After the Tsunami in 2004 and the 26-year civil war, most of the people in our country were left traumatised because of the horrors they had had to endure. Those are the kinds of wounds that do not heal over time. Some people remember the days as if it was yesterday and it is not easy for them to lead normal lives.
Sumutthana is there to help people like them to the best of their abilities and to ensure their tomorrow is better than their yesterday. It is a non-political non-profit organisation in King’s College London Resource Centre for Trauma, Displacement and Mental Health. Sumutthana is Sanskrit for "renewal and regeneration" and they surely live up to their name.
What they do
They work with mental health professionals like psychiatrists, psychologists, doctors, lawyers and counsellors etc. who work with people who have been traumatised by their experiences. According to their site,
We train and support these professionals to improve their skills in order that they can better deal with the psychological consequences of Sri Lanka’s post-war era.
How can you help?
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Volunteer
Sumutthana welcomes any volunteers who have experience in dealing with psychological trauma.
They also have training programmes and seminars held throughout the year, at the Centre in Colombo and other venues across the country.
The foundation also provides web-based interactive professional consultation and supervision.
Sumutthana has their own library which has one of the finest collections of psychology-based books and journals in the country which you can refer to.
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Donate
Account Name: The King’s College London
Account Number: 004 – 001006 – 369
Bank/Branch: NDB Bank/ Nugegoda, Sri Lanka
Why should you help?
Today, even many years after the end of the conflict, PTSD still remains as one of the major mental health issues that need to be dealt with. Frankly, it has not been prioritised as it should be. The civil war and tsunami ended with profound health consequences which resulted in long-term physical and psychological problems.
What Samutthana is doing is on a bigger scale than many of us as individuals can accomplish. If their vision is on par with what you believe, I think it should, then you should definitely volunteer.
Our vision is that more people with mental health problems can take part in society and fulfil their potential.
Their site has all the information you need.
(All photographs are courtesy of their FB page)
