Light up a life

By- Rtr. Nethmie Jayasooriya


Each and every one of us is different and that’s what makes our world a beautiful place. Every single human life is precious and should be treated equally. But sadly a part of our society has been categorized as "differently abled kids." It is quite true that they need some special care and attention and they may not be able to contribute to the community to a great extent, but they deserve to be happy and they deserve to be treated as an important part of the society.

Why can’t we accept the fact that they are no different than us and they are also in need of love, care and appreciation just like the rest of us?

Unfortunately in Sri lanka most of the society treats a disabled kid as a cripple or handicap. The general public does not find it important to direct such kids towards education and aesthetics. With the aim of promoting such a worthy cause, the project "Light Up a Life" was brought up. 

For the 14th consecutive year, Light Up A Life was held on the 28th of November, 2015 at the Sri Lanka Foundation Auditorium from 2.30pm to 6.00pm. This project was hosted by our parent club, the Rotary Club of Colombo Regency in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Grome, Norway; and our club, the Rotaract Club of College of Chemical Sciences along with our sister club, the Rotaract Club of Colombo Regency joined hands to make this project a delightful success! The traditional Christmas party was replaced by a concert, sponsored by our parent club, for differently abled kid from four different homes; most of them from Preethipura. We invited Bathiya and Santhush and Ronny Leach who put an amazing performance. Regardless of their disabilities it was wonderful to see the little kids, dancing away, singing along and enjoying the music. In the latter part of the concert, a rotarian dressed up as Santa Claus and handed the children sweets and presents. The children were also given ice cream, refreshments and certificates of appreciation.

This day was truly a one to be remembered, not only for the little kids but for us as well.