Charity of unity

The most debated leadership training programme for university students in military establishments was finished successfully in two phases two months ago. Two events which could decide the worthiness of the said programme took place on September 7 at Colombo.

Students of number two and six squadrons of the second batch of the leadership training programme at the Air Force Diyatalawa organized a charity programme to the Army Hospital, Narahenpita and to the Cancer Hospital, Maharagama.

In the morning it was time to give to those who gave their today to secure our tomorrow. The project was named as ‘charity of unity’, a tribute to our war heroes. Elbow clutches were donated to the disabled soldiers and the event was chaired by the hospital commanding officer.

Students showed their gratitude to the war heroes by offering a small token made by their own hands, and the little time they spent with mingling with the war heroes were encouraging for the soldiers since it showed that they are not forgotten. The whole idea of students was that we are victorious because of their dedications, it is great pleasure to have spent time with real heroes.

In the evening it was time for the donation at Cancer Hospital, Maharagama, for child inmates. The sight of the kids would surely make anyone emotional, some were toddlers, some were around 10 years old. It is harsh that fate has destined them with such a disease.

Nonetheless, donators were able to draw a smile on their faces at least for a little while. They sang with them, played games with them, bestowed gifts.

It was amazing to see that despite their hardships they still have a lot of talents to show to the rest of the world and students did a commendable job in encouraging them to perform and make them feel that they are a part of the society and there are people who care about them.

The leadership training programme was a unique lifetime experience, which helped them to make these projects a success, not only have they learnt that unity is the greatest strength but united, they can achieve anything.

Punctuality, discipline and dedication towards the tasks appointed were some of the key things emphasized in this training which could really shape one’s career in any field.

From the slightest things to daunting task, the devotion can build up the characters and mould personalities which are highly required for the future of our country.

These charity events can be considered as the first step of becoming responsible leaders, the country have been longing to have for an extended period of time, since from planning to raising funds and finally executing the programme was done entirely by the students alone.

At the end of the event they did not forget to thank Minister of Higher Education S B Dissanayaka and the staff of the Higher Education Ministry for organizing a leadership programme for them. And a special thank went out to officers at the Air Force Training School, Diyatalawa, Commanding Officer Group Captain Janaka Amarasinghe, Officer commanding training, Wing Commander Chaminda Wickramarathna, course officers in charge, Squadron Leader Nirosha Senadheera and Squadron Leader Chandana Munasinghe and all the officers and other ranks at the Air Force Station, Diyatalawa who facilitated this training programme.

And the final message was “With the wisdom that we attained, we will become responsible leaders of future Sri Lanka, in bringing prosperity and harmony to our motherland.”