The 28 day long walk initiated by the Colours of Courage trust founded by Sarinda Unamboowe and Nathan Sivagananathan saw its end on Wednesday at the Dondra Lighthouse in Matara.
What began as a mere promise made by Sarinda Unamboowe, who had pledged that if the civil war were to end, he would walk the length of his homeland as a commitment to peace, and Nathan Sivagananathan who was touched by a personal loss to cancer and felt this walk was the most impactful way to help the many others struggling with the disease has inspired thousands to take a step and bring a country together, to unite against a disease that has taken thousands of lives in Sri Lanka.
The first walk held in 2011 saw a major success with a fully functioning cancer hospital being built and operated in Tellippalai, Jaffna. The two founders who today have become more than just two Co-Founders of a charity organization, decided to take the Trail once again this year, this time from the North to the South of the country to build a Cancer facility in Karapitiya Hospital, Galle.
Trail 2016 saw Sri Lankans from all walks of life and even visiting tourists to the Island unite together for a common cause. Over 70,000 walkers have raised nearly $3 million USD thus far with 40 million rupees in till collections alone, being collected on the road over the 28 days.
“This walk was not only to raise funds for a Cancer Hospital, it was to bring a country together, to unite a country and heal the wounds of a 30 year war” said Unamboowe during the closing ceremony held at the Dondra Head. “It was amazing to see the donations we received from the Nothern province of the country in aid of a Hospital in the South, this showed a lot and it showed that we as Sri Lankans are truly united and we are ready to put our differences and past aside” he added.
During the walk, it was most humbling for most who participated to see the generosity and it proved to all that Sri Lankans are truly a generous and open-handed country. There were many little children who walked out of their homes early in the morning with arms stretched out saying “here, please take my till” offering savings for the walk against Cancer. There were fishermen running from shore to make their contribution while there were CEO’s of major corporates who took the trails to collect funds against the horrors of Cancer.
It was a moving sight seen all over Social media when Cricketing legend Mahela Jayawardane broke into tears at the occasion of laying the foundation stones at the Karapitiya Hospital premise on Tuesday. “The contributions and participation by the people have been overwhelming. It makes us feel really good. This is the kind of support and awareness we envisioned having for this initiative. We wanted everyone to know that we are walking for a cause which will help all Sri Lankans”. “I lost a friend but I know he was with me every step I took”, spoke on his brother; it wasn’t surprising that this brought a tear to the eye to the hardest of hearts in the crowd at the ceremony.
“With the funds collected from TrailSL 2011, we were able to build a state-of- the-art cancer hospital in Tellippalai, Jaffna,” said Nathan Sivagananathan. “With TrailSL 2016 I’m confident that our dream of a state-of the-art cancer hospital in Galle will soon be a reality.”
Established in 1982, the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital is the third largest national hospital in the country and the most accessed healthcare center in the south of Sri Lanka. In 2015, the hospital recorded its highest number of cancer related deaths even as the national incidence is on the rise. In addition, it has seen a dramatic influx of patients traveling from the surrounding provinces to seek treatment. At present, cancer patients have to wait one or two years to undergo surgery at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital. The hospital’s two oncologists perform between 300 – 500 consultations per day while there is an 8 – 10 week waiting time for urgent surgeries even though 60 operations are conducted per week. The hospital receives 4,500 new cancer patients every year.
The organizers reiterate that it is still not too late for anyone to join the cause. Members of the public can donate to Trail 2016 via Dialog SMS, StarPoints, eZ cash, MobitelMcash or through the official website www.trailsl.com It is also possible to make a direct deposit to Colours of Courage Trust (Guarantee) Limited, Account Number 00301049171, Hatton National Bank (SWIFT CODE – HBLILKLX).
