Project at Welgama Village in Trincomalee

Welgama village is situated close to the famous Hot Springs at Kanniya in Trincomalee District, bordering the Northern part of Sri Lanka. The village has faced many problems and difficulties during the time of LTTE troubles. A lot of people in the village were brutally assassinated by the LTTE during the said period.

The temple situated in the village is a historical place which had been built during the time of King Devanampiyatissa and is a very Sacred place where one of the "Dethispala Ruha Bodhi" was planted. The Chief Incumbent of the Temple was also brutally injured thrice during the said period. There were about one thousand five hundred families in this village before the war. Only one hundred and fifty families have been resettled after the war as the Chief Incumbent of the Temple has helped them to build houses and obtain electricity in collaboration with a Non-Government Organization.

Therefore when we visited the place, after the Katina Pinkama, we decided to utilize the balance money available with us from the donations received for the Katina Pinkama, to organize an Eye Camp and donate spectacles, donate school bags and stationery to the school children and donate dry rations to poor families in that village.

The Secretary coordinated with the Chief Priest and the Grama Niladari of the area and organized this project. We had to hire a vehicle to carry the load of things we donated which included 70 school bags, 70 packs of stationery and 60 packs of dry rations to be distributed among the families. The cost for the hire of the vehicle was borne by the President, Mrs. Yamuna Gunasekara, Secretary, Pramuditha Senaratne and the Vice President, Mrs. Sandhya Thalduwa.

An Eye Camp was also held at the same venue and spectacles were distributed to the needy people accordingly. Further, we donated Rs.15,000/= to obtain electricity to the newly built Pre-school building

We are grateful to our Secretary, Mrs. Pramuditha Senartne for organizing this project, Co-Vice President, Mrs. Sandhya Thalduwa for organizing the eye camp and the Optometrist Mr. H. K. J. Senanayake, Officers of the TID (Terrorist Investigation Division) of the Police Department in Trincomalee for their assistance and Mr. and Mrs. Weerasinghe of the Co-operative Society of Homagama for helping us to prepare the gift parcels of dry rations.