Tough journey inspires Perara to accomplish her goals
It was God’s will that directed my life’s circumstances and lead me to where I am today. This is what Sureni Perara believed as she shared her life’s journey and the experience of caring for a child with a disability.
Ms Perara, the chief executive officer for the Frank Hilton Organisation and her sister have birth to two beautiful girls at the same time.
“One of our daughters was born with cerebral palsy. My family’s experience in seeking access to her right to survive and thrive and right to health and education, is what sparked my interest in disability and child health,” she said.
“Her death at the age of 9 only heightened my determination to pursue opportunities for systemic change that enabled parents and families to access equitable services for children with and at risk of disabilities.”
Ms Perara said her personal goals was also her professional goals and she wholeheartedly believed that she had found her “Iikigai” (Life purpose).
“It started with a determination and drive to overcome the magnitude of challenges faced by caregivers of children with disabilities,” she said. “The lack of opportunities for children with disabilities and the fragmented support services for parents was overwhelming, and something that compelled me to want for better.
“I found the Chitra Lane Children’s Resource Centre in Sri Lanka, as my niece was enrolled for early intervention services there.
“It was the compulsion to support parents and families better, make services more accessible and family centred, that lead me to further academic qualifications and professional training in special education and later public health management.”
When Ms Perara’s family moved to Fiji, she never expected to continue her career, however when the Board sought her out and after a long conversation with the late Frank Hilton, she knew that she wanted to continue the journey he started. “I was inspired to make his dream my own. I have been with the Frank Hilton Organisation for 12 years now and looking back I am extremely proud at how far we have come,” she added.
She also said she never gave in to the pressure of having to compromise her role as a mother or as a career woman.
“Some say you can’t have both. However, I would like to think I have been a very hands-on mother in raising my two girls, as well as actively steered organisational growth wherever I served,” she said.
Ms Perara is a mother of two strong and independent young women, Marcha, (25) and Nitaara (18).