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A
gift of hope from IT students Aindri Hurulle,
Vice-Chairperson of the Committee for Helping Hope and a third-year
Business Studies student said that the idea to get involved in the
project first came as she read an advertisement about the Hope Cancer
Hospital in the media. "I came across these ads around May
this year, and it struck me that maybe we too could make a contribution.
So I discussed it with my friends and brainstormed as to what we
could do to help raise the necessary funds," she said. "Most
of us have been former members of Interact Clubs while in school,
so initiating a project of this nature did not seem such a daunting
task thanks to the experience we had gained through participating
in similar projects organized by Interact," said Aindri. The Committee
For Helping Hope was formed soon after, comprising student representatives
from both the Information Systems and Business Studies sections
of IIT, including Eshan Mendis and Charith Atukorala (Joint Project
Chairpersons), Aindri Hurulle (Vice Chair), Ashani Jayawardena and
Shashika Senerath (Treasurers), Thivanka Kodikara and Sharon Gauder
(Joint Secretaries) and Mayanthi Ratwatte, Navinda Muthuthanthri
and Romesh Daniels (sub-committee members). "The Hope
Cancer Hospital project had set a target of Rs. 75 million, so once
we banded together, the first thing we did was to decide how much
of a contribution we could make," adds Joint Project Chairperson
Charith Atukorala. "We decided on raising one million rupees
through box cards, each worth a thousand rupees where the contributions
made would be purely voluntary." The Committee's
objectives in organizing this project were three-fold. "We
wanted to increase awareness about the Hope Cancer Hospital among
the public and to collect Rs. one million for the project. And we
also thought we could be the intermediary through which individuals
could make small contributions towards the cause," Aindri said.
Once the plan
was mapped out, the committee got the approval of their Dean, who
was more than supportive of the whole project, which is incidentally
the first community project to be initiated on such a large scale
at IIT. "Mr. Mahesh Pasquel, Project Chairman of the Hope Cancer
Hospital helped us and directed us to Spencer Manuelpillai, Acct.
Director of Phoenix O & M (Pvt) Ltd, who helped us with printing
the cards and posters and finding sponsors," Charith said.
Their programme
began with a launch cum awareness programme on June 4 conducted
at IIT and will end with a walk on August 11. "The walk
will start from the IIT premises at Wellawatte and will be followed
by a ceremony to hand over the cash collected to the officials of
the Hope Cancer Hospital. We have no income from this project so
right now we are looking for a way to sponsor the refreshments for
the walk. "But we
welcome anyone willing to participate in the walk to join us and
contribute in some little way to the cause," Andri said. For more details contact: Charith on 766459 or Aindri on 697128 or the Hope Cancer Hospital on 672820. A
happy b'day, village style I stepped into
their little abode. There in the middle of the kitchen table was
placed a plate of milk rice topped with a candle. The mother called
her daughter, as she quickly dressed the little boy to be taken
to the nearby nursery. Then she brought me the customary glass of
water and I touched the tray. The birthday girl came in beaming,
fresh and clean, and ready for school. The mother lit the candle
and the girl blew it while I said "happy birthday". Then
we all clapped as she cut the milk rice and served it to us. Lunu
miris, with a good sprinkling of maldive fish was special to the
day as was tea with milk. Everybody ate
laughing and talking; there was no birthday cake, no birthday presents.
But it didn't seem to matter. The children in the village do not
pester their parents for goodies. A very special treat would be
yellow rice or fried rice. Rice is the
staple diet of the village. People will eat it in the morning with
a little milk. In the afternoon - on the worst days - they would
have kiri hodi and a mallun. The evening will be rice again with
leftovers. Meat and fish are not an everyday occurrence. Sprats
and eggs will be eaten at least once a week, and if it is cheap
-small fish. Noodles are
substituted for rice on good days with a lentil curry. Yams, breadfruit
and jak are used, to give bulk to a meal when the price of rice
increases or money is short. When one walks
into a village shop, it is easy to assess the buying power of the
inhabitants. Today most of the items sold in the nearby boutique
come in the smallest pack or are sold loose. People are finding
it difficult to make ends meet. The problem is compounded by the
lack of rain that has made the ground crack, and people having to
trudge to the nearest well that may not have run dry. Good clean
water is a necessity for drinking and the preparation of food. I
observe a woman putting a garden hose over the fence, so that those
who come to her for water could fill up. I ask her why she does
not let them draw water from her well, as pumping the water will
send her electricity bill up. "No," she whispers. "If
someone sees the water in the well and exclaims over it the water
might dry up"! After awhile, somebody, on the other side of
the fence, shouts out asking if the water has been turned off. "No,"
she says: "most probably the tank has run out of water."
That is all she can afford to give. They leave looking for another
place to collect some water. No water bowsers are seen in this area.
People in the
village are used to walking long distances, and do not have the
problem of combating excess fat. But psychosomatic diseases seem
to be rife: most women complain of asthma, and hypertension and
are on medication. Clinics are
full, as people seek assistance to stave off strokes and heart attacks.
Chintha, a woman I know suffers from hypertension and asthma. She
attends a monthly clinic where they test her for diabetes, blood
sugar and cholesterol. On the crook of her arm is a bluish nodule,
which she says is the result of their drawing blood on a monthly
basis. So I explain to Chintha that if she had diabetes, she would
also have some symptoms and it is not necessary to have Cholesterol
tests once a month. Why doesn't she question her doctor? She says
he will think her presumptuous. On two occasions, he had shown his
displeasure, when she had not done the tests. This was because he
was on leave, and the temporary replacement had questioned the validity
of her attendance, as there didn't seem much wrong with her! Perhaps the increase in bus fares since last week might be a deterrent to Chintha attending that clinic, thus giving her a chance to get over her fear of illness and being a slave to pills. From the village to the town it is now an extra Rs.2.50. To Colombo even the public transport charges Rs.20 extra. The women sit
dejected. How can they earn some money? Most of them cannot afford
to meet the Rs.5 they have to pay to their small savings and credit
groups while others are unable to pay their consumer loans. No money, no
money. How can we find some money, is the question on every one's
lips, at present. Doors are closed securely in the evening. Somebody
might get desperate, but nobody wishes it to be at a cost to living. |
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