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The Swashakthi Organization for Persons with Disabilities (OPD) recently held an engaging entertainment programme at the Bosath Temple premises in the Hingurakgoda Division, Polonnaruwa District. This event was organised in collaboration with an Elders Society - a Community Based Organization (CBO) under the FAIRMED initiative for the OPD – CBO joint programmes.
The programme provided an open platform for members of the OPD to showcase their talents and enjoy themselves. Participants from both the OPD and the Elders Society performed a variety of acts, including songs, dances, and dramas. The event was met with enthusiastic participation, and the members of the OPD greatly enjoyed the performances.
The collaboration between the OPDs and CBOs highlights the importance of community involvement and support in fostering an inclusive environment for persons with disabilities.

FAIRMED initiated the ‘VAIHARI’ project in June 2022 under an agreement signed with the Chief Secretary of the Northern Province. The First Phase of the project will continue until the end of 2026. Currently the project is being implemented in the Districts of Jaffna and Kilinochchi.

With a goal to improve health and well-being, involving everyone in the targeted communities of the Northern province, the VAIHARAI project takes a two-pronged approach to implement the activities with the support of the Health and the Non-health sectors.
Through this collaboration, the main aim is to strengthen the local health system for the prevention and control of NTDs. Building the capacity of the health actors as well as enhancing the quality of services for NTDs for the targeted communities through intersectoral collaboration and building partnerships is also an important component of the project.

The partnership with the non-health system involves the cooperation with the Provincial Departments of Social Services and Rural Development, District and Divisional Secretariats, Organizations for Persons with Disabilities, and Women Societies, with the goal to empower Persons with Disabilities and Vulnerable Women.

A new component was incorporated under this project to provide Psychosocial Support for the internally displaced, resettled and relocated persons in the two districts.

A ring survey was conducted in the Wijeriya village of the Kolonna Medical Officer of Health area in the Ratnapura District on the 30th March 2021. All the participants were screened and made aware of skin diseases including Leprosy during this survey. The survey was conducted by the Medical Officer of Health - Kolonna, the Supervisory Public Health Inspector, the Range Public Health Inspector, the Public Health Inspector for Leprosy and Nursing Officer of Kolonna Base Hospital with the support of the Ratnapura District Project Officer of FAIRMED Foundation.  

Wall arts are an important method of creating awareness among the community especially among the school children. To achieve this objective, a wall art was created at Kaudulla Maha Vidyalaya in the Hingurakgoda Medical Officer of Health area in Polonnaruwa. The artwork was a creation by W.G. Pramudika Nikini Bandara, a student of the school who competed in the senior section of the art competition held to commemorate World Leprosy Day in 2019. This was coordinated by the Polonnaruwa District Project Officer of FAIRMED Foundation.