Salvation Army seeks partnership with communities and the private sector

Over 20,000 people in the Polonnaruwa district were recently screened during a campaign organised by the Salvation Army to detect and prevent the spread of kidney disease in the area. During this screening process, 1,000 persons were diagnosed as having kidney disease, said Major Pe t e r M c G u i g a n , the Communication Secretary of the Salvation Army, addressing a media briefing at the Galadari Hotel last week.

He said following a request made by a local politician in the North Central Province to help those afflicted by kidney disease in the Polonnaruwa district, the Salvation Army officials visited Polonnaruwa and liased with state officials, medical personnel and community members and religious leaders to set up a project to detect and prevent kidney disease spreading in the area. Funding for this programme came from Canada and the US.

He said the Salvation Army has completed building eight large scale community wells in the North Central Province outfitted with industrial filtration plants while others are in the pipeline.

The wells are managed and maintained by the communities with the nominal fee of one rupee per litre of water by users.

Salvation Army volunteers have cleaned up 300 wells in the Kalutara district to provide relief to communities affected by the devastating floods in May this year. The Salvation Army also provides disaster services around the clock in times of emergency and distress to provide relief to those affected by disasters such as the Methotamulla tragedy this year where a 90 metre waste dump collapsed killing several persons. However the following morning the Salvation Army volunteers were there providing free breakfast to hundreds of survivors of the tragedy and continued to help them for weeks," Major McGuigan said

The organisation works with local partnerships as well as the state sector, the private and the corporate sectors and with NGO's to help those affected by disasters. The Salvation Army's 40 offices are spread across the length and breadth of the country providing relief to people with social and emotional support.

The organisation has also launched its annual appeal to raise funds that will help its residential and community services across the country under the theme "You "can create a better tomorrow."

Chairperson of the Salvation Army's National Advisory Board Eraj Wijesinghe said that the organisation had survived for 134 years in Sri Lanka because of its integrity and commitment to serve people. "The Salvation Army has been very sensitive to the needs of its people whether its children, or youth and the way how they have responded very silently. Even the Polonnaruwa project was based on that concept,” he added.

The Salvation Army has been very sensitive to the needs of its people whether its children, or youth and the way how they have responded very silently.