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Social Welfare/Medical & Health
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The Saratchandra Children's Home, founded in 2002, is home to 25 children aged 6 to 15. Some of the children are orphans, while others are abandoned or come from dysfunctional families. Supported by Mr Senaka Saratchandra, a local businessman, the home is managed by the Sri Bodhiraja Foundation and the children are closely connected to the temple.
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Health camps raise awareness of general health issues and common ailments. They also provide free medical services and specialists’ consultation that are often lacking in rural areas. Maternity Programmes for pregnant mothers teach them about pre- and post-natal care, family health and hygiene. There are also counseling and meditation programmes to help them cope with the stress of child-bearing and motherhood. Mobile Eye Clinics provide the much needed eye-check and treatment in this rural area. Local volunteers are taught to conduct simple eye-tests for the schools in the area and some are trained to perform the delicate tasks of organ retrieval for the Eye Bank in Colombo.
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Temperance Programmes
Alcoholism and drug-abuse are among the most common causes of individual, family and social ills. To address these issues, the Temperance Programme applies Buddhist methodologies such as meditation and counseling to promote mental health among the young and old. Regular seminars by doctors and practitioners in the field promote better understanding of the dangers of substance abuses.
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The Bursary Fund assists children from needy families to continue school by helping them with their study needs such as uniforms, shoes and stationery. To date, more than 300 children have benefited from this fund. The Foundation also has a funeral assistance scheme to help poor families carry out proper funeral rites in their most difficult times.
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