‘Neth Suwaya’ gives vision to fishing community in Negombo

Neth Suwaya group 

The eye camp was organized by the Sustainable Group of Dialog Axiata Plc in collaboration with the Ocean University’s Regional Centre in Negombo

‘Neth Suwaya’ Eye camp donating free spectacles to those in the fishing communities in and around Negombo was organized by Sustainable Group of Dialog Axiata Plc in collaboration with the Ocean University’s Regional Centre in Negombo conducted on October 29 and 30 at the Ocean University premises.

With the cooperation of Mrs. Renuka Mathangaweera, Head of the Ocean University Regional Centre, Negombo and Mr. Dinesh Peiris, Assistant Director District Fisheries Office, the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and their staff members, over 750 members of the fisher community received free spectacles. A group of qualified ophthalmologists examined those received spectacles.

Supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 03 -Good health and wellbeing, in Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Health spearheaded the programme​ to give vision to poor and needy who are deprived of vision mainly due to poverty, in Negombo marked the 32nd ‘ Neth Suwaya project.

Started as a project supporting, Vision 2020 a global initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) for the elimination of preventable blindness​, ‘Neth Suwaya’ eye camp comes under ‘Sayura’ project of the Sustainability Group of Dialog Axiata PLC.

Started by Dialog Axiata PLC in 2015​, the project donating spectacles was rebranded as Neth Suwaya in 2021. It provides custom made spectacle for low income communities, which will help them immensely to carry out their day to day activities or earn a living (e.g. sewing, book keeping, write letters) without any difficulties​.

‘Neth Suwaya’ comes under Dialog’s ‘Sayura Service’, a location based free national weather alert and warning service for day boat fishermen, trilingual fully pledged SMS and voice messages and the service developed with the cooperation of the Department of fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the Department of Meteorology. Over 100,000 fishermen around Sri Lanka have registered to the service.