Paul Harris Birthday 19th Apr

" Sri Lanka Sikamani "

PRIP K R Ravindran being conferred with  the nation's honour of " Sri Lanka Sikamani "

Sri Lankan president Maithripala Sirisena conferred Sri Lanka's prestigious honour of " Sri Lanka Sikamani" to PRIP KR Ravindran at a ceremony in Colombo on 20th March.

World Understanding Day

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