Buddika
When the Tsunami struck, little Buddika was sleeping peacefully in his cot.
He had arrived at Prithipura when he was 1.5 months old from a hospital in Colombo as his mother had left the hospital without him and could not be traced.
Buddika has since been sponsored by Sanul, a former volunteer who returned to The Netherlands in July 2005 and remains in regular contact with Prithipura and the child he dearly loves.
Dinusha
Dinusha arrived at the Prithipura Infants Home when she was ten days old. Her family brought her here because they had no idea about what her future would be with them.Her medical conditions are very serious as her whole body is twisted out of any normal condition.
All her joints have ceased and it is very difficult to feed her because of her abnormality.
We took her to see the doctors at the local hospital but there seems there is nothing that they can do for her. She is extremely small and fragile; and all the staff take great care of her.
Aruna Kumara
Aruna Kumara is 6 years old. He was constantly beaten by his drunken father. Villagers complained to the police who removed this child from his parents and he was brought to Prithipura. He sustained many head injuries and had regular epileptic fits. More importantly, he was terrified of anyone coming close to him - that was nearly four years ago.
He has been at the Cotagala School for the past two years and wears a helmet to protect him when he falls. In addition he is medicated for his epilepsy and today hugs anyone who happens to walk past by him.
Geethani
Geethani comes from a family which is genetically disposed to brittle bone syndrome. Her family had already lost both her brothers as a result of this and her family realised that they would not be able to give her the care that she required. She arrived at the Prithipura Infants Home when she was only two years old. She is now one of the brightest lights there. Although her mobility is heavily restricted as a result of her disabilities she exudes personality and love. She has learnt English from the many volunteers and visitors that have passed through Prithipura and when there is someone new steals the show.
Parami
Parami is a delightful four year old little girl. She was referred to us through the Ruhunu Children’s Home in Galle as she was more suited to the environment, education and training that we could offer to her here. Parami has a serious medical condition (Tetralogy of Fallot) which means that she requires heart surgery to correct this.
Surgeons at the Jayawardenepura General Hospital in Colombo are able to do the required procedure.
We are very pleased that Presbyterian Ladies' College in Sydney are sponsoring the cost of this operation.
We hope that after the operation Parami will be able to live happily just like any other little girl.
Madushika
Madushika is a 12 year old girl who has been at the Prithipura Infants Homes for several years now. She is the oldest in a family of 3 children.
Her parents brought her to Prithipura when she was 4 years because they weren't able to manage the household with 2 other children.
Every Christmas holiday she goes home.
In the beginning she cried when she had to come back to Prithipura but now this changed because Prithipura is her home.
She is always very hapy to see her friends and the care givers and laughs with joy whenever she returns.
She is a happy and cheerful child who loves to eat rice and curry. She has a real Sri Lankan "tongue"!
Kusuma
People who ring up Prithipura are often greeted on the phone by a young, efficient sounding, un-assuming woman. She will direct you to hold the line in English or take messages from various callers.
She is Kusuma, who has grown up with Prithipura then through Anandapura and finally Asokapura - Cotagala from where she has graduated to work as the telephone receptionist at Prithipura.
Gone are the days of missed messages and phone mix-ups thanks to the efficient services of Kusuma.
She also takes care of the maintenance of the main house at the Prithipura Infants Homes.
You will always see her running all sorts of household chores.
In spite of being very busy all day long, whenever something extra is needed, she will immediately offer her help in a very friendly way, always with a brigth smile on her face.
Priyanka
At Cotagala, Priyanka sat and passed her o-level exam. She had been preparing for this event for a long time and now finally the day had dawned when she would be given the chance to prove that she was capable of meeting this challenge.
She did extremely well and now plans to go even further with her studies specializing in music.
In recognition of her abilities she has been given responsibility of teaching a classroom of younger children at the Cotagala School.
She also helps with the work of the Ambasevana house at Cotagala.