“Walk from the Heart”: 1500 Gateway College students raise funds to combat children’s heart disease

A five-day programme/workshop entitled “Start Your Business” was held in early July, at the University of Peradeniya. Eighteen final year undergraduates from the Faculties of Agriculture and Arts participated in the programme which was conducted by ILO qualified trainers from the Department of Rural Industries and Enterprise Development of the Central Province. Chief facilitator Ms. Priyanka Wijetunga, and trainers Mr. S. Kumara and Mr. D. Dissanayake, alumni of the University of Peradeniya, conducted the programme.

The programme included sessions on the Relationship between Business plan and Type of Business, Marketing, Elements of Labour recruitment, Costing, Financial planning, Capital generation source and Preparation of a business plan. The participants were also provided with a training manual and a Business Plan provided by the ILO-SIYB Association of Sri Lanka.

The participants also had the opportunity to listen to Managing Director, Pentium 2000 Jagath Dissananayake, ((Sri Lankan Entrepreneur of the Year 2012).

The programme was held at the Career Guidance Unit of the University of Peradeniya, coordinated by the Alumni Association University of Peradeniya and sponsored by Commercial Credit & Finance PLC, and D. Samson Industries (Pvt) Ltd.

Almost 1500 students from Gateway College, Rajagiriya, participated in a walk titled “Walk from the Heart” to raise funds to combat children’s heart disease in Sri Lanka on the morning of Saturday, July 25. They wove their way from Lady Ridgeway Hospital to the school premises in Rajagiriya, walking smartly behind the school band and a large float with a big red heart.

Walking in groups of classes, riding an open double-decker bus or an old fashioned ox-cart, the students captured the interest of passers by with banners that aimed to create awareness of congenital heart disease in Sri Lanka.

Congenital heart disease affects about 3-4,000 Sri Lankan infants, which, if treated in time through surgery or catheterisation can give the child the opportunity to lead a normal life. The Lady Ridgeway Hospital is the main tertiary care facility in Sri Lanka that provides services to children with heart disease – and The Children’s Heart Project of Sri Lanka supports the Hospital in its efforts, complementing the investments made by the Government of Sri Lanka with funds for consumables, equipment and infrastructure. This needs a continuous flow of income which the Project aims also to use to help families of patients who come from all over the country.

The younger students of Gateway College joined the walk at different points on the way. Even the littlest ones were engaged, carrying heart shaped balloons, and sporting big red hearts on their t-shirts. In the school grounds, the different school societies had organised food stalls and games so that the walkers, parents and well-wishers could have a fun Saturday morning while at the same time raising money for the Children’s Heart Project. Amidst all the fun, what was most heartening was the number of birthday pledges the children made – volunteering that at their next birthday they will give up their birthday cake, their birthday presents or their birthday party, and donate instead to the project and help save a life. Forty five (45) children between the ages of 6 and eighteen made birthday pledges.

“The students, teachers and management of Gateway College have done a fantastic job of organising this walk so well,” said Dr. Duminda Samarasinghe, Paediatric Cardiologist and Chairman of the Children’s Heart Project of Sri Lanka as he accepted the first instalment of Rs. 500,000 from the proceeds of the walk.

If you would like to involve your school in raising funds to help children with congenital heart disease, or make a personal pledge, please contact The Children’s Heart Project of Sri Lanka on childheartlk@gmail.com. More information about the Project can be found on http:// www.childrensheartproject.lk/

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