Sunday Times 2
Events
View(s):National Summit to mark 152nd birth anniversary of Anagarika Dharmapala
The National Summit to mark the 152nd birth anniversary of Anagarika Dharmapala was held on September 29 at the BMICH. The summit on the theme ‘Srimath Anagarika Dharmapala – Vision for the Future’ was organised by the Presidential Secretariat in collaboration with the Ministry of Buddha Sasana and the Department of Mass Communication of the University of Kelaniya.
Trail 2016: The walk back has begun
Trail founders SarindaUnamboowe and Nathan Sivagananathan and below cricketing ambassadors Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene and others on the walk
Trail 2016 has begun. The charity walk that carries a message of unity and understanding while raising funds in aid of cancer treatment will take place over 28 days as the walkers traverse 670 km from north to south.
Trail founders SarindaUnamboowe and Nathan Sivagananathan began their walk from St. Xavier Sports Ground in Point Pedro joined by cricketing ambassadors Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene along with other walkers.
The walkers will travel approximately 25 km each day and the public is invited to join in. Walkers can join Trail 2016 for either a 3-day period, a single day, or to walk through a city or town depending on their capabilities. The walk will cover 28 townships – including Kodikaman, Mankulam, Madawachchiya, Galgamuwa, Kurunegala, Kochchikade, Colombo, Panadura and Seenigama.
Trail began with two friends and colleagues- Sarinda Unamboowe and Nathan Sivagananathan, who, touched by a personal loss to cancer, felt this walk was the most impactful way to help the many others struggling with the disease. Initiated in conjunction with the Colours of Courage Trust, the first walk took place in July 2011, starting from Dondra Head and ending at Point Pedro over the course of 27 days. They hoped to raise USD 1 million (LKR 147 million) to build a cancer treatment unit as part of an extension of the Tellippalai Hospital in Jaffna. Over 30,000 walked and 250,000 people contributed to raise USD 2.6 million (approximately LKR 382 Million) resulting in an entirely separate cancer hospital being built in the Jaffna peninsula.
Trail 2016: The Walk Back aims to raise USD 5 Million (approximately LKR 735 Million) to build a new cancer unit at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle. According to the official Trail website, approximately USD 1.5 Million (LKR 220 Million) has already been raised, while over 2,000 donors and 800 walkers having registered for the event thus far.
The Government has pledged to match every dollar raised through this initiative.
The public can donate to Trail 2016 via Dialog SMS, Star Points, eZ cash, MobitelMcash or through the official website www.trailsl.com or make a direct deposit to Colours of Courage Trust (Guarantee) Limited, Account Number 00301049171, Hatton National Bank (SWIFT CODE – HBLILKLX).
The progress of the walk can now be followed at;
www.trailsl.com
facebook.com/TrailSL/
Twitter: @TrailSL / Instagram: @trail_sl / Snapchat: @trailsl
Showcasing local handicraft
Village in the City, an exhibition to promote the local handicraft industry and empower rural women organised by WISTA Sri Lanka partnering with Women in Management (WIM) will be held on Saturday, October 15 at Women’s International, No.16, Dr.Premasiri Khemadasa Mawatha (Guildford Crescent), Colombo 7 from 10 a.m. to 6: p.m. The exhibition is being held to celebrate the International day of rural women.
Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) has worked to raise the profile of women in the maritime sector. Through this exhibition they will enable 20 women to exhibit and sell their handicrafts. Batiks, handloom products, leather footwear etc. will be on sale and there will also be fun activities for children .
Top level Korean defence delegation in talks here
Picture shows KDU Vice Chancellor Rear Admiral Jagath Ranasinghe with (KNDU), Lieutenant General Seung Ho Wee
A top level delegation headed by the President of the Korea National Defence University (KNDU), Lieutenant General Seung Ho Wee, was in Sri Lanka from October 2 to 5. The delegation paid a courtesy call on the State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardena and Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarchchi. The two sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of national defence.
The delegation also held a bilateral meeting with high-ranking officers of the Kotelawala Defence University (KDU), and a memorandum of understand (MoU) was signed with the aim of further promoting the defence cooperation between the two Universities.
‘One Country and One People’ presented to President Maithripala
The Sinhala and Tamil narrative of ‘One Country and One People’, the storybook for children, originally written in English was presented to President Maithripala Sirisena by the author Sharadha de Saram and Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne, General Secretary of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement.
Sarvodaya and the Sunshine Charity will carry forward the multi-cultural messages in the book under the initiative, ‘Investing in Children’ reaching out to children, explaining to them that in-spite of the diverse backgrounds we are all one people in one country.
Raising awareness on blindness and visual impairment
From left Etisalat Lanka Chief Commercial Officer Yasser Aboulamayem; Heath Services Director-General Dr. Palitha Mahipala; Vision 2020 National Coordinator Dr. Asela Abeydeera; and SOMS Programme Director Chamara Ekanayake at the media briefing.
A series of events will be held on World Sight Day which is commemorated this year on October 13 to raise awareness on blindness and visual impairment.
A walkathon from Viharamahadevi Park to Independence Square will see the participation of President Maithripala Sirisena, Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne and many others from Etisalat Lanka, So Others May See (SOMS), Vision 2020 and the College of Ophthalmologists (Eye Surgeons) of Sri Lanka.
These events brought together by the Vision 2020 Programme of the Health Ministry, SOMS, a charity, and Etisalat Lanka, the first mobile telecommunications provider in the country, will also include eye-care clinics in Pinwatte Maha Viharaya, Kalubowila, it was announced at a media briefing recently.
Around 1,200 people will undergo eye-testing at these clinics, after which those with visual impairment requiring spectacles will be provided these spectacles free of charge, while free screening and registrations for free cataract surgeries will also take place on the same day.
Etisalat, meanwhile, has set up the hotline: 0721212123, designated to SOMS, which the public can call for assistance or seek information on eye care.
Public awareness campaigns will be carried out by placing Snellen Charts for eye tests at bus-stops in Colombo to enable people to perform a quick eye test.
Among Sri Lanka’s population of over 20 million, there are over a million with poor vision. Of these, around 150,000 people are believed to be blind. Cataract, refractive errors, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and blindness in children are the causes of blindness and vision impairment.
Etisalat is broadening its corporate social responsibility initiative to distribute free spectacles, which took place annually during local religious festivals. “In the long term, our sustainable initiative seeks to ensure the best possible vision for deserving individuals, thereby improving quality of life,” said Etisalat Lanka’s Chief Commercial Officer Yasser Aboulamayem.