The Rotaract Club of Faculty of Law University of Colombo

On 26th of May 2019 early morning we headed to Rakwana, Heatherleigh Estate to initiate the second phase of our signature project on 'Women Empowerment'. Thushyanthi Balasingham from Palmera Projects joined as the facilitator. This estate and its people are like home to us as we initiated both GreeNation and Vidunena with this community. The Phase 1 was an awareness video celebrating International Women's Day where the women of the estate shared their thoughts, difficulties and suppressed voices. Under the Phase 2, Thushyanthi Balasingham, a well experienced facilitator from Palmera Projects, met and personally communicated with all the women of the estate to grasp the level of assistance they require to form the 'Community Women Group'. After the discussions one woman was appointed as the coordinator for the group and she agreed to conduct weekly meetings for the group where they gather and save a certain agreed amount as a community, thereby esta...

Transcending stereotypical notions, the Rotaract Club of University of Colombo ventured to launch Project GreeNation with the intention of growing and maintaining the first ever Rotaract Rainforest in the country. GreeNation was not a mere tree-planting project; rather it looked at growing a rainforest over one acre of land in Rakwana and maintaining it until the ecosystem could survive on its own. GreeNation aims to produce enough pure air for over 1000 people to consume and is a step that is assured to sustain for generations while becoming a home for animal life. It will truly become yet another wonderful element of the Mother Nature. GreeNation was laid out under several phases. The first phase was to clear the paths and make the land ready for plantation. For the completion of the second phase “Kithul” seeds have already been handed over to the caretakers. These seeds will be dispersed to check the condition of the soil in the land area. The plantation process will be...

Leading up to the birth of a child, everyone prepares expectant mothers for it. One thing they don’t prepare them for is Post-partum Depression. Therefore, we took it upon ourselves to do so. While it is a completely common phenomenon, it is rarely discussed in the common context. The stigma surrounding mental health can be seen as the main reason for this. The Rotaract Club of the Faculty of Law University of Colombo and the Rotary Club of Colombo East together with the Arka Initiative conducted a workshop for expectant mothers and the staff at the Kethumathi Maternity Hospital in Panadura. Post-partum depression or past-natal depression is a mental health issue which arises from up to a few days to a few months of giving birth. The symptoms may include severe mood swings, excessive crying, insomnia, overwhelming fatigue or loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, severe anxiety, panic attacks etc. Some cases lead to suicide or harming ...

The project Soundscope is yet another Signature Project of the club, conducted at the Ceylon School for the Deaf and Blind, Ratmalane. This was held on the 3rd April, where the Sinhala and Tamil New Year rituals and games were organized jointly by the Club members along with the staff members of the school. True to the Club Theme for 2018/19, Innovate-Serve-Empower, the project was a success in demonstrating our service and dedication to the stigmatized communities of society.

Senehase Dawasak is the Annual Elders’ Home visit organized by the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Law University of Colombo, keeping in line with the projects of prior years. This time, it was organized in the Borella Elders Home, where a refreshing evening was spent with the residents of the home, amidst song, food and dance. The main objective of this project was to celebrate the spirit of community service that Rotaract cultivates among the society, and to also increase bonds of friendship and cohesion among the members of the club. A date to conduct the project was reserved through the authorities of the Elders’ Home and later on, the gifts and refreshments needed to conduct the project were collected with the help of Club members. Relevant details regarding the project was notified to all members through the social media platforms both prior to the project and on the project date. As planned, the elders spent an entertaining few hours singing and danci...

Peer Power is a joint professional development project, done by the Udecide Sri lanka, in partnership with Rotaract Clubs of Faculty of Law of University of Colombo and Colombo West, dedicated to promote amicable dispute resolution culture in Sri Lanka through mediation. It was comprised of two phases; a series of workshops and the mediation conference. As the first phase of the project, mediation workshops were conducted at the Mahanama College Colombo, Wycherly International School, Visakha Vidyalaya Colombo, Royal College Colombo, Ladies College Colombo, Royal Institute Senior School, St. Benadicts College, Colombo, University of Colombo, University of Peradeniya, Cfps Law School and the Teacher Training School in Narahenpita. Further, another workshop was conducted for 350 prefects in Kandy. The Peer Power Conference, which was Sri Lanka’s first ever conference on mediation, was the second phase of this project. The Conference was con...

‘Coloured Christmas 2018’ is a first-of-its-kind Christmas Party organized by the Rotaract Club of Faculty of Law, University of Colombo held on the 17th of December at Vajira Sri Lama Niwasaya, Kotte, where an eventful evening filled with games, music and fun activities was shared with the resident children. The main objective of the celebration was to bring the spirit and joy of Christmas to around 50 young children of the home, most of them from war torn families who were displaced during the conflict period. Promotional activities regarding the project was set off a week prior to the project date, with the details of the project being shared across social media to all Club members. Accordingly, the Club members were encouraged to contribute financially or otherwise to the project and were encouraged to take part actively on the project date. First, games and fun activities were conducted for the resident children providing them an opportunity to spend...

Share the Joy is a signature project conducted annually with the Rotaract Club of Alumni of University of Moratuwa. This year, it was held on the 11th of November, whereby 25 children of Pilapitiya Childrens’ Home were taken on a visit to the Zoo. The project aimed to build up a long lasting bond between our club members, other Rotaractors, and the children of the home. Additionally, it resulted in building the spirit of charity and sharing, in our club members.