SURASA home needs a little help to make exhibition, concert a success

The Moratuwa Home for Mentally Retarded Girls now known as SURASA-Moratuwa Special Education School and Home for Girls was founded in 1968, by a few benevolent philanthropists namely H. P. de Mel – MP from Moratuwa, Mrs Ruby de Mel and Dr. L. O. Abeyratne who had a great vision to help girls with disabilities to train and provide them with equal opportunities, enhance their potential skills and help them be part of society.

Located at No. 6 Katukurunda, Moratuwa (the ancestral home of Ruby de Mel), the Home was inaugurated with five orphan girls with learning disabilities. It was thereafter affiliated to the National Council for Child and Youth Welfare, where Dr. Abeyratne was a key member of the Council. The first Honorary Warden was Mrs de Mel.

Since the inception the Home has progressed and developed and is now celebrating its Golden Anniversary with 30 girls on roll and eight staff members. A Home Committee managed by the National Council for Child and Youth Welfare was set up from the inception for the day to day running of the Home where love and care are showered on these destitute girls, who otherwise were looked upon as a burden to the family and socially stigmatized.

The success of five decades of the SURASA Home and School is specially due to the dedicated efforts of the staff and the Home Committee towards making it a warm and loving environment providing love, care, shelter and security to these girls who are today integrated with others and enjoying normal life.

An exhibition of their inherent skills in handicrafts and a concert featuring the girls will be held on Saturday, October 20 from 8.30 a.m. onwards at the Home at No. 6 Katukurunda, Moratuwa.

The Home is requesting kind sponsors to help with contributions for this effort. Cheques should be written in favour of “National Council for the Child and Youth Welfare – Moratuwa Home”.