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Get girls interested in welfare activities from a young age: Public Trustee
Chief Guest Tharangani Keenawinna Dissanayake Public Trustee of Sri Lanka, special guests B.H.C. Shiromali Director Western Province Social Services Department and Chandima Dissanayake Commissioner Western Province Probation and Child Care Department, together with President of the Mallika Nivasa Samithiya, Savitri Peiris, Deputy President Rohini Abeysekera and other office bearers. Also in the picture is a portrait of Mallika Hewavitarne. Pic by Indika Handuwala
More attention should be paid to involve young people in social welfare activities as they would then be more willing and ready to take charge of such projects when the time comes, Public Trustee Tharangani Keenawinna Dissanayake said.
Speaking as chief guest at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Mallika Nivasa Samithiya on Thursday, Mrs. Dissanayake, the first woman to hold the office of Public Trustee, also said that women have a special strength that makes them complete tasks that men always find challenging. She cited the example of the Mallika Nivasa Samithiya, which celebrates its 95th anniversary this year. “I am yet to see societies that are run exclusively by men which are capable of completing such challenging tasks,” she stated.
Mrs. Dissanayake noted that both men and women in Sri Lankan society now hold senior positions in office. However, women are different in that once they leave the office, they are also required to take charge at home. It takes a special type of strength to manage both such positions, she pointed out.
The fact that members in society are ensuring the welfare of both elders and children – two of the most vulnerable groups in the community, speaks volumes for the strength of women to undertake difficult tasks and succeed, Mrs. Dissanayake further stated.
She also underlined the importance of young people, especially girls, being encouraged to take part in welfare activities from a young age.
“We know interest among young women and those nearing middle age to get involved in such activities is not at a high level due to the lifestyles they lead. But, if we start exposing them to such things from a young age, for example, bringing our daughters to functions such as this and getting them involved, I feel it would help them to take up the reins when the time comes.”
Special guest Western Province Social Services Department Director, B.H.C. Shiromali observed that even in the supposedly developed Western Province, they have found many elders’ homes that were not run properly while misleading the Department of Social Services.
Mrs. Shiromali also revealed that in a survey conducted by the Department last year, they had found 102 unregistered elders’ homes in the Western Province alone. “We believe the actual number is even higher,” she added. Such relders’ homes charge their occupants but many don’t even provide basic facilities and there have been occasions where the Department had been forced to initiate legal action to close them, she added.
Western Province Probation and Childcare Services Department Commissioner, Chandima Dissanayake, who was also a special guest, observed that the Department only sets aside Rs.20 a day to maintain each child in children’s homes. “We have been fighting hard since last year to increase that amount to at least Rs.50,” she stressed.
Many children’s homes are almost filled to capacity, she further revealed, adding that there were about 4000 children in 120 registered children’s homes in the Western Province alone. The lack of children’s homes for girls over 12 years was also being acutely felt, she added. Ms. Dissanayake appealed to members of the Mallika Nivasa Samithiya to take up the challenge and see if they could build a home to accommodate girls in this age category.
Founded in 1920 by Mallika Hewavitarne, mother of Buddhist revivalist Anagarika Dharmapala, the Mallika Nivasa Samithiya currently has over 700 life members. It operates the Mallika Nivasa elders’ home, the Parakrama Child Development Center for boys for5-18 years and the Sneha Child Development Center for children under five years.