SUROL (Society for Upliftment and Rehabilitation of Leprosy Affected Persons) will organize a fundraiser dinner event on June 2 from 7pm at the Grand Ballroom, Waters Edge. The evening promises to be an entertaining one with a special demonstration from Australian Master Chef Kumar Pereira and a 4 course dinner with live music. All proceeds from the event will be used for the further development and uplift of leprosy affected persons.
SUROL is a registered charity organization, committed and dedicated towards rehabilitating Leprosy affected disabled individuals with the intention to help them return to their communities and rebuild their lives with dignity and self-respect, while building public awareness to remove the stigma often associated with leprosy.
Founded and set up in 1971, the organization was nurtured and brought to what it is today due to the exemplary and admirable work of the Redemptorist priest, the late Rev. Fr. Glen Fernando. SUROL works with the strong aim of reducing the number of leprosy sufferers and has adopted a non-religious, non-sectarian and non-partisan strategy for the society which has been crucial in establishing harmonious relationships with other relief organizations and members worldwide.
SUROL has rapidly expanded into many key provinces around the island and is currently supporting over 260 leprosy affected individuals and 54 children. The field staff regularly visits affected persons to ease their feelings of rejection or ostracization, while promoting acceptance among the communities. The most recent project was the gifting of over 300 hampers during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.
‘As a society, we need to support these individuals and ensure that they lead a normal life just like any other person. SUROL is working diligently towards achieving this goal and our fundraiser event will help us take our service one step further. There is a lot of unseen and unheard pain that these patients and their families experience. It is our duty as responsible citizens to ensure they have a better life’, said Hony. General Secretary, Rev. Fr. Neil Dias Karunaratne C.Ss.R