LW

Magic Flutes - By Eva Ibbotson

Tessa is a beautiful princess, who following her heart’s desire, has given-up her royal duties and is working backstage at the Viannese Opera. Music has been pulling her elsewhere from her castle and now she is where she wants to be, no one knows who she is and a wealthy Englishman discovers, Tessa backstage and falls in love with her. Tessa has to choose to accept either her inheritance or her destiny.

Accidental Billonaires - Ben Mezrich

This is the story of the birth of the “Facebook” on computer. Edurado Saverin and Mark Zukerbery were Harvard undergraduates and best friends both felt outsiders in a place where a big chunk of their fellow undergrads came from families with longtime legacies. The two friends were brilliant in their academics but not so when it comes to the fairer sex which they always were conscious of. Mark’s backing into the database of the University’s one night in search of details of female students was the starting point of what we today call the “Facebook” on computer which has revolutionized the way, how millions of people relate to each other.

From Peace To War, Insurgency to terrorism - General Cyril Ranatunga

For the first time, an Army General is recording for us readers, about what happened during the most troublesome, and fateful years of our country. Gen. Ranatunga has had to fight not only the LTTE, but also the JVP uprising. The book is almost a testimony to many of the instances where intelligence and good sense were relegated to the back-burner whilst everything became politicized which resulted in the civil war erupting in the country, to which I return many young energetic lives were lost until, with a new leadership, the war finally reached to end. A very aptly timed book for all you readers who are interested in knowing “what, who where and when “of those years.

Renegade The making of a resident - Richard Wolfe

Based on exclusive interviews with President Barack Obama, it details what happened inside the Obama Campaign. The newest in a string of books based on President Obama, it offers an interesting mix of biography, personal reflections, with and much about the 44th President’s life before he stepped into the lime- light.

Through this page, I have, from time to time, introduced you to a few of Obama books. This is tough, could be the most riveting and insightful.

She Went All The Way – Meg Cabot

Well ladies, do I need to introduce Meg Cabot to you? She’s the reigning queen of fiction who entertains us with so much fun and frolic in her pages. Meg Cabot really shot to stardom with her captivating “Princess Diaries” series which really became a serious hit with the young reader and it managed to put stars back in the eyes of the jaded youngsters of love - the everlasting kind.
With “She went all the way” Cabot again is ready to really entertain you. What is good about her books is her style of writing. Her characters are current, involved in today’s life-style, facing million problems life throws at them. Her prose is easy to read and very conversational with plenty of witty and racy dialogues thrown in for good measure to keep the reading “Spicy” for you and me. This, is a good old story and she had chosen a novelist and an actor as her protagonist and the antagonist. With a smattering of subplots, to keep it exciting, Meg Cabot has written another spinner.
Jack Townsend is every woman’s dream guy and is currently expected a location at the isolated arctic region. Lou Calabrese is also expected at the location site. They are both sharing the helicopter space to go where………….????

SPECIAL

A Set of Mini Cookbooks

In a series of nearly twenty booklets, a variety of gastronomical delights are offered by “Marshal Cavendish Cuisine”. The series covers many areas of cuisines “Chinese” “Asian Recipes,” “Desserts, ;’Fish’, “Soups”, “Indian”, “Noodles” and “Pasta” are a few of the topics on which the booklets are issued in each recipe book carries 35 easy-to-follow recipes with clear instructions on how to prepare them along with mouth-watering photographs of each dish. A comprehensive glossary of Measure (Liquid/Dry), oven temperatures, lengths, and abbreviations used in the recipes is provided at the back for the ease of the user. Some of the recipes presented are, according to the authors, not traditional recipes, but new creations cooked, tested and presented just for you.

Quantum By Manjit Kumar

In “Quantum” the author Manjit Kumar tells the story of the conflict between two of the most powerful intellects of their day. Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr. It is an elegantly written accessible guide to quantum physics in which the author brings about the history around the clash between the two Scientists Einsten and Bohr. Shorlisted for the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-fiction 2009, so far, “Quantum” had garnered praise for its most lucid presentations of theories presented by many leading scientists with clear photographs and diagrams so that, to the interested reader on the subject, it would be an added delight. According to the “The Independent”, the book is “A superb collider”.

