Kurunegala situated in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka is a Buddhist rural farming community suffering from the lack of adequate medical provision where free access is limited to essential services. This affects people of all ages within the community. Whilst progress has been made for about 3,000 adults over the last two years with the establishment of eye camps, the many children there have never been afforded the same opportunity to receive these important tests.

To rectify this, the aim is to hold nine days of medical camps for a 2,700 children (that's 300 children treated per day) in three different zones at the Manapaha Temple in Kurunegala.

The projection is on the successful procurement of funds to enable the following 3 zones:

- Zone 1: Vision and hearing tests conducted by five mobile units and delivered by the Vision Care Project, Kurunegala branch

- Zone 2: Diabetes tests delivered by the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital

- Zone 3: Kidney tests and advice/guidance provided by the North Western Provincial Council (the Ministry of Health and Social Services)

The Beacon Centre, the UK based registered charity for sight loss, and Chapman's Opticians will be continuing with their wonderful ongoing involvement with this Vision Project and will supply recycled glasses for both children and adults to support the initiative.

The project will be led and coordinated by Reverend Ragama Sugathananda Thero, the Chief Founder of the Manapaha Foundation a registered charity (registration number KU-IB-NGO-40), with the kind guidance and help from the district secretariat of Kurunegala, and the divisional secretariat office of Ibbagamuwa, as well as the faculty of the University of Kelaniya at Ragama in wonderful support.

The kindness you can provide for this project will lead to a valuable contribution towards the community and people of Kurunegala not just for their immediate short term needs, but for creating a long lasting legacy - a ripple effect, to ensure the cultivation and growth of a community where corruption, deterioration and disease occur daily. It will support their educational knowledge, enhance career prospects, assist in their cultural, social and emotional development as well as their general well being. Indirectly your donation helps to save lives through prevention rather than cures as many adults and children alike are dying, for instance, of kidney and liver disease as pesticides imported into Sri Lanka containing Arsenic find their way into the unfiltered drinking water that is consumed.

For past projects please visit:

www.manapahafoundation.org.uk

www.facebook.com/manapaha

Links to copy and paste to browser:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwYBtCa2S2s

 http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=8792

 http://www.colombo.diplo.de/Vertretung/colombo/en/06-WIRTSCHAFT-WZ/Wirtschaftliche__Zusammenarbeit/RiceMillPro__Seite.html

 http://www.businesstoday.lk/cover_page.php?article=5228&issue=288

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwYBtCa2S2s&list=PLLojvh3c1WE1FWSa_3epW3pZ4v3JRYlVN&index=11