Although the mission of our organization is to bring together persons living in the US or Canada for charitable and humanitarian purposes, our vision is greater. We seek and support the most deserving of health-related charitable initiatives in Sri Lanka and in the the US and our charitable funding extends to all religions and ethnicity.
The organization is comprised of dedicated unpaid volunteers and has no overheads or administrative fees; in other words, every cent donated goes directly to the charity of choice.
The 2019 Charity Gala ‘Make A Difference’ was held in Los Angeles on October 26. With more than 300 guests in attendance the event was a tremendous success and was in aid of three very worthy projects where funding is urgently required. Our net collection was over $187,000; an additional $90,000 has been pledged for 2020 for these projects. A video montage of SLMANA-West’s charitable initiatives since the inception of our organization was shown at the Gala to showcase the tangible benefits of our efforts over the years to help those less fortunate.
Every dollar raised for a charitable project is donated to that project. We have a transparent and strictly accountable process in place to ensure that all funds we donate are used by each project as described in its proposal.
In 2019 we strove to fund three (3) charitable projects:
1. The Indira Cancer Trust This is a national cancer control program to reduce the number of deaths and improve the quality of life of cancer patients. We will support the Trust’s Hospice Program for children with cancer, funding the construction of a hostel or housing near the Maharagama Cancer Hospital for patients who are on long term treatment, together with their families. This an ongoing larger project that will take a few years to complete, but construction will begin shortly.
2. Equipment for two High Dependency Obstetrics and Gynecology Unit beds at the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital. This is a solution to the extreme shortage of Intensive Care Unit hospital beds and will help to care for the sickest pregnant women. This project will be funded fully and immediately.
3. Funding of a Dialysis Machine for the Intensive Care Unit at the Chest Hospital Welisara. Patients who have had complicated chest surgeries are now transported to other hospitals for dialysis. A dialysis machine at this ICU will avoid preventable deaths. This project will be funded fully and immediately.
Each year we request proposals from charitable projects for consideration. We have due process for their selection for funding, with an independent Committee responsible. Some projects are funded almost immediately (see 2, 3 above) and others are ongoing. For example, in 2016, funds were allocated for the Information Center at the National Council for Mental Health in Colombo; the project continues and will be completed in the next year.
It is my privilege and honor to be the current President of SLMANA-Western Region Inc. It is the integrity and record of the organization that drives me to work for it and its objectives are congruent with my beliefs. Although I am a Physician working full time, a wife and a mother of two children, I am committed and willing to give my time to working for this organization. We have an empathetic, motivated, and very supportive membership and I am confident that the projects we choose to support will be life changing and life saving for Sri Lankans. The amazing projects we have supported in the past is fine proof of that. In my view, we have indeed made a difference.
Written by Dr Kumari Wickramasinghe- President of the Sri Lanka Medical Association for North America
Sent from my iPhone 
