Sri Lanka Charity Projects: Our Mission

Ruhunu Lama Niwasaya (Infants home) in Galle is home to 40 infants aged 0-4 years. These children are either orphaned or have a single parent who cannot care for them, leading to their placement in the home through the Courts or Probation office. The Home also includes a unit for infants with special needs. Housed in an old building, it required repairs to its pantry, bathing area, doctors’ room, and toddlers’ play area. Thanks to charity projects funded entirely by an external body supported by the Sri Lanka Society, all necessary repairs were completed, significantly improving facilities to better support vulnerable communities.

Through the charity projects initiated by the Sri Lanka Society, renovations and new furniture have been provided for two outdoor classrooms, along with musical instruments and the construction of a permanent canteen at Palpola Primary School in Kalutara. Previously, the school operated with limited learning resources and minimal facilities, including outdoor classes without proper equipment and a temporary shack serving as a canteen. Once the work is completed, 300 school children will benefit, showcasing the society's commitment to support vulnerable communities.

UCCDF is actively involved in charity projects focused on environmental protection, community development, and youth development and guidance in the Panvila Divisional Secretariat (Kandy district). Funded by the Sri Lanka Society, UCCDF has purchased computers and a projector for IT training, benefiting approximately 100 youth (ages 12+) from local estate plantation communities and surrounding villages to enhance their digital literacy. IT instruction is offered at UCCDF offices by tutors from the National Youth Service Council. The courses available include introductory computer applications for youth aged 12 and older, as well as diploma-level courses in Programming, Graphic Design, and Computer Hardware troubleshooting, all aimed at supporting vulnerable communities.

The T.E.A Project is dedicated to empowering marginalized children and families across Sri Lanka, with a particular focus on those living within tea estate communities – some of the most underserved and overlooked populations in the country. Through various charity projects, T.E.A provides a holistic package of free services at their Centre for Children’s Empowerment in Galhala in Sri Lanka’s central highlands. These services include early years’ education, youth empowerment, training, structured after-school programmes, and nutritious daily meals. The Sri Lanka Society has played a crucial role in supporting vulnerable communities by funding the establishment of an ICT (Information and Communication Technology) learning classroom at the Centre, allowing for the purchase of computers and other IT equipment. This ICT unit will directly benefit 280 local children and young adults, under the supervision of qualified teachers, helping them gain digital literacy and break the cycle of poverty. Foundational digital skills courses are offered to ensure these young individuals are equipped for the future.

The Foundation operates a community centre in Badowita, a purpose-built low-income settlement. In 2024, the Sri Lanka Society supported charity projects by funding the refurbishment of the centre and the purchase of essential equipment, including heat extractor funnels, fans, a water purifier, and upgraded IT room equipment. Additionally, with funding from an external source, the Society provided much-needed school shoes for 100 of the poorest children in Badowita, further demonstrating their commitment to support vulnerable communities.

In 2020, the Sri Lanka Society allocated funds for the refurbishment of the centre’s kitchen and IT room, as well as new computers for the After School Club to help children develop essential IT skills. During the economic crisis in 2022, emergency funding was crucial in supplying food packs to families struggling to afford essentials and ensuring transport for children to access the centre.

The Peter Weeresekera Foundation operates Child Development Centres that have been supporting vulnerable communities since 1959 in the Western Province. These centres previously offered a range of services, including a nutrition centre, a girls’ home, and a toddlers’ home for 85 orphans from the poorest backgrounds. However, due to the Covid pandemic and subsequent cutbacks in funding, the focus has now shifted to the main orphanage in Gampaha, which cares for destitute children referred by the Department of Probation and Childcare Services and Magistrates Courts. In an effort to enhance their charity projects, the orphanage sought support from the Sri Lanka Society to renovate the toilets for the toddlers, with the renovation work completed in March 2024.

Appe Lanka is a rural development project designed to support vulnerable communities across six districts in northern and eastern Sri Lanka, starting with Poonakary. This area has suffered from many years of war. Several charity projects are currently underway, including the "Keeping Children in School" program. This initiative has facilitated the provision of bicycles for school children, the distribution of audio-visual English language programs to all schools in Poonakary, and the "Equal Chances" initiative, which supplies schoolbooks to students. In 2022, 900 sets of books were distributed. As part of this effort, the Sri Lanka Society, through funding received from an external source, financed the purchase of 2,000 sets of books for the poorest school children in the district. Additionally, the Sri Lanka Society has supported the development of home gardens in children's centers managed by women, empowering them with purpose and leadership while addressing food security, nutrition, and income generation.

