Construction of a Community Welfare Centree for Navamahasenpura, Welikanda, Polonnaruwa

Yet another community welfare project undertaken by Sri Lanka Belgium Association (SLBA) will be successfully completed during October 2019 at Welikanda, in the Polonnaruwa District.

The initial proposal submitted to SLBA by Navamahasenpura Death Donation & Welfare Society, Welikanda was for the construction of a meditation centre within the premises of Sri Mahasenpura Viharaya at the request of the temple’s chief incumbent.

However, the President Mr. Amaradasda Gunawardana and the committee of SLBA decided that construction of a community welfare centre instead of a meditation centre would be more beneficial to the village community as they would be able to make use of it for other activities namely, weekend religious classes, welfare meetings, community functions and festive celebrations. This idea was well acknowledged by the beneficiaries.

Cost of the construction of the building is approximately Rs. 1,200,000.00 and on completion of the construction, SLBA expects to hand it over to Navamahasenpura Death Donation & Welfare Society and to the

Chief Incumbent of the temple during October 2019.

Adoptie Sri Lanka, Belgiumvzw is a nongovernmental organisation formed in Belgium solely to uplift the living standards of the poor and needy in Sri Lanka, they magnanimously came forward once again to fully fund this worthy cause at the request of Sri Lanka Belgium Association.

Another community service project successfully completed in the Welikanda area in 2016 with donations received from Adoptie Sri Lanka Belgium is the construction of a water purification plant to provide purified drinking water to nearly 200 families deprived of this basic necessity due to the dry weather conditions prevailing in the area throughout the year. The cost of the project was Rs. 1,450,000.00 and is satisfactorily managed by the aforesaid Society.

Sri Lanka Belgium Association with financial assistance from the donors Adoptie Sri Lanka, VZW Belgium has successfully completed many humanitarian service projects throughout the Island during the last two decades.the Association has constructed four water purification plants, donated laboratory/library equipment to under-privileged rural schools, making improvements and maintaining wards at Government

hospitals, provided toilet and water supply facilities to identified schools and villages etc.,

Forming of Vanameekanda and Thunthalawa villages, building houses and providing infrastructure facilities was a signature project completed by our Association to uplift the living standards of the villagers.

On-going projects presently undertaken and managed by the Sri Lanka Belgium Association are building two pre-schools in these villages, maintaining the buildings, providing school uniforms, books, stationery and mid-day meals to students, getting them to participate in religious activities and festive celebrations and arranging annual excursions for them.

In addition, the Association grants scholarships to the students of the two pre-schools and to those who have joined other schools in the area after the pre-school education. Around 250 students are beneficiaries of this scheme. It is pertinent to place on record that one of the students of Vanameekanda pre-school has gained admission to Royal College, Colombo having excelled at the scholarship examination conducted by the Government. Few more students have passed the G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination with distinctions.

Sri Lanka Belgium Association appreciates the continual financial assistance and encouragement extended by Adoptie Sri Lanka, VZW Belgium to complete all the humanitarian projects proposed to it during the last 16 years. We look forward to the same unstinted support in the years to come.