Youth put on shows to put a smile back on the faces of cancer patients
by Melani Manel Perera

Supatha, the youth group of the Holy Family association, put on two performances at the Loyola College Auditorium in Negombo to raise funds for the Maharagama Cancer Hospital.


Colombo (AsiaNews) – The youth group of the Holy Family association wants to give a "smile of hope" to cancer patients of a Sri Lankan hospital. To achieve this, they put on a show in Colombo today aimed at raising funds for the patients at the city’s Maharagama Cancer Hospital.

To advertise the event, they handed out flyers and attached stickers at bus stops, schools and streets. The chosen date is the birthday of Fr Pierre Bienvenu Noailles, founder of the association.

The group staged two performances at the Loyola College Auditorium in Negombo, a district south of Colombo. The first, at 2.30 pm, was reserved for students; the second, at 6:30 pm, was open to the general public.

“We will put all our energy into the success of the project,” said Chamudi Jude and Erandi Nawoda, two youth leaders before the show went on. “We hope to raise as much as possible for our loved ones who are in hospital. We would like to give them a smile of hope,” they added.

The youth group, Supatha, staged Hangum Wrusawa (The rain of thoughtfulness). The funds raised will go to buy medicines and medical equipment.

Another goal was to raise awareness about cancer prevention and collaborate with the hospital’s chaplain, Fr Jude Nichols.