The Safe Bottle Lamp Foundation

Assistance we need from organizations and individuals:

We initially tried to market our lamps below cost, but we face three difficulties in doing so:

i. Price difference: Our lamp costs Rupees 45 (US cents 43). Although it could rightly be    termed ‘an inexpensive lamp’, it costs much more than the makeshift unsafe ones that cost    US cents 8-10.
ii. Lack of awareness: People have seen their unsafe lamps since they were toddlers and    they are unaware that they could maim and kill.
iii. Lack of vehicles and sales outlets: So reaching the people in far away places to market    our lamps is not easy.

Therefore we have to give them free. Fortunately there are organizations like Youth and Women’s Associations in villages that are keen to distribute our lamps in their villages, if we give our lamps free. For that we have to depend on donations from state institutions, commercial establishments, NGOs and individuals. We have received some support as shown in the section ‘Acknowledgment’. However, to maximize our work we need more, in the following ways.

1. From organizations:
» Giving a donation: We could then make lamps and distribute them free to the needy through Youth and Women’s Associations in villages.
»Purchasing a stock of our lamps and distributing in any area of one’s choice, if there are facilities to do so like branches of the organization.

2. From individuals:
Any donation, big or small, is most welcome. As we can give two lamps to one family with
Rupees 90 or US cents 86-
» With US$ 5 ( Rs 550/=) , we could help - 06 families
» With US$ 10 ( Rs 1,100/=) , we could help - 12 families
» With US$ 50 ( Rs 5,500/=) , we could help - 61 families

Special mention must be made of a donation made by a special individual. He is late Sir Arthur C Clarke. The US$ 1,000 donation he made-
     » Was given sixteen years ago, just a few months after the project was launched, and at       a time
          when it had no recognition at all except by Sir Arthur himself.
     » Was unsolicited, given after he read an article on Dr Godakumbura’s work in the Sunday
        Times.

Sir Arthur with the lamp that
touched his heart

It was a great source of encouragement,
coming from a colossus to a novice,
who had just taken the first few steps
of a giant journey.

May he rest in peace.

Note : When our safe lamps are given to people, we collect their old unsafe lamps and destroy them to prevent re use.

Usefulness of our safe lamps to tsunami victims: Not all tsunami survivors have got electricity though the disaster occurred a few years ago. Some families that have electricity in their homes use unsafe kerosene lamps during power failures. It would be tragic if a few tsunami survivors were to face a second catastrophe, first from water and then from fire! It would need only Rs 90/= to give two lamps to each family to prevent these injuries. Recently we distributed 38,000 safe lamps to tsunami survivors in the Eastern Province, with funds given by two NGOs, viz. the International Relief Development and the Rotary Club of Colombo.

We would be most grateful for any donations. Particulars of our bank account are given below.

Bank account particulars:
The Bank: COMMERCIAL BANK
Branch: RAJAGIRIYA
Telephone: +94 112 884 022, +94 112 884 024
Name of A/C: SAFE BOTTLE LAMP FOUNDATION
A/C Number : 162 000 7569

Note : Our accounts are audited every year. The last year’s one also has been done.

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