Matugama home for the aged, is managed by Matugama Social Service Society, where there are, more than 400 members, from Western Province of Sri Lanka. Other social service work, managed by them in the same premises  are

1.Mayura Mentally Retarded and Disabled Children’s Home and Vocational Training Centre.

2.Mayura Mentally Retarded Children’s Rehabilitation Centre and the School for the Mentally Retarded Children.

3.Also Mayura Physiotherapy and Speech Training Centre for the Disable Adults and Disabled Children. which is doing a great service to the disabled people in the area free of charge. People in the area, who are very poor middle class and lower middle class people and they appreciate this service very much.

There are 30 inmates in the Dissabled Children ‘s Home between the ages of 12 to 19 and 30 inmates in the Home for the aged between the ages of 60 to 90.Social Service Department of Sri Lanka Government gives a very little support to these centres, like Rs.10/- per inmate for a day, which is a very nominal amount., and are totally depending on Foreign and local donations. The 400 members of the Social service Society  takes turns, to provide meals for these two orphanages and  two foriegn social service voluntary organisations from Nedrlands helped their fund, for maintainance , day to day activities, and salaries.Another Nederlands Organisation Stichting Hart voor Kinderen (Care For Kids) which was cordinated by Mrs.Anja Peddemors and Mr.Harry Geritz helped to build the vocational training Centre for the dissabled Children, while doing a speech therapy programme for them.But this is not sufficient, to continue the work, and they are in search of some voluntary organisations, who can help them in these activities.

We from Albert Chithra and Ajith Wijegunawardene Memorial Foundation  Connected the Aftercare Fund of Nederlands, which was coordinated by Mr.Jos Berens and  Mrs.Illona Berens to help the Mayura Rehabilitation Centre with 18000 $ to cover their 2005 and 2006 Maintainance, Extention Services Expenses and Salaries of the staff. Mr.and Mrs.Berens visited this centre in February 2006 after three years and was very happy with the performances, visible development, and the way we used the money.

Then Mr.Jos Berens and Mrs.Berens Kindly agreed, to subscribe to the development of the Home for the Aged, which was the main attraction, from the past.

They helped to donate a Three wheeler, to transport the sick inmates to hospital,To transport dissabled patients to the physiotherapy Centre,and to do shopping for the centre. Also they donated a Computer to keep all the records, registry of the Inmates with Pictures, and accounts.A fax machine also donated by them, to have comunication with other organisations.

Also they donated a building, with proper toilet facilities and solar powered hot water system, at the cost of Rs.35,00,000.00 replacing the 150 year old building,to accommodate 20 inmates, where as, Matugama Traders Society, helped to repair, another old building, which was neglected in the backyard ,because of lack of funds, to accommodate the rest. It  was used as a horse stable during the time Sri Lanka was a British Colony.150 year old building where inmates were living, was a house donated to the society, by a British planter, who was here, during the colonial time. Inmates were living in that small compact house ,with very unhygenic, and difficult conditions, almost living like in hell. They had only two toilets to use for all the 30 inmates, and a 30’ X 15’ room for all the inmates to reside, like packed sardines, with directly open windows, which could not be closed when raining.

Also Mrs Birgit Kuehne her friends and Step By Step Foundation from Germany and Mr.Stanly and Mrs.Clair de Freitas family from England helped partly, to build, the building, on our request.

Now since September 2006 thanks to all the donors, the imnmates can live happily in a better environment, spending their last part of the life freely, even they don’t get any support from their family members. Most of them have family members, but they are neglecting them, and have no support from them.We think, it is not an excuse for us also, to neglect them.

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