'AYATI' - hope for children with disabilities

Hemas Holdings PLC together with the Kelaniya Faculty of Medicine will set up 'AYATI' - a centre of excellence for children with disabilities, in an effort to improve the quality of life and their independence. The name AYATI is derived from Sanskrit, and means 'hope'.

The Centre will be set up at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Kelaniya at Ragama, as it is the only medical faculty in the entire Asian region that has a Department of Disability Studies, which offers a multidisciplinary team for the care of children with disabilities.

Prof. Nilanthi de Silva, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya said, "Disabilities are on the rise worldwide for multiple reasons. At present, we run a small clinic with minimum facilities, where approximately 1,500 children are registered. The proposed Centre will deliver services to a larger community, providing initial assessment followed by interventional therapy where necessary, along with basic vocational training and life skills. Medical assessment, speech and language therapy, audiology and occupational therapy as well as physiotherapy, will be available at the Centre, all under one roof.

The proposed AYATI centre designed by architect Channa Daswatte is spread across 1.5 acres in Ragama with a 42.000 sq.ft floor area. It is estimated to cost approximately Rs. 350 million.

"We initiated the AYATI project due to the success of our primary CSR project Piyawara, launched in 2002 in partnership with the Ministry of Women & Child Affairs, focusing on Early Childhood Development in Sri Lanka. The confidence and trust gained through our partnership with the Government led us to initiate a project of this nature to address the burning issues of children with disabilities," said Abbas Esufally, Group Director, Hemas Holdings PLC and Chairperson, Hemas Outreach Foundation. The Centre will be managed by a Board of Trustees chaired by the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya.

"Our aim is to play our part in ensuring equal access to education, healthcare, social participation and employment for children with learning disabilities in Sri Lanka," said Steven Enderby, CEO Hemas Holdings PLC.