Solar electricity for low income families

Electricity is an absolute necessity in this day and age. Although most of you may be blessed with this resource, there are hundreds of families in many parts of Sri Lanka that do not have access to electricity.

As a means of providing relief to some of the affected, the Social Services and Social Welfare Ministry approved a project to provide 300 solar powered lighting panels to low income families in the Moneragala District. This project will be financially supported by HELLENIC AID of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Greece.

Three hundred low income families in the Wellawaya, Madulla and Siyambalanduwa Divisions in the Moneragala District with no access to electricity will benefit from this project.

When selecting the recipients, priority was given to families with students in higher level classes. These students currently use kerosene oil lamps to light their homes as well as to do their studies. Kerosene lamps, besides providing inadequate light and causing pollution, have also resulted in many deaths and burn injuries.

The solar panels are already being installed in these houses by the suppliers. Meetings have been organised in these areas to educate the children and parents of these families on how the panels should be used to get the maximum benefit.

CSDP programmes

The contribution made by street drama to the development of society had been recognised by the Children Skills Development Programme (CSDP) during the many dramas staged abroad, workshops, competitions and seminars it had conducted along with the National Drama Institute.

The CSDP, with the intention of creating a full-time street drama troupe representing various age groups, is inviting interested parties with acting skills to join this programme.

Those selected will receive free training and also an allowance. Those interested can write to CSDP, No. 51. Sri Dharmarama Road, Dematagoda, Colombo 9; or call 2672718, 2689536 or 25751593.

Meanwhile, TNL TV is introducing a new series of children's programmes with the intention of improving the educational and entertainment quality of TV programmes for children, and also to be a showcase for children's talents, especially for outstation children.

The programmes will be produced by Ms. Rathna Pushpa Kumari under the supervision of veteran media personality Edwin Ariyadasa.

Two of the programmes that are currently being telecast on TV are 'Lama Kusalatha Sadaya', which is produced jointly with the CSDP and is aired at 6.00pm on Wednesday, and 'Daskam Pilisandara', telecast at 6.00pm on Friday.

Arrangements have also been made to produce another series of programmes which would provide a stage for children from schools, pre-schools and clubs to display their talents. Those who like to take part in the series can write to Producer, Children's Programmes, TNL Television Service, Dampe, Piliyandala.

Dengue, chikungunya prevention campaign

Dengue and chikungunya are both very serious diseases spread by mosquitoes, and could prove to be fatal if left unchecked. Despite the serious nature of these diseases, they could easily be prevented if only we take the trouble to keep our surroundings clean and free of mosquito breeding grounds.

Diseases of this nature could spread fast during the rainy season, and since we have been experiencing a lot of rain over the past few weeks, we should make double the effort to avert an outbreak of these diseases.

'No to D&C', a campaign to fight dengue and chikungunya was conducted recently by the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) in the Colombo city to eradicate the menace of the twin diseases. Volunteers from the CMC inspected more than 11,085 houses within the city.

Notices were also summoned on 356 house owners who hadn't followed the CMC instructions on mosquito breeding preventive measures. These houses will be revisited by the Public Health Inspectors of the CMC to ensure that the necessary measures have been implemented. Based on their reports, the CMC hopes to file action against householders who haven't followed the preventive measures.

The campaign, which was temporarily stopped during the festive season, was expected to be reactivated afterwards.

Free mid-day meals for students

There are lots of children in Sri Lanka that don't get an adequate and nourishing meal, due to poverty and sometimes, other reasons. This has led to malnourishment on a grand scale, which results in a lot of problems for the children later in life.

The government has introduced many steps as a solution to this serious issue. As another measure taken with this objective in mind, the Nation Building Ministry, jointly with the World Food Programme, has launched an initiative to provide free mid-day meals to students from Grades 1 to 9 of Madakumbura Maha Vidyalaya in the Karandeniya electorate.

The programme has, as its objectives, eradicating malnutrition and building a strong and healthy nation.

Promoting the reading habit

Reading is a rewarding and educative hobby, and is a pastime that all children should be encouraged to follow. The Education Ministry has, and is, carrying out many projects to promote the habit of reading among schoolchildren.

The latest such project, being conducted by the School Library Development Unit of the Ministry with assistance from the Sri Lanka Authors' Association, is the presenting of a reading book to all schoolchildren during the festive season. It is conducted under the 'Sinhala and Hindu New Year Gift Project'.

The Ministry has also taken measures to educate parents and guardians of children on what steps they can take to promote the reading habit among children. One appropriate action recommended is to give children gifts of books, whenever such gift-giving occasions arise.