Case graduate creates relief effort for children
orphaned by the tsunami
Milan Dayalal uses management degree to help
facilitate adoption
March 3, 2005 | For more information: Janet
Roberts ( 216)-368-8895
The tearful faces of orphaned children are driving Milan Dayalal (EMBA
2003) to tap into every bit of knowledge gained during his EMBA program
at the Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management.
When the tsunami hit Sri Lanka on December 26, 2004, for Dayalal,
a sales manager for ComDoc Inc. in Cleveland, it literally hit home.
Dayalal came to the United States at age 18 from his birthplace in Colombo,
Sri Lanka.
When Dayalal saw the horrific pictures of the tsunami and its aftermath
he knew he wanted to help the 5,000 to 6,000 children orphaned by the
disaster.
“A third world country like Sri Lanka is not equipped to deal
with a catastrophe of this magnitude, and those most affected are its
children,” said Dayalal. “Sri Lanka already had a problem
with orphaned children, and the tsunami has multiplied that problem.”
As a teenager he volunteered for Sarvodaya, Sri Lanka’s largest
organization caring for the country’s orphaned and destitute children,
underage mothers and elderly citizens. From 1993-1995, he returned to
Sri Lanka to work for a German company and reconnected with Sarvodaya
and his volunteer work there.
So he is once again connecting with Sarvodaya, this time through the
creation of his own 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Sri Lanka Tsunami Victim’s
Relief Fund, which will partner with Sardovaya to provide basic needs
such as housing, food and clothing, and medical attention, to the orphans
of the tsunami. Dayalal will be escorting the first group of physicians
to Sri Lanka on March 4, at which time he will gather data and statistics
on the number of children available for adoption. He has eight U.S.
couples who are interested in adopting a child. Upon his return to the
United States, he plans to coordinate his non-profit group with international
adoption agencies here to help the agencies streamline the process of
getting orphans into safe, loving homes. Ultimately he hopes to build
an orphanage in Sri Lanka for these children.
First and foremost, Dayalal credits the training he received in his
EMBA program at Weatherhead with helping him to create his new non-profit
organization.
“Because of my EMBA I knew where to go and the resources to
tap into to create a 501(c)(3) nonprofit,” he said. “My
education in operational skills has helped me to set up systems to coordinate
airline tickets, supplies and tents, and the knowledge I obtained in
human behavior has helped me to communicate better with the people who
want to volunteer or make donations.”
About Case Western Reserve University
Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826
and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western
Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research,
service, and experiential learning. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally
recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dental Medicine, Engineering,
Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Work. http://www.case.edu.
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