[by Lakmini Wijemanne]

At the end of an urban busy day, after living with tooting horns, long lines of snarling traffic, faces red with anger at each other and tension, and to top it all off, a red hot haze of diesel fumes coupled with sweltering heat would very nearly emotionally sap you dry, unless you have an oasis hidden far away from the hustle and bustle of the town.

This house in Thalangama, not too far away from the main road yet, far far away, near a lake, with plenty of water and flora to absorb the sounds, is just such a place. The primary thought present in the owner’s mind when the house was being built, was to have peace and tranquility during all hours of the day. So their Architect, Mr. Jeewaka de Soysa, planned and gave life to this charming house.

At the end of the road, near the lake, a gravel road runs parallel to the wetlands hugging the lake. To the house, there is no gate nor wall but just a doorway with thick foliage as a boundary fence wall.
As you climb a few steps to the doorway, it opens on to a concrete walkway floating on an ornamental fish pond, across from which the old fashioned wrap-around verandah starts to unfold. Except for the area with rooms, the house is basically two parallel long halls.

The outer hall carries the verandah while the formal dining, sitting and the pantry are housed in the other. The long verandah has many old-fashioned armchairs and chairs, inviting the eye and the mind to feast on the scenery. At one corner of the garden is the long private swimming pool with its own summer-house at one end and an outdoor shower hidden by a tall tree and shrubs. Two hammocks strung between two trees in the garden gently sways to the movement of the wind.

Parallel to the verandah, through open doorways are the main sitting, dining and the pantry. The main door of the house opens to an open area with a large still water pond on one side and the sitting area on the other side. Both sitting and dining areas open on to a courtyard through which is the linen-room and the visitor’s powder room. Near the foot of the staircase, a door leads to the downstairs room. There are four rooms to the house with three of them in the first floor.

Upstairs, the stairway steps ends at a small sitting area which also doubles as the TV lounge. A corridor leads from the TV lounge to two of the other rooms which shares a common bathroom while another doorway at the opposite end of the corridor, leads the way to the master bedroom; with its own private balcony overlooking the lake and its wetlands. Bathrooms in the house follows an open-air concept with the shower area being open to the sky with smooth pebbles on the floor.

The house is built along with lines of modern Sri Lankan architecture with a verandah, a courtyard complete with a free, plenty of open spaces, open-air bathrooms with all spaces seamlessly flowing into each other, creating a peaceful ambience for the dweller. The elegance in the house is created by its smooth cement floors, occasional rough surfaces enhanced by a dash of colour, rich toned polished woodwork, simple furniture yet with graceful lines and the earthy tones repeated in all its linens. The double-height space in the living – dining area is enhanced by the gallery upstairs overlooking these areas.

With the minimum of fuss in everything, the owners have created themselves a truly peaceful haven for themselves in this house by the lake. All around the house, many nature’s wonders are visible in the forms of wild birds, insects and the flora, which adds so much beauty to the setting. Of an early morning or the cool evening, it must be a delight to go for a walk through the nearby winding paths through lush paddy fields and the lake to the accompaniment of the birdcalls. Imagine…..

The woman of today is multi-faceted; she’s the daughter, the mother, the sister, the soul mate, the best friend, the mentor, the colleague and the boardroom executive. Managing these many roles are challenging, and more often we find ourselves dominating one role more than the others. Our ability in balancing these roles are crucial as relationships we have with people we care often get affected by how well we ‘wear’ these different yet inter-related roles.

To start off, it is essential to make the effort to find time for yourself in which you are able to scientifically and spiritually achieve this much-needed balance. It is important to remember that the technique you choose to bring in this equilibrium to your body should be one that you can apply not only during the specified time that you set aside but a technique that will help you through your daily activities. Let me explain, if you set aside a specific time every week, to say, watch a favorite TV program that supposedly relaxes you, this may ‘help’ relax you for an hour or so, but after the program ends, your back to your own different routines and you find you haven’t found a productive way of managing or eliminating the stress factors in your life. What you need to find is a scientific and spiritual activity that doesn’t cause any harm to your body in both the short and long term.

Yoga helps with the balancing of the internal equilibrium of mind, body and soul. When the physical body and external and internal senses are well balanced, we are able to manage relationships better, make informed and well thought out decisions and manage stress. Yoga helps maintain balance in your life by maintaining suppleness and healthiness of your body, releasing tension in your muscles, stabilises the levels of hormones in your body and brings inner peace with the control of the breath.

