25/10/2020
Snippets from Our Services
The YMBA Maharagama was inaugurated on the 9th of October 1993 by a group of enthusiastic social workers, who saw the need for an association of lay persons for the religious and social activities of the Buddhists of this fast growing town.
Our Strengths
*Our association was incorporated by Act No 19 of 1998 by the Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and gazetted in the Sri Lanka Gazette No ...... of 17th April 1998
*The Minister of Finance has approved our Association as a charitable organization under section No. 31(7) of Act No. 38 of 2000 and published as such in Gazette No.1299 of 25th July 2003.
*The YMBA is also registered as a voluntary association with
the District Secretariat of Colombo and the Divisional Secretary , Maharagama
*It is affiliated to the YMBA Colombo
*Our membership now exceeds 430
Our Vision
To serve mankind with spiritual mindfulness
Our Mission
To deliver best services to needy people by initiating and executing humanitarian service projects and thereby enhancing health, education and quality and value of their lives. All these being altruistic.
Our Journey from the inception
We began without any assets. We rented out a house and started our religious and social activities. A crying need in this town was a suitable pre-school. We started one and coupled it with a Day Care Centre and later added an After School Care Centre. We started religious and social activities such as Dhamma Discourses and Dhamma Discussions, Blood Donation Campaigns, Educational Seminars for school children sitting exams, a scholarship scheme for needy children etc.
The need for a building of our own was badly felt. We successfully appealed to the UDA and got from them a 30 perch block of land on Vidyakara Mawatha, and started putting up our dream building.
The ground floor was completed depending solely on contributions from various people, institutions and of course our members.
On completion of the ground floor we put into operation our main project of providing free lodging and meals for cancer patients who come from all parts of the island.
Quite impressed by our services to the needy, a philanthropist, Mr. P.W. Athapattu added the first floor at his own expenses. This enabled us to expand our services to OPD Cancer Patients of the Apeksha Hospital and their chaperones.
Two more philanthropists, Mr. Chandana Wickramaratna and Mr. Keerthi Jayasooriya are building the 2nd and 3rd floors respectively. By December 2016 we will have a fully-fledged four storied building which will enable us to improve and enhance our religious and social activities
Our religious activities
•Dhamma Desana
On the first Sunday of every month, a Dhamma Discourse or Dhamma Discussion is held by a bhikku or by a learned lay person.
•Dhamma books and leaflets are published at regular intervals for free distribution.
•Meditation and Dhamma Practices
Meditation classes have been conducted by Meditation teachers. When the auditorium on the 3rd floor is ready, it will be used for Meditation too.
•Alms givings
Alms have been offered to bhikkus to commemorate various occasions and to bestow merit on deceased members and benefactors.
•Annual alms giving to Elders
On the 17th of August every year, the inmates of Thusitha Elders' Home are given a Dana and helped in other ways.
•Library of Buddhist books
A Reference Library of a large number of valuable Buddhist books is being maintained. Further, another smaller lending library of Buddhist books and pamphlet is also maintained for use of members and patients
Social Services
•Welfare Service for Cancer Patients
The flagship project of this Association is the provision of free lodging and free meals for cancer patients and their chaperones. Some cancer patients who come from far off places are not admitted to the wards but have to present themselves daily or once in a number of days for treatment. We provide them with all the facilities not taking ethnicity or religion into consideration.
•Free Medicine to Needy Patients
Patients who are unable to purchase drugs due to economic reasons are provided with the prescribed drugs.
•Maintenance of a children’s ward
We have taken on the responsibility of maintaining Ward 15 C of the Apeksha Hospital, and this includes fans, trolleys, cupboards, etc.
•Annual Blood Donation Camp
We have a very popular Annual Blood Donation Camp. At first blood was collected by the National Blood Bank, but now it is conducted by the Apeksha Hospital. Our donors have always topped 100
•Health Clinics and Seminars
Regular Health clinics are conducted where Blood Pressure, BMI, Sight, Hearing etc. are tested.
We also have regular seminars on Health Topics such as Non- Communicable Diseases
Educational Services
•Scholarship are awarded to selected economically under- privileged children who are good in their studies. 20 GCE(O/L) students are given Rs.15000/ p.a. each and 20 GCE(A/L) students are given Rs.20,000/- p.a. each.
•Educational Seminars
Towards the end of every year an Educational Seminar is held for students sitting the GCE(O/L)Exam
•Adypana Saviya
Our members who have served in various senior capacities in the Ministry of Education have undertaken the imparting of new knowledge to teachers, and conducting seminars for students in remote areas of the island annually. Participants are also supplied with stationary and other requsites
•Literary Day Celebration
An All Island Essay and Oratorical competitions are conducted annually in conjunction with the annual Literary Week
•Honoring National Heroes
In order to educate the present generation of the great contribution that our national heroes made, Essay and Oratorical contests are held.
•Pilgrimages and Educational Excursions
Tours are organized annually places of religious significance in order to educate the younger generation and awaken in them a love for our culture.
Future Programs
Meditation Sessions
*Facilities are to be provided for private Meditation and group classes under Meditation teacher to be organized. The auditorium which will not be needed all the time will be used for this activity.
*Helping those who have strayed from the path of a healthy life to get them back to normalcy.
*Steps to be taken to develop necessary skills to attend to minor repairs in the household.
*Conducting Vocational Education Courses for school leaves.
Cultural Activities
We had a very successful all night “Poya Hewisi” Drum Tattoo. We also include a cultural dimension in all our activities wherever possible thus helping all participants to appreciate our culture.
Our Thanks
We offer our grateful thanks to all who helped us to come so for on our successful journey, specially to our benefactors and all hospitals, banks and other establishments which supported us by allowing us to place tills in their premises for the collection of funds for our Cancer Patients Welfare Fund.
25, VidyakaraMawatha, Maharagama ,
T/P 0112839956,
Email: [email protected]
Web site: www.ymbamaharagama.org
The members of YMBA compassionately bestow blessings on inmate patients, staff and the general public by carrying out regular alms giving to Bhikkus and also to a group of mothers (Kirammawarunge Dane) and inmates of an elders’ home as annual events.
