THE SEVA VANITHA ARMY BRANCH (SVAB) on the directions of Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya is to kick off the project “Brave Hearts” shortly in order to house totally disable war veterans in a “Wellness Resort” that provides life long care to heroic soldiers.
The retreat will take the shape of a ‘Resort’ with all comforts and facilities. This first ever proposed health resort of this nature is to be built at Anuradhapura Nuwara Wewa lakeside where 50 veterans could be accommodated at a time. Subsequently, a few more centers will be set up at regional level with the funds generated thereafter.
Funds are expected through generous donations from the public, Sri Lankans living overseas, corporate sector, and well-wishers. The sponsors are free to donate a lump sum or sponsor a building as per the architect’s plan (eg: a villa for four injured soldiers, physiotherapy unit, etc). Branding will be permitted for such sponsors. A campaign will be launched to attract funds and a special bank account has been opened at Bank of Ceylon for this noble purpose.
Present statistics show that there are approximately 300 plus soldiers who became totally disabled with multiple injuries. Those injuries range from spinal cord, brain damage and many other disabilities such as amputations, impaired hearing, vision, speech defects, paralysis and so on.
Most of these War Heroes are in their prime youth with a full life span ahead of them but with these permanent disabilities. The majority of them are wheelchair or bed ridden or have impaired mobility, requiring a variety of assisting devices. Therefore post injury care is vital for their survival. However, most of these veterans face difficulty once they go home, as the infrastructure at home is inadequate to accommodate their needs. Most importantly, specialized nursing care needed by some, cannot be obtained at domestic level. Majority of them are from very rural areas that lack even basic needs or some do not have proper shelter.
This is a very “special community” in our country that have taken over a magnanimous burden in the name of the country and are now burdened with traumatic experiences.
These were the heroes who led the country during the war and the country depended on their success. But, today this community is totally dependant, and needs personalized care as they have become totally disabled. They may be dramatically visible: a missing limb, a facial scar, etc. They may also lurk beneath the skin’s surface; mental trauma that persists long after the events that provoked it. It is not only the victim, the families that need the extra support to move forward in life. It is the unhappy testimony of history that after the first outburst of emotional gratitude the consideration shown to crippled veterans loses grace and spontaneity.