As women, we are bound to go through different periods in our lives, we hit puberty, go through marriage, go through pregnancy, go through menopause and enjoy our senior years. The best thing about yoga is that there are different asanas that you can practice and enjoy during each of these stages. It is important to discuss with your yoga teacher the different experiences that you may have. There are yoga asanas that will help you manage each of these experiences.

By just performing the following pranayama (breathing) exercise and asanas, you will notice a difference and a sense of lightness in your body. However, continued practice of a yoga routine that is specific to your age etc, will allow you to see considerable changes in your lifestyle.

Exercise 1- Pranayama (Breathing Exercises) – Kapalabhathi

The literal translations of the Pranayama exercise kapalabhathi is ‘shining skull’ Practicing this daily will significantly improve your complexion.

Step 1 - Sit in comfortable crossed leg position with you back straight. Hands resting on knees in chin mudra (as shown in the picture). Face to be relaxed and make sure your mouth is closed during the whole practice.

Step 2 - Inhale deeply through both nostrils, expanding the abdomen and exhale with the forceful contraction of abdominal muscles. (Pull the abdomen in by quickly contracting the abdominal muscles. The air is pushed out of lungs into your nostrils by contraction of the diaphragm.)

Step 3 - After exhalation again inhalation should take place but inhalation should not involve any effort. To inhale just relax and the lungs will automatically expand and filled with air.

One can begin with 15 respiration. After completing 15 quick exhalation and natural inhalation , inhale and exhale deeply. This is one round. One can start the practice of Kapalbhati pranayama with 3 such rounds for practice.

Kapalbhati should not be practiced by those
Suffering from heart disease
High blood pressure
Hernia
Menstruating
During any stage of pregnancy
Should never be practiced when an asthmatic attack is in progress.

If pain or dizziness is experienced ,it is preferable to stop the practice till the sensation has passed. Practice can be restarted with less force.

Asana 1 – The Half Spinal Twist

Most traditional exercises tend to bend the spinal cord backwards, forwards and sideways during the warm up routine, however they tend to neglect a very important aspect, which is the rotation of the spine. To maintain a truly supple and healthy spine, practicing rotation is crucial.

Step 1 - Kneel and sit on your feet with your heels pointing outward. Make sure your spine is erect and you are continuously taking in inhalations and exhalations

Step 2 - Then sit to the right of your feet, Lift your left leg over your right, placing the foot against the outside of the right knee. Bring your right heel in close to your buttocks. Keep the spine erect.

Step 3 – Stretch your arms out to the sides at shoulder level, and twist around to the left.

Step 4 - Now bring the right arm down on the outside of the left knee and hold your left foot with your right hand, placing your left hand on the floor behind you. As you exhale, twist as far as possible to the left. Look over the left shoulder.

Repeat the sequence for the right side.

Abeauty revolution that began six months ago with the launch in Sri Lanka of Ponds Age Miracle skin care range, has now evolved to a new level. The new Ponds Skin Care Centre located at the ground floor of Crescat is your dream destination if you want to know all about your skin, its true age and how best to get miraculously younger looking skin in a matter of days.

The Ponds Skin Care Centre was declared open by seven women achievers that embody the range of the skin care. The seven empowered women, experts in their field that spans from films and beauty care to fashion and hospitality, comprised Brand Ambassador for Ponds Ramani Fernando, hotelier Yasmin Cader, Apsari Thilakeratne, Actress and filmstars Sabeetha Perera and Veena Jayakody, and well known personalities and socialites Pathma Maharaja and Mela Karunanyake.

“Each one of these seven personalities embodies the essence of Ponds, a brand that holds true to its reputation of the global face care expert”, said Brand Manager for Ponds Sandrien Buultjens.

To enable you to discover the truth about your facial skin, the Ponds Beauty Advisors stationed at the skin care centre will lavish personal attention by conducting free facial analysis using the revolutionary patented skin analyzer that helps you to see the deepest layers of your skin while identifying the signs of ageing such as spots, open pores, wrinkles and fine lines dry and dull skin. The beauty consultants will then suggest corrective measures all in the privacy of the state-of-the-art centre.

