Army Seva Vanitha Chief spearheads more programs for war heroes :

On course for a worthy cause

Ruwini Jayawardana

Living in the shadow of a patriotic figure like Commander of the Sri Lankan Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya is not easy but Manjulika Jayasuriya, wife of the Lieutenant General has carved her own niche in society through her social service projects and novel ideas.

As the president of the Sri Lanka Army Seva Vanitha she is not one to idle around looking for projects to fall on her lap. She is spearheading a novel project which offers disabled war heroes the ability to enjoy a more comfortable life in a dwelling, more like a resort and under the medical care of experts. She says that she came across the idea while visiting battlefield casualties at local hospitals.

“I visited the Anuradhapura General Hospital while my husband was based there. I have seen the difficulties they go through as some are paralyzed and in need of special attention.

They are mostly soldiers who are in their 20s. Life looks bleak for them as they are disabled for life. Some may even die early as their families are unable to nurse them or get them the required medical attention,” she said adding that they hope to recruit special nurses for the project and train them soon.

The buildings will consist of all the facilities that they could wish for. It will also comprise a psycho therapy unit, water therapy, counseling, an Ayurvedic section, doctors quarters and consultants. A number of cottages will also be at hand for families on their visits.

In addition voluntary work will be welcome from those who wish to contribute their bit to make a better life for the soldiers who had done much to free our Motherland from the clutches of terrorism.

The operation is poised to take off soon.

The team will be establishing the concept in the Anuradhapura area with 50 soldiers from Anuradhapura, Kurunegala and Polonnaruwa areas. Then the project will expand its wings to the Southern, Central and Wayamba provinces.

“We will be hosting a number of campaigns to fund the resorts. The Mount Lavinia Designer Collection which will take place at Mount Lavinia Hotel on November 22 at 7 p.m. will showcase a number of fantasy brides, saris, casual wear and evening attire from renowned beauticians like Michael Wijesinghe, Ramani Fernando, Lochin, Dora Attanayake, Rozanne Dias and others,” she explained.

The hotel and the beauticians have agreed to hold the show for free. Tickets will be available at the Torana, Vishakamals, Cargills and Arpico Centres. Next year they hope to organize a grand musical show to fund the program.

“We contacted Second Chance florists and they were the ones who helped us put together the Mount Lavinia Designer Collection. Companies like MAS Holdings and Mobitel have already agreed to sponsor two buildings. We are also looking for foreign donations as one building takes over Rs.100 million to build. We are setting our sights on a land of 10 acres,” Jayasuriya noted.

Reflecting on her younger days, she said she was born in Colombo and had schooled at Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo. She was the youngest in a family of five. Her father, D.H.Weeratunge, had been employed in the Postal Department while her mother, Grace Weeratunge, was a housewife. “Both my sister and brother are working abroad. The other is in the Army. He is Major General Harsha Weeratunge,” she said adding that she became involved with military activities mainly because of her husband.

Her first occupation was as a ground hostess at SriLankan Airlines. After a five year stint she had left the section and joined the commercial department. During this period she met her husband- to- be at a party. The two families had been close because her brothers were on friendly terms with his siblings.

The couple soon tied the knot with the blessings of their families and she said she did not think twice about his job when she contemplated marrying him.

She said, “Most of the time he was not at home so I had to stay at my parents’ place. I normally do not get involved with his work and he does not discuss much about what goes on in the battlefield during his visits.”

She had, however, spearheaded many projects as a member of the Sri Lanka Army Seva Vanitha unit. Her first was a project which involved maintaining Ward 16 at the Mulleriyawa mental hospital. She also initiated the Diyathalawa Montessori in 2003.

They started off with around 40 children but now the number had amounted over a hundred. Later the Manning Town Montessori project also took shape.

“I managed the Anuradhapura section as my husband took over as the Security Forces Commander in the area.

The Montessori was based in the camp but we were able to move out by renting a house. I was able to build a fully fledged Montessori with an auditorium in Anuradhapura. I also started the Ladies Club in 2008 and we were involved in a number of social service activities. We visited hospitals based in Dambulla and focused on the welfare of the families of soldiers.

We awarded scholarships and donated school books for all the children in the Merchandised Infantry Regiment.

Becoming the public relations officer of the Seva Vanitha unit in 2008 and later its president, Jayasuriya pioneered a much needed task when she came up with the concept of creating a more comfortable means of living for the disabled war heroes. She said many have shown an enthusiasm to lend a hand to make her dream a reality.

“We are planning to put it into practice in one year. We also have many other events like housing schemes, scholarship programs and sewing centres on the side. Soldiers who are totally bedridden, blind, with brain injuries and multiple injuries will be absorbed into the project,” she expressed while commenting that she is indeed grateful to all those who had spared a moment of their time in joining this worthy cause.