Ceylon Fellowship of Service - Prithipura Home - CFS Prithipura
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Ceylon Fellowship of Service
Prithipura Home
Over 50 Years of
Lifelong Care
July to December 2020
Since1960, the Ceylon Fellowship of Service Prithipura Home has
flourished in tranquil surroundings on four acres of land in the coastal
town of Wattala.
The Ceylon Fellowship of Service Prithipura Home was inaugurated
in1962. Under the guidance and dedication of Bikkhu Sumana, the
Home initially began as a boys’ home. There were three huts with
cemented floors, wooden walls and thatch roofs. It had four residents
with a few house mothers to care for them.
Today there are 65 residents housed in six cottages on the premises,
giving the feeling of an extended family unit. Four cottages - Norad,
Canada, Jayewardene and Rosy - house male residents while the
females live in Bates and Prithi. Our staff numbers 12 house mothers,
three kitchen staff, a matron, an assistant matron, administration officer
and driver.
Our mission is to care for the residents in a community environment
that enables them to live life to the fullest. We offer a safe place for the
well-being and rehabilitation of the residents who need special care and
attention due to mental, physical, social or economic reasons. At the
Home, residents are encouraged to develop their own personalities and
identities.
VISION: A home for people with mental and physical disabilities
MISSION: To care for our residents in a community environment that enables our residents to
live life to the fullest
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July to December 2020
Coping With the Second Wave of Covid-19
Sri Lanka is reeling under the second wave of Covid-19 that is sweeping across the country. Cases are springing up
everywhere, even in the heart of Colombo. People are afraid to venture out so they remain confined to their homes for the
most part. We lost a dedicated House Mother, Lasma of Canada cottage, who decided to resign due to the travel restrictions.
We were not able to hold the annual fund raising sale or any other events for fund raising.
As with the first lockdown period, which extended for over three months, donations of food and dry rations to the CFS
Prithipura Home in Wattala have dropped alarmingly, so we have to once again dip into our own resources to feed the 65
differently-abled residents who depend on us for all their daily needs. COVID relief funds given by the Government were
received.
In addition to the Covid-19 woes, heavy rains flooded some parts of the Home, leaving residents stranded in their cottages.
Repair work needs to be urgently undertaken to prevent annual flooding.
The Home has had to maintain stringent quarantine rules such as sanitizing the premises, adhering to strict hygiene measures,
wearing protective masks, barring donors and visitors and suspending visits from doctors, physio and speech therapist and
cooking, craft and dance teachers. As a result, both House Mothers and residents have lost contact with the outside world.
The Matron and other office staff are trying to keep spirits up by making sure residents go out into to the gardens and
participate in singing and dancing sessions each afternoon.
Wattala itself has had some days of 24-hour curfew, making it difficult to purchase supplies required to keep the Home
running. Donors of cash and kind have decreased, so once again we appeal for donations to keep the Home afloat during
these difficult times. The Committee, Matron and other staff at the Home are trying their best to ensure that the residents
remain safe and well. And we need all the help we can get in the form of cash donations to the Home’s bank account or
donations in kind that can be delivered or picked up such as dry rations, sanitary and hygiene items, such as pampers,
medicines and other goods.
Please call Matron Ms. Catherine Fernandez on +94 112930447 for details of how you can help. For further information
please see our website https://cfsprithipurahome.com and Facebook page CFS Prithipura Home.
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July to December 2020
July to December at the Home
July: The dance master, the physio therapist and the speech therapist began classes but had to stop again with rising cases of
Covid-19.
August: Classes in the activity room began again as did physiotherapy and speech therapy classes.
Three garden benches were installed in memory of Mrs. Ratna Rajapakse by her son Revantha, who met the cost of the
benches.
September: Cookery classes were started by activity class teachers to teach residents to bake bread and cakes.
The dance teacher began classes on Saturdays. A new art teacher, Hashini, began classes at the home but was unable to
continue due to her commitments at school.
PEO TV was installed for residents to have additional entertainment. They were particularly interested in cartoons and nature
programmes.
Female soldiers from the Commando Regiment at Ganemulla camp visited the home and cleaned the garden and the female
cottages.
October: Classes were stopped with the onset on the second wave of Covid-19. The area was under curfew.
Seven water purification unit were bought for the cottages and the kitchen.
November: The activity classes were stopped because of the pandemic.
A computer was set up to connect with E-Soft Campus for educational purposes.