In addition to personalized skin analysis, the centre will offer one on one skin consultations for which appointments can be obtained in advance, e mail consultations where questions will be answered, product sales with free delivery within 2 days and even free facial threading will create the required ambience for a world class skin care centre.

With heightened levels of personal grooming and advanced skin care regimes, the need for anti-ageing skin solutions is fast catching on in Sri Lanka. The Ponds age miracle range with its strong international equity and heritage as a leading face care expert has already proved to be popular, as predicted by Unilever. Ponds has pioneered the category and continues to grow through market education and awareness.

[by Shehara Rajapakshe]

A very fitting slogan derived by the Seva Vanitha Unit of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF SVU) that brought forth pride in the sky. The lady instrumental and silently contributing behind the scene is the President of the Seva Vanitha Unit and wife of the present Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), Nelun Goonetileke.

Woman of courage and perseverance

“Sufferings produce perseverance, perseverance produces character, character produces hope, hope produces faith and faith produces victory,” were the opening lines of Mrs. Goonetileke who spared her time to share with the readers of LW the other side of the story, namely the side which is most often forgotten or taken for granted especially in an Asian country like ours.

When I first saw her about one and a half years ago I was truly taken up with her sincerity as I observed the way in which she spoke to all those who attended a function to commemorate the fallen heroes. She managed to spare at least a minute or two the least with each and every person (next of kin – parents, wife and children) to find out who they were and what happened in their lives, she even remembered the names of most of them, as when I saw her the next time she was very well versed in their whereabouts.

Truthful at heart

Nelun Goonetileke is a charming, determined, persevering, caring lady who has won the hearts of many widows and parents who have lost their sons or husbands in the conflict that lasted over two decades and claimed many human lives. Whilst her husband had been busy forging ahead with successful operations in the sky, she looked after the welfare of the families who had lost their husbands or children and those who are presently serving in supporting them in whatever possible manner. I remember when I was invited for Women’s day in 2007 there were loans, gifts for expectant mothers, the wives of serving personnel, wheel chairs, artificial limbs and spectacles given out to those serving in the Air Force both uniformed and civil staff which really inspired me to explore into the personality behind the scene.

After two long years Mrs. Goonetileke finally agreed that she would spare her time with us for the simple reason that she is a person who would work more but talk very less of the efforts that had been carried out just to see a smile on another person’s face. There are many projects that were initiated by her which include the Pre School Project, Marion Goonetileke Scholarship Programme, Anula Fernando Housing Project, Garment Factory at Sigiriya, Publication of a series of text books for children, providing assistance and rehabilitation of villages among many others.

Beginning of life in SLAF

In school she had been a keen student in studies as well as sports, hailing from Holy Family Convent Kurunegala. A late teenage love affair led her marriage to Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonetileke at the age of 20 which changed her life forever as she had to leave her home town and settle in an area alien to her, but being the positive thinker she adjusted very well to her new environment. “My husband was always based in operational areas and at that time there was only a small cadre of pilots therefore, just like any soldier’s wife I too went through the same thing, basically waiting till he returned after forty long days to enjoy his company for seven days.

Love, friendship and marriage

Coming from a conservative background as she was brought up in a convent and had strict religious parents, it was taboo for her to even set eyes on a boy. However, the meeting took place in a church as a best man and bride’s maid which triggered this friendship to turn in to a holy matrimony in due course. She shared thus, “ I met him at the age of 15, he was my first cousin’s best friend Group Captain Roger Weerasinghe (Killed in action). Roshan was the best man for their wedding and I was the bridesmaid, however, as it was impossible to meet, therefore, for the next three years we wrote to each other. I remember like yesterday, the way in which the letters were received by my friend, Anushi Wijegoonewardene with a red arrow behind so that she knows it’s for me. The best part is whenever she received a letter for me, she used to play the famous song by Leo Sayers – I love you more than I can say, loud as ever so that I get the message.

After a love affair for over three years in 1986, we got married at the height of war. He was a Flight Lieutenant at the time and was engaged in operational flying. I must add at that time the cadre in the Air Force was very much less, I think there were only a handful of pilots, which made it impossible for us to be together for more than seven days in a row. Although he got leave for fourteen days for our marriage, he was compelled to return to duty after seven days.” This led Nelun to take up the challenge to carry out what she was good at, multi tasking.

