SMSU Student Helping After a Disaster

Published Friday, January 02, 2026

Shenal Alex Peries, SMSU Student from Sri Lanka

Article by Deb Gau, Marshall Independent reporter. Published 12/30/25

MARSHALL — Learning about the devastation that a cyclone caused on the island of Sri Lanka about a month ago was scary, said Southwest Minnesota State University student Shenal Alex Peries.

“When it first happened, I was kind of frightened,” he said. Peries is an international student from Sri Lanka, who is studying data science and finance at SMSU. He said it was especially hard hearing about the effects of Cyclone Ditwah on his hometown while he was studying in the U.S.

“I was discussing with my family, because I was feeling kind of helpless being here and not being able to do anything,” Peries said.

What Peries and his family decided to do was help cyclone relief efforts for a school in their hometown. Peries launched a GoFundMe campaign to help buy school supplies for students at President’s College Nattandiya, a school in the community of Nattandiya, Sri Lanka.

So far, the GoFundMe campaign has raised about $1,174, Peries said.

In late November and early December, Cyclone Ditwah caused flooding and landslides that destroyed thousands of homes in Sri Lanka. It’s estimated that the storm caused more damage than the Indian Ocean tsunami that struck the island in 2004, Peries said. Communities in the area around Peries’ hometown were among those affected.

Peries said part of the reason he chose to help with relief efforts for President’s College Nattandiya was because, in the aftermath of the cyclone, families might not have the resources to focus on returning children to school.

“It’s a rural, underprivileged school,” which was heavily impacted by the cyclone, Peries said. The school serves children who would be about middle school and high school age in the U.S. school system, he said.

Many families attending President’s College Nattandiya lost items like their children’s school bags, books and supplies in the cyclone, Peries said. In posts on social media, staff at the school showed how flooding from the cyclone had also damaged books, furniture, electronics and other equipment at the school.

Peries said the funds raised through the relief campaign would go to purchase packages for students at President’s College Nattandiya, which would include a school bag, supplies like pens, pencils and notebooks, and essential school books. The bags will cost about $20 per child, he said.

Peries is coordinating the effort along with his father and a friend in Sri Lanka. They will work with school officials to distribute items purchased with the money raised by the campaign, he said. The relief effort has already been able to purchase supplies like writing utensils and stationery. School bags have also been ordered, he said.

Peries said the school has selected 320 students to receive the bags, which would cost about $20 per child. The school is planning to distribute bags on Jan. 5, he said.

If the campaign receives additional funds, they will be used to support other needs for the school, Peries said. Those needs could include technology like a public address system, multimedia equipment, bathroom renovations or sports equipment. Volleyball is an important sport for the school – both its boys’ and girls’ volleyball teams compete at the national level, Peries said.

People can donate to the fundraiser for President’s College Nattandiya online at www.gofundme.com/f/support-students-affected-by-sri-lankas-disaster. Peries said organizers will continue collecting funds until Jan. 13.

Peries said it’s been good to see the support the relief campaign has received so far. Being able to help kids and families in the area where he grew up is also something that gives him hope.

“It’s something that I could control, and I can give back to my community,” Peries said. “So I feel more hopeful than helpless.”

This article was written by Deb Gau of the Marshall Independent newspaper and is posted here with permission. Read the original article on the Marshall Independent website here: https://www.marshallindependent.com/news/local-news/2025/12/helping-after-a-disaster/