Suvasevana hospice to be opened soon

CARING FOR THE AGED: A large number of social service activities are being implemented by the Captain Anuruddha Parakrama Wijewantha Memorial Cultural Foundation which was set up to commemorate the late Captain Anuruddha Parakrama Wijewantha who paid the supreme sacrifice on 4th April 1991 at Thoppuwa whilst on Operational Duties in the Eastern Province.

On the first anniversary of the demise of Captain Wijewantha his father Former Director of Social Services and Executive Director of HelpAge Sri Lanka N. W. E. Wijewantha and Kusuma Wijewantha donated their home and property located at Maramba, Akuressa to HelpAge Sri Lanka as a service to the people of Sri Lanka.

The hospice named Suvesevana which was constructed at the site by the Captain Wijewantha Memorial Cultural Foundation will be opened in memory of the late Kusuma Wijewantha beloved mother of the late Captain Anuruddha Parakrama Wijewantha.

The Suvesavana Kusuma Wijewantha memorial hospice located at Maramba in Akuressa is a valuable gift to the elders of Sri Lanka by the Captain Anuruddha Parakrama Wijewantha Cultural Foundation and is dedicated to the treatment of elders. The expenditure involved in this project is rupees six million.

This hospice is exclusively dedicated to taking care of elders and treating of elders and suffering from incurable diseases and the treating of the sick and destitute elders.

The Social Service Ministry of the Southern Provincial Council provided an allocation of rupees two million for this project. The Ministry of Social Service and Health too provided in valuable assistance in many ways.

Thirty five elderly patients can obtain residential treatment at the hospice. About hundred elderly patients too can obtain OPD treatment daily.

It is estimated that by the year 2025 the percentage of the elder population will increase by 25% as a result of this situation an additional burden would be placed on the country and those who fall sick will be without any assistance in the sunset of their lives.

Adequate hospital facilities are not available to treat elders in Sri Lanka. In this context "Suvasevana Hospice" which commenced with the cooperation of the Captain Anuruddha Parakrama Wijewantha Cultural Foundation, HelpAge Sri Lanka and the Southern Provincial Council provides a meritorious social service.

The Suvasevana Hospital has been named after the late Kusuma Wijewantha the dearly beloved wife N. W. E. Wijewantha. The hospice is a tribute to a mother who spent her time, money and effort to establish the foundation within a short time of after the demise of her dearly beloved son of late Anuruddha Parakrama Wijewantha.

The Day Care Centre for elders is maintained by HelpAge Sri Lanka where 20 elders benefiting from this service at present conducting religious observances, entertainments programmes, Home Garden Cultivation and Production of Handicrafts are also being done.

The visually handicapped of the area are provided spectacles through eye camps held periodically. Over 2000 deserving persons in the area have been provided spectacles through this programme.

The Captain Wijewantha Foundation also grants annual scholarships to the needy children of the area from year 9 to University Level.

The Captain Anuruddha Parakrama Foundation and the Kusuma Wijewantha Memorial Hospice will be of assistance to elders of Sri Lanka who become helpless in the sunset of their lives.

Buddhika Imbulana.

Damrivi Foundation - two years of integrating social action and dhamma

Professor ASANGA Tilakaratne

SOCIAL SERVICE: Damrivi Foundation celebrates its second anniversary of integrating social action with the teachings of the Buddha at a meeting held at Hotel Galadari with HE the Ambassador of Myanmar to Sri Lanka as the Chief Guest. He also distributed the certificates to those who completed the course "Counselling with Buddhist Insights" conducted by the Foundation.

Damrivi Foundation, started in 2004, is a duly incorporated Trust under the laws of Sri Lanka by Trust Deed and Buddhist non Governmental Organisation registered under the voluntary Social Services Organisations (Registration and Supervision) Act. General Objectives of Organization are social economic and Spiritual development through Buddhist Insights.

What is the need for a fresh organization when there are many Buddhist organizations engaged in social service - needs to be explained. On the one hand, the need for implementing a comprehensive concept of development advocated in the Buddhist teaching was felt.

On the other, the trustees of the Foundation, being a group of Buddhist academics and professionals in the private sector, felt that professionalism and transparency were needed to be reintroduced into the field of Buddhist social activism.