Parent, guardian, friend and companion

It certainly was no bed of roses for Nelun all throughout life as she had to face many challenges in life by herself, as she believed that her husband’s duty to the country came foremost than anything else. Thereby she spent her time and efforts and gave him the strength and support that was necessary to do his utmost to bring sovereignty and peace to our beautiful motherland. When she started life with Roshan, he was a junior officer in the Air Force which meant that the difficulties were the same as any other soldier in the Army or Air Force. In his case, as he was a pilot the threat was far greater as you are alone in the sky and it is only the grace of God that saved him thus far.

When she was pregnant with their son, Rehan, she had to admit herself to hospital and then the doctor was surprised that the patient had come in by herself. Since she was from Kurunegala it was not possible for her parents to support her and it was a challenge that she faced at such a young age, which actually made her more mature in life and able to handle any given situation very well. Therefore, her courage, perseverance and determination became the pillars of strength to bring up a loving son and daughter. The slogan that I mentioned at the beginning is quite fitting in this context as she is an exemplary lady that understands the difficulties faced by each and every wife or mother whose husband or child has sacrificed their lives to bring a better tomorrow to the nation.

Dedication to duty as a family

It was sad to note that until the time Rehan (their son) was sixteen, they never could live together as a family. In fact, this is what happens with most service personnel, as they sacrifice their lives and family to bring about a better tomorrow. Rehan (21) is an old boy of St.Peter’s College while Ronali (15) is still a student at Ladies College. Just as her mother in law dedicated both her sons to guard the sovereignty of the nation, she too gave up her only son to the service, a true devotion to duty.

She further added that for so many years until the end of the war they were never able to attend a wedding or funeral together. No matter what event it was, she took upon herself to attend representing both parties. As in the case of most service personnel her husband too had never sighted the schools, she said, “I think after he left school, the first time he visited was very recently after the war, when he was felicitated, otherwise even when our son was attending school, he was never able to step foot in the school as a parent as he was engaged in operational flying. Also, as his father was the Commander the responsibilities he had doubled all the time.” Although family life would have been really tough, especially when the children were young as at that time even phone lines were not really operational and having a pilot as husband at that time was truly a challenge, yet Nelun never gave up hope. Her trust in God Almighty just kept adding on strength to her every single day and that I believe was the reason to achieve this great victory.

Understanding mother and wife

It is no easy task to be an understanding person if you have a wrong attitude towards life, but Mrs.Goonetileke is an exceptional woman that understands the needs of her husband whilst supporting him to the fullest by being by his side. Especially during the past two and a half years she stood by him supporting his cause by recognizing and lending a helping hand to the families of those serving in the Sri Lanka Air Force as well as those who have sacrificed their lives. A remarkable lady who even understands the needs of her children, especially since they are in their teen years. She supports them in all their endeavours and has become their source of strength and guide.

In this day and age it is not very easy to find such wonderful people, especially mothers who treat their kids as friends and build a good relationship with them. She mentioned that the reason for them to be so close was the fact that he was always out and it was just the three of them everyday – except when he came for a brief leave period, that strengthened their bonding with each other.
It is sad when you actually consider the lives of all those serving in the forces. I must say that when you think about those who have their husbands 24 hours by their side, most of them take them for granted and whine their worries right throughout the day. But women like Mrs.Goonetileke are truly remarkable as they sacrifice all that just so that the rest of the nation could be liberated to see a better tomorrow.

Crucial period in life

Mrs. Goonetileke further mentioned that, “H.E. Mahinda Rajapaksha, the President and Secretary Defence appointed my husband as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force, as they had confidence in him to support the end of the war, as they were very much aware of the operational work that he underwent for so many years. However, the moment he took over the major war broke out in Mahavilaru, in the Eastern zone, and since then it has been the most difficult and trying times for us personally as well as for the whole nation.

I must especially mention the guidance, freedom and leadership provided by the Secretary Defence and H.E.Mahinda Rajapaksha, the President to my husband to carry out his duties well. I would also like to take the opportunity to let the entire nation know just how much we appreciate the help, trust, support, endurance and tolerance they gave the armed forces at our grave time of need.

