sri Lanka near Kandy. Her parents are laborers on a tea plantation and are extremely poor. Despite her minimal education before coming to Grace, Dinesha has become the top student in school in several different subjects, winning several academic honors and awards. She is extremely bright and excels particularly in English. Dinesha is also very kind and is a wonderful leader for the other children. When she's not studying, Dinesha likes to draw and is good at that as well. She aspires to become a teacher.

Dinesha Devasagayam
'The children live with fear'
By James Mitchell

There are things that much of the world takes for granted which some children – especially those with a mind and heart for scholarship – consider a blessing. At age 20, Dinesha Devasagayam, a 5-year resident at the Grace Girls Home in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, remains appreciative of the often under-appreciated necessities of life.

She showed just how grateful by scoring the top marks among students at Methodist Girls College during recent A- (Advanced) Level examinations.
All she needed, she said, was a little stability, a sense of safety and knowledge of where her next meal was coming from. She didn’t always have those things, and now considers them a "blessing."

Among the first children admitted to Grace Home after its 2003 opening, Dinesha grew up with limited opportunities for education. Travel to the modest school near her native village of Nuwaraeliya took hours by bus, and the instability of day-to-day life made that journey a daily challenge not always or easily met.
Since coming to Grace Home, where she is provided the chance to concentrate on her books, Dinesha is among the students now able to apply for university studies, where she hopes to continue studying Christianity, Tamil and Logic.
Last month, Dinesha said that, given the recent develops in the nation’s conflict, the simple dream of knowing she will be allowed to pursue her studies remains uncertain, and is at the heart of the nation’s equally uncertain future.

"There is much war going on and people are being always displaced," Dinesha said. "They cannot permanently live in one particular area. The children get distracted and they live with fear … and threat."

For now, Dinesha is preparing to continue her studies, and she boards at the Grace Care Center Vocational Training Center. The children of Grace, she said, are "lucky" to "be part of this family, continue their studies and get the help they need."

Dinesha wanted to thank VeAhavta, its volunteers and contributors for allowing her the simple dream of being able to work hard at her studies. VeAhavta congratulates this longtime Grace family member on reaching the Top of Her Class.