Rotary Club Of Colombo Partners To Provide 3000 Pairs Of Spectacles To Low Income Earners.

The Rotary Club of Colombo D3220 (Sri Lanka), The Rotary Club of Millpoint D9465 (Australia) and RAWCS (Rotary Australia World Community Service) partnered with Global Hands Charity in a humanitarian service project to provide three thousand pairs of individually graded spectacles to low income earners at three separate eye care camps conducted in Katana, Maskeliya and Matara in Sri Lanka. The eye camps were conducted over a period of 7 days from 6th – 12th January 2016.

A team of eleven skilled persons included senior qualified optometrists and students of optometry from the University of Melbourne who visited Sri Lanka to individually test and dispense the eyeglasses. 

The Team in Maskeliya

Eye Camp Visitors at Maskeliya

Eye Camp at Tea Leaf Vision in Maskeliya

Testing a patient in Maskeliya

Registration of Beneficiaries at Matara - it was heartening to note the large number of poor people who turned up at the eye camps. 

Beneficiaries Awaiting Testing

All Beneficiaries were Individually Registered, Tested and Documented

Spectacles were dispensed to little children and adults, and beneficiaries included Buddhist monks and policemen in uniform who turned up to be tested. Many people were identified with impaired vision and provided corrective glasses. Some members who could not be provided with suitable glasses were provided prescriptions and Global hands Charity and individual team members and Rotarians personally paid for the glasses to be purchased from local optometrists who provided same at a discounted price.

A little child who had difficulty reading the blackboard at school being tested by Senior Optometrist Gordon West

Regina Lau the Perth based Project Manager for Global Hands Charity said “It has been a humbling exercise, to say the least….., We have discovered many people who were walking with terrible eye sight , because they simply could not afford an eye check, let alone a pair of spectacles. We hope to return to Sri Lanka in the next 12 months due to an overwhelming response from the public.”

The Rotary Club of Colombo wishes to especially thank Mr Bala Murugiah of Keleneiya and Braemar Estate and the students and staff of the Tea Leaf Vision Center for Professional Development in Maskeliya, and Rev Herath and members of the Rotary Club of Matara for the assistance rendered in coordinating local arrangements.

The total value of glasses distributed has a value of over Rs 7.5 million.

A Buddhist monk received a pair of reading glasses

The Equipment

A Policeman Being Tested

PP and Assistant Governor Rtn Mahanama - Project Chairman for The Rotary Club of Colombo

Ruwanthi - A Student at the Univeristy of Melbourne assisted operations and was especially helpful with Sinhala language translation. 

Dispensing of Spectacles - Anjalie is a student of optometry at the University of Melbourne

Flood Relief for effected Students in IDH Area.

67 Children were given Uniform Clothe, Back pack bag, A pair of Shoes. A set of Exercise books

Donations were organized by Rotary Club of Colombo and the Rotary Club of Kollonnawa ( Were they contributed Sewing cost of rupees 500 for each participant.)

IPP Rohan and Rev Somawansa

Governor Nominee Rev. Somawansa

SPOKEN ENGLISH CLASS IN SATHIAPURAM - A REMOTE VILLAGE IN JAFFNA

Project under one of the six key focus areas of Rotary - Basic education and literacy

As part of one of the key focus areas in Rotary, to improve basic education & literacy, a project was  launched, initially in Sathiapuram to provide Spoken English classes to youngsters to prepare them for  a career of their choice. The project is handled by Rotarian Upali and Ann Shanthi. 

They hope to replicate this in other selected areas as well.

A Few Of The Children With Ann Shanthi At The Outdoor Classroom

The Group Posing For  Photograph

FREE DENTAL CLINIC IN MANIPAY, JAFFNA

Project under one of the six key focus areas of Rotary Disease prevention and treatment 

During mid November, a free dental clinic was conducted at the Green Memorial Hospital,Jaffna,by Dr. Selvan Mather, Brother in Law of Rotarian Upali and brother of Ann Shanthi. Dr Mather, who had retired recently as a Dental Surgeon in UK, specialising in children’s dentistry, was holidaying in Sri Lanka when Shanthi , as a Rotary Project, arranged with him to spend a week in Jaffna to conduct a free clinic for the needy and specially, for children. The highlight was the treatment to almost 80 hearing and speech impaired children from a local Deaf and Blind school.

A few of the kids with Ann Shanthi  

Children Awaiting their turn

Dr. Selvan Mather treating a child