Seven but mighty- the Belgian connection
Seated upstairs in the Girl Guides Headquarters, the round table of the conference room is abuzz with energy and activity as the committee members and doctors involved discuss their progress fresh from their latest visit to children in Batticaloa. Shamani Jacob is all smiles as she walks in. “She’s the livewire” someone points out, introducing her around. Here for what is around the 53rd project, Shamani is president of the Sri Lanka Women’s Association of Belgium (SLWAB), lending a quiet helping hand to SLGGA over the past 24 years with various projects.
The SLWAB is more or less a seven woman army. Established in April 1990 the Association is made up of women of different ethnicities all hailing from Sri Lanka. Earlier it was more or less the Seva Vanitha branch of the Sri Lankan Embassy to Belgium, but when that collapsed, a few decided to continue the work they were doing under the Seva Vanitha.
“Small but mighty”, is how Shamani describes the seven member Association which has supported many of the SLGGA’s projects for almost quarter of a century. Under the initial leadership of former Chief Commissioner of Girl Guides Marlene Dissanayake, the organisation is now spearheaded by Shamani. Linking the two groups now is Marlene, having been involved with the SLGGA since she became a Girl Guide aged just eight, who says the the long standing friendship between the two groups is due to their dedication and commitment. “The unity we had is still there.”
Shamani never thought their club would come this far. She remembers their first charity dinner, one that would go on to be a longstanding tradition. Catering for around 150 people, Shamani and Marlene laugh, recollecting the immense pots of food and frozen curry they would literally chisel out due to the cold weather in order to feed their guests on time, with only five other ladies to help them. The Association has come a long way since, from raising around 250 000 euros for tsunami victims to carrying out their current project; caring for the vision of children around the island.