Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kelaniya (Agenzia Fides) – At 40 km from the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo, the Education Center for Hearing Impaired Children has been functioning since 1982, serving children who are hard of hearing. The Center came about thanks to Sister Greta Nalawatta, who was given a scholarship by the Director of Social Services in the country, Irvin Basnayake, to study teaching techniques for pre-school children who are hard of hearing, in Japan. Later, upon her return to Kelanyia, the sister (who belonged to the Order of the Sisters of Perpetual Help) began making plans for the center, which would be at the service of the local children. Over the years, the simple shack that had been donated by the small Catholic minority had become a rehabilitation center with the necessary equipment and with a staff of 40. The Center is run by a group of families of various ethnic and religious backgrounds and is supported without state funding and with many donations from foreign benefactors. In Sri Lanka, the Catholic community is formed by 1 million, 400 thousand people (7%) of the 20 million inhabitants of the Sinhalese and Tamil (survivors of the bloody civil war). Thus, the Sister Greta Center has received attention from the public and from among Buddhists not only for its noteworthy pedagogical results, but also for its example of coexistence and respect for diversities. (AM) (Agenzia Fides 15/4/2009)