The last two years and ten months was the most challenging period that the Sri Lanka Air Force faced in the entire history of the anti-terrorist operations against the L.T.T.E because of the L.T.T.E. air crafts. I do not mean to be too technical but I know how difficult a task it was to set up an air defence system that could eradicate any enemy threats on air. It was a Herculean task that my husband along with the rest of the services put in to bring forth a change in the organization by establishing an air defence system within a short span of time.”

End of War

When she heard the news that it has finally ended, she was relieved that it ended at last with minimum loss especially to human lives, as she treasures all the lives that had been lost before. She stated that, “the past two and a half years were the most difficult for us as my husband’s drive was to win the war with minimum destruction to human lives. This was not merely an objective that was set forth but never achieved but was successfully achieved thanks to the God Almighty and the prayers and determination of the whole nation.” She further added, “we will ensure that the future generations of our nation will always remember & will pay their tributes to those valiant Men who gave their today for our tomorrow.”

Work at Seva Vanitha

The Sri Lanka Air Force Seva Vanitha Unit was formed on 30th June 1984 and is structured along the lines of its parent body. The Seva Vanitha Movement is a non political, national movement whose objective is to harness the support of Sri Lankan women in a spirit of equality of opportunity without bias or discrimination.

The objective of the Seva Vanitha Unit is looking into welfare and to uplift the lives of SLAF war heroes, (Personnel KIA, DIA and MIA), Service Personnel, Civilians Serving at SLAF and their families in particular and civil society in general.

SVU has launched a number of novel projects, designed to improve the welfare and to uplift the lives of servicemen and their families in particular, and of the society in general under the patronage of Mrs. Nelun Goonetileke.

Guwan Gam Project

The Guwan Gam Project is aimed at providing lands in and around their home towns, to personnel and families of personal of the Air Force Declared Missing, Wounded or Killed in Action, Disabled while on service or deemed to be needy and deserving of assistance.

Anula Fernando Housing Project

The Anula Fernando Housing Project is aimed at providing housing for such personnel. SLAF SVU donates Completed Houses and Interest Free Housing Loans under this project. Mrs.Goonetileke mentioned that the housing project was named as Anula Fernando to honour her as she was the first Chairperson in Seva Vanitha and had sacrificed their only son Sqn.Ldr.Priyantha Fernando to the nation therefore an interest free housing loan from 50,000 to a total of Rs. 300,000/- would be granted for any person who would request. (Depending on criteria)

Marian Goonetileke Scholarship Fund

Marian Goonetileke Scholarship Fund is intended to provide educational scholarships for children in the O/L and A/L classes, of families of war heroes, service personnel and civilians serving in the air force. Mrs. Goonetileke said that she named it in honour of Marian Goonetileke, as she had contributed a son Grp.Capt.Shirantha Goonetileke for the nation; she was a former Chairperson in the Seva Vanitha.

Pre-School Project

Mrs.Goonetileke believes in providing every child an equal opportunity to education especially in their toddler years therefore she implemented through Seva Vanitha Unit to uplift the standards of education in the pre schools into International Standards. SLAF Pre-Schools are in Katunayake, Anuradhapura, Diyatalawa, Colombo, Ratmalana, China bay,Vavuniya, Hingurakkgoda and Morawewa.

An entirely new syllabus and curriculum within improved environment on par with International standards were introduced. The Chairperson Mrs. Nelun Goonetileke herself has planned and designed a set of pre-school books using her expertise and experience as a teacher and mother to enhance the phases of early childhood development.

The books are for 3-4 Age Group-Lower Kingdergarten, English alphabet book 1, English alphabet book 2, Infant Number Book, Tracing Book whilst for 4-5 Age Group – Upper Kindergarten, English Language Book and Infant Maths Book.

Interest Free Loans

The SVU also facilitates the provision of interest free loans to service personnel and families of personnel who have been Declared Missing, Wounded or Killed in action, Disabled while on service or deemed to be needy and deserving of assistance.

Medical project

Medical project encompasses an enormous range of activities such as, supporting battle casualties in hospitals, conducting counseling programs on medical issues, organizing dental clinics for the public, blood donation campaigns and gifting wheel chairs for the aged and differently-able personnel etc. SVU also extends their assistance to heart patients, cancer patients, those with auditory impairments and are visually impaired.