December: Staff and residents enjoyed an in-house Christmas party where there was music, dancing and entertainment
performed by both staff and residents. Gifts donated by Dart Global were given to the residents and staff. Bishop’s College
Social Services Club donated dry rations.
Upgrading and Maintenance
The toilets and bathroom at Norad Cottage was renovated; it was one of the first cottages to be built. Wall and floor tiles were
purchased with a donation from Mr. Charith Weerasinghe. The floor, which was cracked and damaged, was also repaired. We
thank committee member Anoja Karunaratne, patron Indrani de Silva and Mrs. I. H. Wijewardene and Ms. R.V. Wijewardene
for their generous contributions towards the renovations.
A new septic tank was fixed at Rosy Cottage as well as a new cylinder to absorb waste water at Jayewardene Cottage.
The security room roof was tiled because the room was too hot.
Electrical repairs were carried out in the Matron’s room and the hall and two window frames were replaced at Rosy Cottage.
The renovation of the physiotherapy room and repairs to the staff toilets were completed.
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Events in Pictures
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July to December 2020
The Physiotherapy room was renovated with support from the Shangri-la hotel to include two sick rooms,
Our Staff and Residents
Two new house mothers were recruited. A new security guard and gate keeper, D.M.C. Dissanayake, began work. A part-time
gardener was also recruited.
We lost three residents in the past six months – Ananda Piyasena (55) in July, Pubudu Cooray (39) in September and R. A.
Siriyawathy (56) in December.
Dhanuja, who attends regular school, is now taking online tuition classes and is enrolled in a program with E-Soft to enhance
his computer skills and English language skills.
Management
The new constitution has been drafted and will be put to the AGM in March for approval.
Two Committee members, Ms. Enaksha Perera and Mr. Sarinda Unamboowe, resigned from the committee due to personal
commitments.
We welcomed four new members, Ms. Samantha de Soysa, Mr. Mohan Gunasekara, Mr. Sanjeev Mohan and Ms. Tashya de
Silva.
Fundraising and Donations
The till box from the Bandaranaike International Airport was brought back with a collection of Rs. 305,220. A further Rs.
23,000 was donated in foreign currency.
Donors included Georgina and Margaret and Mr. Anil Wirasekera. A donation was received from Ms.Tanisha Senanayake
from the US to purchase certain specific items for the residents.
Other major donors included Ms. Sri Handiyani, Mr. Jagath Fernando, Mr. Revantha Rajapaksa, Lions Club of Colombo
North, Noorani Estates, Ms. Ramani Kunanayagam, Ms. Caroline Vandenabelee, Mr. Sanjeev Mohan and friends, Vasu
Jewellers and the Arun Prasanth Foundation. We acknowledge the generous support of all donors during this difficult period.
We also thank member Ms. Dinusha Gunawansa and the students of Elizabeth Moir School for the donation of used uniforms
which we were able to adjust for the residents.
Members of the Association for the Intellectually Disabled-Sri Lanka donated a peddle hand washing sink for sanitization
purposes.
Would you like to contribute your time and effort towards making a difference in the
lives of the differently abled? We are looking for new members. If you feel you can
help us with fundraising and organizing events, please contact Ruwani on 0772877335
or at rjayewardene@gmail.com.
5July to December 2020
Direct Donations
Ceylon Fellowship of Service
Account No.000-163-0360
Bank of Ceylon (Code-7010), Kollupitiya Branch (Code 034)
Address: 28, St. Michael’s Road, Kollupitiya, Sri Lanka
Swift Code-BCEYLKLX
Please forward a copy of the deposit slip.
Please draw cheques in favour of “Ceylon Fellowship of Service”. All monetary donations
are acknowledged by the issuance of an official receipt.
LEND A HAND
As a nonprofit organization, CFS Prithipura Home looks to the community for annual support. State funding
offsets only a small part of the cost of caring for residents, so private donations are essential. The Home
receives contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations. There are many ways in which you
can support the Home.
MEALS
Donate a meal for the entire home (residents and staff) for the day. You have a choice of
Breakfast/Lunch/Tea or Dinner with a selection of menus. We would like as many donations as possible
towards food because giving them a proper meal is difficult with the minimal funding we receive.
For more information, contact +94 112930447
or by email: cfs269prithipura@gmail.com
Website: www. http://cfsprithipurahome.comYou can also read