The Foundation created with these objectives has been active for the past two years. Let me list some of the activities we have so far completed and some ongoing:

(a) A 4 day residential workshop on Logical Framework Analysis was held to promote a professional approach towards developmental programmes undertaken by civil societies (Kandy)- (January 2004)

The workshop trained 20 participants representing a cross section of Organizations already involved in community development from 10 Districts. The Course was conducted in collaboration with Integrated Development Association of Kandy and the Course was facilitated by W.M. Leelasena currently the Director, Southern Regional Development Programme, one of Asia's best Consultants for Logical Framework Analysis.

The aim of the workshop was to train the participants to have a professional approach towards community development and to identify the real needs of a community and to formulate a project accordingly.

(b) Certificate Course in Counselling with Buddhist Insights (Colombo)- (February 2004)

i) A Professional Counselling Course with Buddhist Insights has been developed with the leading professionals in this field and 20 counsellers have been trained for 9 months.

The trainees are those who are compelled to counsel the distressed due to various negative experiences in society such as teachers, monks, etc., though they are not formerly trained in counselling. The Course was conducted in Sinhala.

ii) Diploma Course in Buddhist Psychology and Psychological Counselling (Colombo)- (February 2005) - 12 month Course has been completed and 18 counsellors have been trained including monks and nuns.

iii) Certificate Course in Child Counselling with Buddhist Insights (2006) -(being implemented)- sponsored by Sri Lanka Verein and Hamburg Hilft of Aktion both of Hamburg, Germany.

iv) Certificate Course in Counselling with Buddhist Insights with special focus on counselling women (2006) - (being implemented) - sponsored by UNIFEM

Both above Courses are implemented for the benefit of the Tsunami victims as a part of the rehabilitation Programme of the Tsunami victims. The Course is conducted free of charge and the Trainees are from the Tsunami affected areas and those who are engaged in social work in the Tsunami affected areas.

(d) Integrated development programme in Rejjipura, Galle -(February 2004)

- Coir Industry: Coir machines have been donated to 30 families in the above village which is experiencing extreme poverty.

-Children's Library- Rejjipura- (February 2004) A children's library was gifted to this village where there are over 1000 children in extreme poverty without rudimentary access to education.

-Construction of a building for the Dhamma School for Children-Rejjipura-

- Roofing -(Rejjipura) - (February 2004)12 families who are unable to generate an income for themselves have been donated roofing sheets for construction of their roofs

- Sports equipment- (Rejjipura)- (February 2004) unemployed youth who were idling were formed in to a Sports Society and Sports equipment such as cricket and volleyball gear were donated.

e) Meditation Programmes- A half a day Meditation programmes on Serenity and Insight meditation is being conducted in the Damrivi Centre every Sunday by an experienced lay meditation teacher (Since August 2003 todate )

Construction of an Irrigation tank in Kirinda: Tissamaharama- All preliminary surveys (socio economic, surveys and civil and irrigation engineering surveys) have been completed and necessary approvals obtained and the construction work is about to commence.

This Project will provide water resources for a village in Kirinda with over 190 farmer families in dire need of water for their crop thereby increase their income which includes 100 families resettled after the tsunami. - sposnsored by FAO and Dialog GSM.

The Foundation has been able to engage in these activities owing to the support, guidance, cooperation and generosity of many good people and institutions. The Foundation's Council of Consultants include leading Professionals and Academics from a range of fields such as Agriculture, Economics, Buddhism, Psychology, Finance, Information Technology, etc.

Some of the Institutions involved are: UNIFEM (United Nations Organization for development of Women), Hamburg Friegn and Sri Lanka Rain Water Harvesting Forum, Integrated Development Association (IDEA), Postgraduate Institute of the Pali and Buddhist Studies of the University of Kelaniya, Dialog GSM, Sampath Bank, Vanni Jana Sansadaya (VJSS), Temples (viharas) of various regions and their Dayaka Sabhas, Sakyadhita Organization, other Buddhist Associations.

Local Government Authorities and civil societies where our projects are being implemented such as Divisional Secretariats, Provincial Councils, Farmers Associations (Govi Jana Samvidhana) are also keen partners of the multifaceted programmes of Damrivi.

The writer is Chairman of Damrivi Foundation and Director, Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies, University of Kelaniya.