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| Saturday, 17 July 2004 |
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NCPA opens child and youth centres by Nadira Gunatilleke Children and adolescents get attracted to immoral activities easily when they do not have a chance to obtain proper education, entertainment and to engage in sports activities. The main objective of setting up Child and Youth Centres countrywide is providing them an opportunity to spend there leisure time safely and usefully, said National Child Protection (NCPA) Chairman Prof. Harendra De Silva. Prof. De Silva said that the centres will help the street children and the other children who are left alone in their homes during day time to spend their time safely engaging in educational activities, vocational training, sports and entertaining activities such as music, and drama. The NCPA will spend about Rs.1 million annually to run one Child and Youth Centre, he added. He was addressing the gathering after opening the second Child and Youth Centre at Don Bosco Centre, Uswetakeyyawa, Parana Ambalama recently. Prof. De Silva said that the centres will also help children and adolescents to grow up without psychological and physical problems. The project is funded by the World Bank and assisted by the Department of Health. The NCPA has provided specially trained teachers to the centre. The centre will assist school drop-outs to gain education and the school children to improve their education. Any child below the age of 18 can visit these centres. The NCPA will manage and monitor these centres. Equipment worth Rs.400,000 including different types of musical instruments, equipment for indoor games such as chess, sewing machines, computers, television, radio, video and other electric appliances, kitchen utensils, will be provided for each centre. The first child and youth centre opened at No.19, Saunders Place, Pettah last month. Four more child and youth centres will open at Beruwala, Hikkaduwa, Weligama and Anuradhapura by the NCPA shortly. |
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