Mental Hospital

From its inception, the SVU has been providing support for the maintenance of ward No 13 of the Mulleriyawa hospital.

Looking into welfare of Service Personnel

Provides machinery, domestic equipment, sports gear and other necessary equipment and frequently visits and interacts with the personnel of these stations in order to ensure a higher standard of welfare services.

Felicitation of “Weera-Matha” and “Diriya Diyanee”

SLAF SVU felicitates mothers and wives of war heroes with the “Weera Matha” and “Diriya Diyanee” Medals.

Identity Card Project

Identity Card Project provides identity cards for the membership so that they will be recognized in the civil society as spouses and widows of servicemen.

Grants

As yet another of its projects, the SLAF SEVA Vanitha Unit also provides grants to Needy service personnel, Grants are for child achievers, Opening fixed deposits for needy children, Donation of cash/apparatus for self employment to NOKs and Sponsoring service personnel for higher Education.

Donations to IDPs

The victims of natural disasters such as tsunami, floods and land slides and those displaced and effected due to war in the north and east areas are immediately assisted by giving monitory grants and essential commodities.

Morawewa Project

In keeping with that objective SLAF SVU under the guidance of Mrs.Nelun Goonetileke, is the first and the only women’s organization who visited, the liberated areas in the Eastern Province in 2008 to reach out to the children, the women and the men in view of bridging the gap between the communities by sowing the seeds of love, unity, friendship and peace regardless of cultural, social and ethnic differences to bring back a long lasting peace to such shattered societies in the Eastern Province.

Art competitions, Medical and dental camps, counseling sessions and entertainment programs were organized giving the children an opportunity to show talents and skills in various mediums. More than 300 children were given packs containing dry rations and school bags containing stationery.
SLAF SVU looks into welfare of the disable children and people in the area and Donates wheelchairs for the need to normalize the lives of the disabled.

Erected 4 tube wells for villagers of Pankulama to meet up their basic right of clean drinking water. Donated a ration pack containing dry rations, clothing items and aluminum pots to store water. These were distributed among the 75 families living in the Pankulama area to empower women and children.
The Commander of the Sri Lanka air Force has taken steps to provide infrastructure facilities to rebuild these villages in various aspects such as Road construction, agriculture, medical and security. The SLAF SVU reconstructed and renovated the Morawewa preschool and had equipped the pre school with all the furniture, stationary, and apparatus required for the preschool.

Also school was provided with clean drinking water facility. Further more the SLAF SVU has undertaken the maintenance of this school. The ultimate objective of this project is to bring the people of all the communities in Sri Lanka together as daughters and sons, brothers and sisters of mother Lanka living under one banner.

Sri Lanka Air Force Seva Vanitha Unit also conducts programs necessary for the smooth and efficient functioning of the organizational machinery. The Annual General Meetings, Launching of the SVU web site on the World Wide Web, In felicitating our predecessors, past presidents, SVU also felicitated all walks of women in Commemoration of International Women’s Day, SVU also held several workshops on beauty culture and fashion for the membership to make them aware of the current trends of beauty and fashion, The Deaf and Dumb school in Ratmalana is one of the institutions that constantly receive benefits from SVU as well as Sri Lanka Air Force.

Garment factory project at Sigiriya

I would say that this was the first time ever a garment factory was opened by a Seva Vanitha Unit. A Herculean task undertaken by a very efficient lady who has a vision to provide a source of income to the families of service personnel in the area as well as with the intention of empowering women & children in the society. This venture will further provide employment opportunities for women living in rural areas in order to strengthen them socially and economically. Also to take our mother land towards a sustainable development process.

Fund Raising

Mrs.Goonetileke along with her team at the SLAF SVU organizes a variety of fund raising events such as Christmas fair, Continuous meetings with Charitable Organizations in Sri Lanka and abroad, Motor Racing event in Katukurunda, Reaching the foreign donors locally and overseas and the sale of SLAF Pre-School Books and souvenir items. The earlier mentioned Garment factory in Sigiriya is however the most sustainable fund raiser developed by Mrs.Goonetileke to support all the projects under the SVU, a commendable effort indeed by an exceptional lady.

Whilst thanking Mrs. Goonetileke for her time with LW we wish her, Air Marshal Roshan Goonetileke and the children, Rehan and Ronali the best in all their endeavours and achievements!