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Sri Lanka Army

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12th March 2020 20:41:04 Hours

Accolades Heaped on ‘Weerya Matha’ for Single-handedly Upbringing their Offspring

On a conceptual notion given by Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, the Army Seva Vanitha Unit (ASVU), Directorate of Veterans’ Affairs and the Directorate of Personnel Administration with full backing of the Master General Ordnance Branch (MGO) of the Army this morning (12) jointly extended their appreciative gratitude to the committed perseverance of 110 widowed wives of War Heroes in the ‘Weerya Matha’ (Mothers of Courage) felicitation ceremony and recognized them once again awarding laurels at the Army HQ.

The felicitation ceremony that coincided with the commemoration of the recent International Women’s Day was graced by Mrs Ioma Rajapaksa, First Lady as the Chief Guest and she was welcomed by Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, together with Mrs Sujeewa Nelson, President, Army Seva Vanitha Unit who was instrumental in making this novel project a success.

Adding memories, the Chief Guest, together with Seva Vanitha ladies and Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva sat for a group photograph.

Those courageous mothers, ‘Weerya Matha’, who selflessly strove to groom their young sons and daughters to be medical officers, engineers, lawyers, accountants, administrators, artistes, entrepreneurs, teachers, instructors, IT experts, scientists, surveyors, etc in the absence of their bread-winners were awarded special laurels, certificates and cash gifts during this ceremony after inviting mother and her child on stage amidst applause.

A video documentary screened after observance of one-minute silence in honour of fallen War Heroes highlighted the historical saga, associated with bravery of their departed ones as well as the dedication and perseverance of those courageous mothers for upbringing of their beloved children to be what they are today, having undergone numerous challenges and hardships during the course.

Afterwards, all those 110 widowed wives of War Heroes after pronouncing them as true mothers of courage ‘Weerya Matha’ were awarded by the day’s Chief Guest, First Lady Mrs Ioma Rajapaksa, followed by Chairperson of the MOD Seva Vanitha Unit, Mrs Chithrani Gunarathna, President, ASVU, Mrs Sujeewa Nelson, Chairperson, SVU of the Navy, Mrs Arundathie Udithamala Jayaneththi, Chairperson, SVU of the Air Force, Mrs Mayuri Prabhavi Dias and Vice President of the DFCC Bank Mr Anton Arumugam.

Under the project, each courageous mother was gifted with Rs 30,000/= with equal shares donated by DFCC Bank, Army Commander’s Fund and the Army Seva Vanitha Unit fund, in addition to other gift parcels, souvenirs and certificates.

Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army in his brief address to the occasion extolled the exemplary dedication and commitment of those courageous mothers who braved single-handedly by nurturing their teenage offspring to be productive citizens of our society after their dear fathers laid their lives for the unitary status and territorial integrity of the motherland before May 2009. (See the full video speech below)

Towards the end of the day’s programme, the Commander of the Army and the President ASVU invited the day’s Chief Guest on stage and awarded the First Lady with a special appreciative memento.

The second segment of the ceremony, presided by Mrs Sujeewa Nelson saw Mrs. Aruni Wickramage, founder and the consultant of Olanway Language and Technology Institute delivering a special oration on the importance of womanhood and its contribution to the growth of the family, upbringing of children and the society at large. The occasion also witnessed the Lions Club of 306C donating 8 sewing Machines and 02 wheel chairs worth of 04 Lakhs to the ASVU.

Major General Prasanna Chandrasekara, Master General Ordnance, ASVU Executive Members, ASVU Ladies, Officers and Other Ranks witnessed the felicitation ceremony and the day's proceedings. short url link | Sneakers Nike