The Mealcare for Schools project, an initiative by the Sri Lanka Society, aims to combat malnutrition among underprivileged children affected by extreme food poverty and the economic crisis by providing balanced and nutritious meals. This charity project has ensured access to fresh and wholesome ingredients, reaching up to 40 schools in Colombo. So far, the program has provided over 250,000 meals to more than 10,000 children. In 2024, the Sri Lanka Society funded the provision of 8,000 meals for distribution across 25+ schools. Additionally, through its Techcare program, Mealcare supports vulnerable communities by funding computer labs, supplying equipment, software, and ongoing support to enable digital literacy among underprivileged students and their teachers, fostering a conducive learning environment. The Sri Lanka Society also funded the purchase of 24 heavily discounted refurbished computers for several schools, benefiting hundreds of children.

The Karuna Trust is dedicated to charity projects that provide education, eye care, and homes for the homeless. During the Covid pandemic, cataract surgeries were halted in government hospitals, and due to rising costs, the health ministry stopped importing lenses. Approximately 35% of the elderly population in Sri Lanka suffers from impaired sight caused by cataracts. In 2022, 50 elders, many of them poor farmers in the Ratnapura area, regained their sight through cataract procedures funded by the Karuna Trust and supported by the Sri Lanka Society. This initiative enabled them to return to work and earn a living for their families and communities, helping to support vulnerable communities in the region.

The IMS offers neuro-rehabilitation services at the Green Memorial Hospital in Jaffna. In 2022, the Sri Lanka Society supported charity projects by funding the purchase of specialist physiotherapy equipment for the neuro rehabilitation centre. This initiative aims to assist in the management and recovery from various conditions and injuries, including spinal cord injury, stroke, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophies, and posture problems, ultimately helping to support vulnerable communities.

With the very high inflation rate, many essentials are becoming unaffordable. In response, the Sri Lanka Society has initiated charity projects to support vulnerable communities by providing funds to purchase school shoes, exercise books, and school bags for 50 children from impoverished backgrounds in the Theldeniya district.

Child Action Lanka (CAL) supports vulnerable communities through Child Development Centres (CDCs) across the country, addressing the needs of disadvantaged children in Sri Lanka who have been deprived of education, traumatized by violence and abuse (both mental and physical), or suffer from illness primarily due to poverty, war, and conflict. These CDCs provide essential services such as education, food, and medical care, along with arts and sports clubs. In 2022, the Sri Lanka Society funded charity projects that enabled the purchase of sewing machines and materials for the CDC in Kilinochchi, allowing mothers to create clothing and generate an income to help them care for their children independently.

The Sri Lanka Cancer Society is the foremost voluntary organization that supplements the work of the National Cancer Control. This vital Sri Lanka Society provides care and solace to vulnerable communities affected by cancer and works towards increasing awareness of the disease. It operates a hospice that offers palliative care for terminally ill patients and a transit home that provides residential accommodation and nursing care for those seeking treatment at the national cancer hospital. Additionally, the Sri Lanka Society funds essential equipment and patient bedside furniture as part of its charity projects.

During the most critical stages of the Covid pandemic, there was an urgent need to provide life-saving medical equipment. In 2021, the Sri Lanka Society supported charity projects by funding the purchase of Pulse Oximeters, Multi Parameter Monitors, and other essential items for the Intermediate Care Centre at Baddegama District Hospital, arranged through Medical Aid Sri Lanka. These efforts were crucial in supporting vulnerable communities during a challenging time.

The CFS Prithipura Home is a residential facility for 67 differently abled young people and adults, most of whom have no families to go to. This home not only provides them with an environment to learn and live together as one family, but it also serves as a vital part of charity projects aimed at supporting vulnerable communities. In 2018, the Sri Lanka Society funded the purchase of physiotherapy equipment, wheelchairs, and a computer for teaching and administrative purposes. In 2021, the Society continued its commitment by funding hospital beds, furniture, and other essential equipment. In 2022, additional funds were donated as emergency relief to purchase essential drugs for the residents, as government clinics had run out of supplies.

