Colour their lives

The Dulux Child Protection Trust Fund has finalised plans to hold a musical evening to raise funds for the activities planned by the Fund to communicate the seriousness in child abuse and how abuse in any form impacts children and the people around them.

The programme titled ‘Colour their lives’ – a night of song in aid of the Dulux Child Protection Trust Fund – will take place on Saturday, 3 December 2011 at the Holy Family Convent, Colombo 4 school auditorium commencing at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at The Commons, Park Street Mews and the Akzo Nobel Paints Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. head office.  

Three well-known and reputed choir groups in Sri Lanka – ‘Choro Calibre, The Revelations and The De Lanerolle Brothers have agreed to lend their talent and valuable time, in support of the Trust.

The programme will consist of not only the performances by the three groups but also a musical performance/short theatre performance from the two children’s homes that the Trust Fund is involved in.

The Dulux Child Protection Trust Fund (DCPTF) was initiated and launched by Akzo Nobel Paints Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. in 2003 as a non- profit trust in aid of prevention of child abuse and for educating children and their care givers. All funds raised for the DCPTF are directed towards various activities that are engaged in achieving the main objectives of the Trust. These are:

nTo provide financial and other assistance to needy children and institutions engaged in caring for the health and well being of abused children.

nTo create public awareness with regard to the rights of children and engage in activities of preventing and eradicating child abuse in Sri Lanka by providing assistance.

nTo create awareness among parents of the dangers that children face day to-day.

A spokesman on behalf of the Trust said that it is a known fact that in this day and age, child abuse is a growing problem due to various reasons with poverty being a predominant cause.

“According to statistics, approximately three children are being abused every day in Sri Lanka. In simple terms, as parents cannot give their children a proper education, health care and housing, they are forced to look at other avenues to support themselves.”

Child abuse or maltreatment constitutes all forms of physical and/or emotional ill treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power.

Vulnerable children face five principal types of risk: sexual abuse, emotional abuse, institutional abuse, physical neglect, and non-organic failure to thrive.

Through the years, the DCPTF was involved with the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), Eradication Sexual Child Abuse, Prostitution and Exploitation (ESCAPE), The Leo Club (Host), The YWCA, PEACE and many other organisations that have a similar interest in this cause.

The DCPTF has also supported the ‘Jeewana Kanda Lama Nivasaya,’ a children’s home for abused girls, run by a missionary couple from the Dutch Reformed Church in the past. All activities are entirely funded by the Trust which is depended on any fund raising activities from its Channel Partners, customers and well-wishers.