An article about a project undertaken by a group of former Girl Guides, published in Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka) in May 2016.

1. Great Good Turn by former Girl Guides
It was 25th
of March 2016, a HolyDay as itwas Good Friday,anideal dayfor a Great Good Turn bya
groupof formerGirl Guides. The membersof Ex23rd ColomboClub(attachedtoMusaeus College)
made the longjourneytoAmbagahawewa, inthe RambewaAG’sDivision inAnuradhapura, North
Central Province,tocarry outa healthscreeningof villagersintwoadjacentvillagesof
AmbagahawewaandMunamalgahawewa.
The logisticsneededtorunthe daysmoothlywere carriedoutbysome of the ever-efficient
membersof the clubin the dayspriorto the HolyDay, underthe advice of the Chief Secretaryof the
NorthCentral Province and Dr. PalithaBandara,Provincial Directorof HealthServices of the North
Central Province,withthe able assistance of Sri LankaArmyand Civil SecurityDepartment.
Medical examinationswere carriedoutbydoctorsfromColombo,Anuradhapuraandfromthe Lions
Clubof Medawachchiyawhowillinglysacrificedthe daytolendtheirservicesinsupportof the great
cause,alongwiththe Grama Niladari,Midwife andotherGovernmentHealthOfficersforthe area.
For manyof the conditionsdetected,medicineswere given. Over450 villagers(overthe age of 16
years) were screenedforbloodsugar,cholesteroland Kreatinine among other ailments. A mini “Well
Woman Clinic Programme” was also conducted on the premises by a group of nurses, where breast
examinations were carried out to detect the traces of breast cancer. A team of nutritionists from the
National Nutrition Unit together with Miss. Visakha Tillekeratne conducted a programme on nutrition
as this was clearly an area that needed attention amongst the villagers. Newer avenues of nutrition
such as juices made from locally available fruits and vegetables such as kekiri, lemon and cucumber
were demonstrated with those present receiving glasses of fresh juice to taste.
The Ambagahawewa temple premises had many “sub camps” such as Anti-Narcotics and Dangerous
Drugs, Agriculture and use of organic fertiliser, Animal Husbandry by the Department of Agriculture
and Financial Management and Savings for the farmers of the two villagers conducted by Sarvodaya.
The villagers rallied around the organizers and chipped in with traditional dance items to make the
day colourful and provided a delicious lunch to all present.
In a unique but a much needed move to ensure the sustainable and safe water habits of the villagers,
water samples from the wells of the two villages were tested for the quality with the help of the Water
Board of the Anuradhapura District.
The primary school children were treated to a fun and games filled awareness session on the
importance of education and nutrition by the Girl Guides of 23rd
Colombo of Musaeus College who
also distributed gifts among the children. It was a happy and content sight to the organizers as well as
attendees when the children were seen darting off at the end of the day with happy smiles and an
extra spring in their step.
The day long health screening camp was the first phase of a remarkable project by Ex23rd Colombo
Club in their effort to help eradicate the chronic kidney disease. Their long-term vision is to develop
the village of Ambagahawewa to be free of the disease with the possibility of adapting the concept in
other villages.
The members are keen to ensure the sustainability of the project and plans and discussions are
already under way to repair the road to the village, provision of tanks to collect water for everyday use
and medicines for their ailments with special attention to nutrition and chronic kidney disease.
Published in Daily Mirror in May 2016