The centre, located in Dehiwela, operates as part of the Sri Lanka Society, providing medical and dental healthcare on a not-for-profit basis through clinics and community work. Its services are accessible to all, with a special focus on supporting vulnerable communities from all ethnic backgrounds. In 2021, the Society funded new blood pressure monitors and ophthalmoscopes to enhance its charity projects.

The Foundation established its 194-bed transit home, CCC House, as part of its charity projects to enable cancer sufferers from all over Sri Lanka to access the treatment provided by the National Cancer Institute in Maharagama on an outpatient basis. This facility offers dormitory accommodation for adults and separate shared rooms for children with carers, creating a safe and comfortable environment for recovery. In 2017, the Sri Lanka Society funded the purchase of kitchen and cooking equipment, water pumps, a PA system, and a generator to enhance the services at CCC House and support vulnerable communities in need. In 2021, the Society further contributed by funding new mattresses and covers for their beds.

Educate, Advocate, Support and Empower (E.A.S.E) was co-founded by an individual with autism, supported by his mother, to assist those with autism and learning disabilities in fulfilling their potential. This initiative focuses on educating parents and changing societal attitudes regarding autism. The Sri Lanka Society has played a vital role by funding charity projects such as the purchase of a computer for administrative tasks and providing kitchen, sewing, and household equipment, which are essential for teaching life skills to children and young adults in order to support vulnerable communities.

The school works to empower and educate children with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities arising from Autism, Down’s syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and other conditions. In 2016, the Sri Lanka Society supported charity projects that included the purchase of a new organ for music sessions, Montessori apparatus for teaching purposes, and new furniture for the School. 

Some of the students at the Ide School are shown here with the Montessori apparatus that they use for learning. The School supports 20 students in total, many of whom face severe difficulties in performing even the most basic day-to-day activities, highlighting the importance of efforts to support vulnerable communities.

After the tsunami that affected Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka Society focused its efforts on charity projects that support vulnerable communities, specifically aiding the Karapitiya and Mahamodera Hospitals in Galle. In November 2015, the Society funded a project to refurbish the neo-natal unit at Karapitiya by providing the necessary funds for the purchase of an infant resuscitator. Within the same month, this equipment was used to support the care of 3 of the 8 babies in the Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU). One of the doctors who leads the neo-natal unit at Karapitiya Hospital is shown here with a sister in the ICU and the infant resuscitator.

Based in Wellawatte, the charity projects of the Sri Lanka Society provide a haven for orphaned boys and those who need to live away from their family environment for various reasons. In 2015, the Society supported the purchase of much-needed kitchen and laundry appliances, which will improve the care provided to the boys and support vulnerable communities.

The Foundation is dedicated to advocating for and addressing the needs of people diagnosed with cognitive impairment and dementia. As part of its charity projects, the Sri Lanka Society supported the purchase of an air-conditioning unit in 2015 to enhance the comfort of people who use their centre and support vulnerable communities.

Apeksha Hospital, a 300-bed facility formerly known as the National Cancer Institute, plays a vital role in supporting vulnerable communities. In July 2018, the Sri Lanka Society contributed to charity projects by funding two infusion pumps. These pumps are essential for accurately administering regular doses of important medications over an extended period to cancer patients.

CSDB operates three residential schools in Sri Lanka, supporting approximately 450 students as part of their charity projects aimed at supporting vulnerable communities. In addition to providing accommodation and meals, students receive an education along with speech therapy and vocational training to help them become independent. A notable example of this is the bakery and pastry making course offered at the School for the Deaf, where a small outlet was opened to give students more opportunities to practice their skills and generate funds for reinvestment in their support. In 2019, the Sri Lanka Society funded the purchase of a chilled display unit for this outlet.

Additionally, the Sri Lanka Society supported the purchase of 13 hearing aids for 8 students, aged between 5-10 years, at the school. These hearing aids were fitted in July 2015, with the hope that they would enable the children to enhance their oral communication skills instead of relying solely on sign language. In March 2016, the Principal of the School reported “a remarkable improvement” in the children’s classroom work.