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Government boosts services for disabled people

The government has given a much needed boost to the care of disabled people by giving a low rent home to a charity in the centre of Tangalle.

Navajeevana helps around 2,000 disabled people each year by providing education, hearing aids, speech therapy and physiotherapy.

The Sri Lankan charity has gained a national and international reputation for its work in rehabilitation disabled people since it was founded in 1987.

Mrs. Kumarini Wickramasuriya, the project director said: "This is a true boost to disabled people. This project has enjoyed community and cross-party support. The government's generosity means that services for disabled people and their families will improve in quality and we will be able to reach more people who need our help.

"The government's choice of a property in town also shows its enlightened views on disability. For far too long disabled people have been hidden away and this causes unnecessary fear and stigma around impairments."

Navajeevana helps disabled people to increase their physical mobility and then teaches them a skill and helps them start a business of their own.

The charity has more than 300 trained volunteers who work in their villages helping disabled people to become more self-reliant and integrated into their communities.

The property on the Mahaweli Road, Tangalle will be used as a school and centre for Navajeevana's Community Based Rehabilitation Scheme and foreign funding has been acquired to build a new therapy centre that will provide southern Sri Lanka with its only residential physiotherapy service. This service will enable recently disabled people such as stroke victims to receive intensive treatment that will prevent long term disability. 

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Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
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