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by Talia Jayasekera

Walking through the hallowed halls of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA), Colombo, past the staring eyes of illustrious past presidents photographs adorning the walls, nostalgic reminiscence fill the air. The glorious 120 year history and rich traditions of the YMCA seem to seep from the woodwork, leaving you to wonder which famous person, now long gone, once walked through these very halls.

The Colombo YMCA has long been known for its fellowship and contribution towards the youth of this country. The 1930 Act of Parliament made it the biggest NGO of this country. Though a Christian organisation, it welcomes all races and ethnicities of this country with no discrimination. "The YMCA is a Christian movement for all people regardless of race or religion", proclaims YMCA President Dian Abeywardene, a stout, enthusiastic gentleman, who only recently took up office. His beaming smile conveys his obvious pride in this charitable institution and all it stands for. "The YMCA has always been known for its `welcome with open arms' policy for all people. Our principles have never changed. It is a home for humanity and a place for people to rest when they have nowhere else to go", he said.

At present, the YMCA has over 6,000 members of all religions. It has assisted and organised many successful programs throughout the years. The Street Children's Program and the Slum Children's Program show the dedication of the YMCA and its members to improve the lives of these forgotten children. The children are brought to the YMCA and taught reading, writing and participate in various other activities. The YMCA is also host to religious uplift programs like prayer meetings and other devotional services. It also commenced its personal counselling service in 1996 to help those with emotional problems. It further plans to reactivate its choir that was once conducted by the late famous Lylie Godridge, where a 1,000 voices sang together. A choral evening has been organised on 4 March to which all are invited.

"With the conflict and the subsequent road blocks set up in and around Fort, we were unable, for many years, to assist the public physically in any way. People were afraid to stay in Fort longer than was necessary and for this reason we lost many of our regular members", said Abeywardene.

"However the peace process is changing all this. Our main purpose now is to obtain support, through the media, to convey our message that the YMCA is now ready and prepared to assist the general public towards social and economic development", he said. "We need the support to rally round the public and make a difference in their lives, homes and families. The only way to do this is to involve the people of this country in the peace process".

"Priority has been given to peace by society but there are other problems to be addressed as well such as unemployment, which to date is our biggest problem. When people are restless it is then that they become involved in undesirable activities. The other problem is disputes, disagreements and war. The greatest teachers who came to earth like the Lord Buddha said first feed the hungry and the Lord Jesus taught us of love, that is sharing what you have with all", he said. "After all the best things in life are free".

"The YMCA plans to start a peace program. This is our way of contributing to the peace process in our own special way. Through this program, we have identified two areas that need attention. That is the necessity for English to be taught. If our people do not know English, we will be left behind with the advancements in the world. The second thing identified is `Cyber Technology' or `Information Technology', we want to provide training facilities for the public and youth as it is a must".

"Also, we want to organise a peace competition which will give the public an opportunity to write to the YMCA to give proposals, ideas and suggestions for a permanent peaceful system to the country. We know best about the problems we have. It may help only to a degree the interventions by foreign countries but in the end it is up to us.

Copying examples of federal systems from countries like Austria and India and making it work in Sri Lanka may not be enough to sustain peace. That is why we want the people to make their contributions. A thousand entries is proof of a thousand signatures", explained Abeywardene. Even children are welcome to make their suggestions through art form or essays".

"By involving them, we are in a way giving power to the people. We hope to involve the YMCA international network by launching our website (www.ymcacolombo.cjb.net) very soon as a way of communicating with international members".

The yearning for peace in this country is truly evident with the efforts made from the NGOs to the common man. It no wonder that 20 years of brutal warfare has left us desperate to reach a plateau of peace. It shows that we have finally realised we cannot afford to revert to war. The efforts made by the YMCA are commendable and people should definitely have a platform to voice their concerns even with the smallest contribution.

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