War heroes’ welfare , a top priority

By Dhaneshi YATAWARA

President Mahinda Rajapaksa with the children at the pre-school at Ranajayapura

A visit to the soldiers recovering - President SVU Manjulika Jayasuriya visiting the Army Hospital.

Helping a war hero to construct his house.

An aerial view of the Ranajayapura housing scheme at Ipalogama

At a time when we review our achievements with pride are we paying enough attention to our war heroes? With a few more days left for the much awaited first anniversary after defeating terrorism, it is time to take care of our valiant soldiers.

“Today we take care of nearly 300 disabled war heroes,” said Manjulika Jayasuriya, the President of the Sri Lanka Army Seva Vanitha Unit. The Seva Vanitha Unit (SVU) being a pillar of strength to the entire Army today shoulders the major task of caring for the soldiers and their families who are now recovering from their injuries through rehabilitation.

Two mega projects along with several other long-term projects are in progress to facilitate war veterans for the noble services rendered by them for the motherland.

The two new projects, the ‘Ranajayapura’ housing scheme constructed under the supervision of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and the ‘Abimansala’, the wellness resort for the soldiers with disabilities are done by the Sri Lanka Army.

The ‘Ranajayapura’ housing complex at Ipalogama is to fulfil a pledge made to war heroes under ‘Mahinda Chintana’ 10 year development plan. The housing complex spanning in a land of 189 acres was opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on November 22, 2009 which includes 1,509 houses.

The project was planned and implemented by the Ministry of Defence under the leadership of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. With his great interest in “looking after the men behind the weapon” , the Defence Secretary gave the top priority to these housing projects over many other Ranaviru welfare projects that are implemented.

All basic facilities have been provided in addition to roads, playgrounds, banks, supermarkets and a community hall. The fully equipped pre-school is constructed in the town to which the first child was registered under the patronage of First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa at the inauguration ceremony. All urban facilities will be provided with well

equipped hospital and several commercial banks in town.

The title deeds to the houses were handed over to the beneficiaries at the inauguration ceremony. Out of the total number of 1,509 houses, 767 have been allocated to the Army, while the remaining 742 have been allocated to the Air Force and the Navy. The cost of each three roomed house with bathroom, pantry and a ten perch land is Rs. 1.4 million. The government spent Rs. 600,000 out of the total cost and the remaining Rs. 800,000 was given as interest free loans to the recipients which are expected to be recovered within ten to fifteen years.

The Foundation stone was laid for the housing project on the December 14, 2006 and the construction was initially undertaken by a contractor but later taken over by the Sri Lanka Navy engineers in order to expedite the process. With their untiring efforts, commitment and dedication Navy engineers accomplished the task of completing 1,509 houses within 15 months. Even during the humanitarian operation the Sri Lanka Navy made tremendous effort to accelerate the project under the command of their former Commander Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda. Following the military victory Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, Commander of the Navy after Admiral Karannagoda, took over the uphill task of completing the construction of the ‘Ranajayapura’.

The Army while embarking on an era of reconciliation, goodwill and development has also prioritized welfare of War Heroes, particularly of those who received multiple injuries in the battlefields and are confined to bed or wheelchairs, expecting lifelong care and society’s affection.

Supervised under the SVU of the Sri Lanka Army, the Brave Hearts Project is leading the construction of the ‘Abimansala’ the wellness resort scheduled to be constructed in close proximity of Nuwara Wewa in Anuradhapura. Witnessing the complexity a soldier encounters in his mission to succeed and the gravity of the psychological stress a soldier has to experience when disabled, ‘Abimansala’ has become the brainchild of the Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya with his first-hand experience as the Wanni Security Forces Commander during the height of the war.

Many soldiers were injured during the battle against terrorism and some made the supreme sacrifice in defending the motherland. Those injuries range from spinal cord, brain damage and many other disabilities such as amputations, impaired hearing, vision, speech defects, paralysis and other complexities. Most of these war heroes are young men in their early 20s restricted to a wheelchair or bed ridden or have impaired mobility, requiring a variety of assisting devices throughout their life. Thus post injury care has become the need of the hour. ‘Abimansala’ is to cater to this special group of young men as they will face problems when they return home.

“Their families will face difficult situations in trying to take care of the war hero due to his special needs. The wife will have a problem in continuing her job and we don’t want the children to be affected with the change of their home environment. So, that is why Army Commander brought this idea of taking care of the soldier by themselves which is our responsibility,” Manjulika Jayasuriya explained further.

Most importantly, specialized nursing care needed by some, cannot be obtained at domestic level and it is important to ease their families from the day-to-day stress while giving care for the soldier. Majority of them are from very rural areas that lack even basic needs and some do not have proper shelter, either.

“This is not a hospital,” said the President of SVU. She explained this is to honour and empower the war hero while providing life long medical care. This is to ensure life long comfort for the war hero while giving the chance to enjoy life with those near and dear to him. ‘Abimansala’ is to give the hero a sense of belonging with utmost care extended by the society providing them with entertainment and recreation customized to their requirements.

The war veterans will be housed in a “Resort” type wellness centre with all comforts and facilities. ‘Abimansala’, the first “Wellness Resort” at a cost of approximately Rs. 200 million will be built in Anuradhapura Nuwara Wewa lakeside where 50 veterans could be accommodated at a time.

Subsequently, a few more centres will be set up at regional level with the funds generated thereafter.

“The first one will cater to those who live in areas close to Anuradhapura like Dambulla, Kurunegala, Medawachchiya and Polonnaruwa. Another two are expected to raised in Kandy and Galle,” Manjulika said.

“Rather than being at home alone it would be best for these soldiers to be with their peers as they always do when they are deployed for their duties,” she said. The centre provides facilities for the family of the war hero to stay for few days with their beloved family member.

The Abimansala which inaugurated its construction on May 15 and hopes to complete in six months. The “Wellness Resort” will be fully owned and managed by the Sri Lanka Army.

An Executive Committee appointed by the Commander of Sri Lanka Army will facilitate the project.

The response from the public is tremendous, said Manjulika. We were able to collect nearly Rs. 250,000 with the start of the project few months ago,” she said gratefully.

“With this tremendous support from the public and all concerned parties and of course the support yet to be rendered I’m sure we will be able to achieve our targets,” Manjulika Jayasuriya said.A special bank account is opened at the Bank of Ceylon, Lake House Branch at D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha, Colombo 10 to which people can remit their monetary contributions as well as through the Seva vanitha website.

Shouldering many more scholarships, housing and welfare projects serving the war veterans and their families the Seva Vanitha Unit of the Army heads on with this new mega project marking the history of the Sri Lanka Army. Now it is time to assist these projects by maximum possible means, not necessarily in millions or billions. Each individual contribution will definitely be a great pillar of strength to this worthy cause.