A journey of service that began in 1922 still marches on
The Sri Lankadhara Society marks nine decades
The Sri Lankadhara Society, one of the oldest voluntary organisations in the country completes 90 years of dedicated humanitarian service to the disadvantaged and the deserving, this year. Founded in 1922 by the late Dr. W. A. de Silva and his wife Catherine, mainly to provide shelter and care for abandoned and needy girls and women and provide them with training in skills needed for their future lives, it has expanded its humanitarian services to encompass the care of infants and elders as well.
Dr. Silva was a patriot, political leader, legislator, freedom fighter, well known philanthropist, Buddhist revivalist, intellectual and practical agriculturist. A great and generous man, he left an indelible mark on the social, political, religious and cultural life of this country during those difficult years of the nationalist struggle, in the first half of the 20th century.
The foundation of the Sri Lankadhara Society itself has to be viewed as an integral part of this brave mission undertaken by Dr. de Silva to build a modern sovereign nation. At a time when no facilities were available at all to provide shelter and care to especially for the poor and disadvantaged Buddhist and Sinhala girls and women, Dr. de Silva, ably supported by his equally generous and benevolent wife, came forward to establish the Lankadhara Girls Home at their own expense.
The objectives of the Sri Lankadhara Society, as the Founders spelt it out 90 years ago in 1922, were: Promotion of education amongst girls and women, Provision of homes for destitute children, and Maintaining of institutions for training girls and women in suitable industries. The de Silvas, bequeathed a well designed brand new building for a Girls Home with an extensive premises at No. 95, High Street (now W.A. Silva Mawatha) in Wellawatte, Colombo 6 and in doing so ensured that it would be a facility second to none in the country, both in its design and its facilities.
The founder President of the Society was Mrs. de Silva herself. Under her guidance, a Women’s Training College was established in 1929, for those who had studied in the Sinhala medium. A day school, then known as the Wellawatte Buddhist Girls School, was built adjacent to the Training College, which was attended by the resident girls from the Lankadhara Home, amongst other students. Past records indicate that the school was managed by Mrs. de Silva herself and that the salaries of the teachers in the school and the staff of the Home were paid by the Society.
With the takeover of private schools in 1962, this school came under Government management.
The Society, since its beginning has been managed by a committee of women, on a purely voluntary basis. The Committee now includes a President, Vice Presidents, Joint Secretaries, Joint Treasurers and other Committee members all elected at annual general meetings. On the demise of Mrs. de Silva in 1942, Ms. Cissy Cooray, then a Senator and, and a leading social worker in the country, took over as the President of the Society, and was succeeded in 1965 by another well known social worker, Mrs. N.S.C. Perera who held the post of President for 27 long years. They were followed as President by Mrs. Chandrani Perera, Mrs. Lakshmi Jayawickrama, Mrs. D. Siranee Nanayakkara, Mrs. Nimal Perera and by the present President, Mrs. Kanthi Amerasinghe.
The humanitarian services of the Sri Lankadhara Society have expanded vastly, since its beginning in 1922. The Girls (Balika) Home, the original institution, now provides care, education, security and shelter to 75 girls between the ages of 5 - 18 years, entrusted to the Society either by the Department of Probation and Childcare Services or by Juvenile Courts. These girls have faced all manner of chal- lenges: most are from broken homes, some are orphaned, abandoned or victimised; others have been in unpalatable home environments where parents or guardians have been drug or alcohol addicts or even criminals. Some have been unable to provide for their children due to extreme poverty or continuing illness. In all instances, these girls who are entrusted to the Society are extremely traumatised and essentially require special care and attention.
Within the Home, they, perhaps for the first time in their lives, experience security, stability and a caring environment. They receive food and nourishment, medical attention and clothes to wear, are enrolled in the nearby St. Clare’s Girls School, where they study up to the GCE Advanced Level. The school curriculum is also supplemented by extra help, especially in areas like Spoken English, Mathematics, Computer Skills, Vocational Training, as well as in aesthetic pursuits of Art, Music and Dancing.
In 2000, the Society embarked upon a sponsorship programme for resident girls, where monies received were credited to a savings account opened in the name of the sponsored girl, and used exclusively for her particular needs. These funds provide at least some sense of financial stability when the girls have to leave the Home on reaching 18 years of age and start to earn a living. The main focus of the Society, from the inception, has been to rehabilitate the broken lives and help them to grow up as accomplished, self reliant and confident persons, fully equipped to face the world.
In furthering the humanitarian services of the Sri Lankadhara Society, a Senior Citizens’ Home was established in 1967, and provides care and shelter to 30 elderly women over 60 years. These elders, mostly from disadvantaged homes, and often unwanted by their families are provided with nutritious meals, clothing, comfortable accommodation, medical attention and recreational facilities. Even when they pass away, the Society undertakes the funeral arrangement with proper religious rituals.
The Infant Home of the Sri Lankadhara Society, which opened its doors in 1971, accommodates 25 little children, both male and female, below five years of age. These infants, abandoned at birth or in infancy, and with no identifiable family or home, have been entrusted to the Society, either by the Department of Probation and Childcare Services or by the Juvenile Courts. They are provided with food, nutrition, medicines, clothes and other daily needs and are cared for by an experienced staff under the supervision of the Society’s Committee. When they reach three years of age, they join the preschool in the premises under the supervision of a qualified teacher. The little girls on reaching five years of age are automatically admitted to the Balika Home, while the boys are transferred to a suitable Boys’ Home by the authorities.
The Lankadhara Society took another significant step in 1980, opening a pre- school and a children’s day care centre for children below five. These children, both male and female, are drawn from underprivileged families in the neighbourhood. The pre-school operates kindergarten classes in a safe and caring environment between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. on weekdays and in addition to school instruction, the children receive milk, vitamins and a cooked lunch. At the end of last year (2011), there were 35 children on their roll; Sinhala, Tamil, Muslim and Burgher girls and boys.
An Elders Day - Care Centre was the most recent addition in 1991. The old and the feeble from underprivileged neighbourhood communities are accommodated in the Centre from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on weekdays. They are provided with breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and sometimes even dinner. Medicines, vitamins, nutrition supplements are also provided based on individual needs. A small transport allowance helps them to commute from their homes using public transport. They spend their time participating in recreational activities- watching television, reading, playing indoor games as well as in productive activities like gardening, cleaning, sweeping or assisting in cooking.
Keeping its humanitarian services going over the years has been a tough task for the Society. The allowance received from the Government for the care of the infants and girls is too meagre in this era of accelerating prices, even to provide the basic necessities. As a result, the Society has been constantly seeking and receiving gifts and donations from generous individuals, institutions, mercantile establishments and social service oriented organisations. The Society is grateful to all such generous benefactors, who have supported this humanitarian effort from the beginning.
The Sri Lankadhara Society, is of course proud of its work, its service to the disadvantaged, and its achievements, and mostly of its commitment and dedication. The ideals of dedication and selfless service inculcated by the Founding fathers in the minds of succeeding generations of Lankadhara volunteers will, without doubt, guide this extensive humanitarian effort for many many years in the future.