Going green for World Cerebral Palsy Day

• Sri Lanka will Go Green 4 CP

Green is the international colour of cerebral palsy awareness, and Sri Lanka joins the global Cerebral Palsy (CP) movement and #GoGreen4CP this year for World Cerebral Palsy Day. 

The Colombo Municipal Council, Urban Development Authority, Dialog, HNB, Commercial Bank, Microsoft, World Vision, Navajeevana and religious institutions from all faiths across Sri Lanka will show their support by marking the day to celebrate, raise awareness and take action to ensure that people with CP and their families have the same rights, access and opportunity as everyone else. 

To coincide with events being held across the world, the featured event will be held at Vihara Maha Devi Park with a small skit followed by the lighting of the Colombo Municipal Council which will glow green for the evening. 

This will kick off a month-long island-wide CP Campaign through all Divisional Secretariats and Grama Sevakas with awareness campaigns organised by the MJF Foundation and NCCCPDD, World Vision, Navajeevana and other grass roots disability organisations in each district to promote a peer and professional resource and referral network for CP across Sri Lanka. 

Those affected by CP or their families will be able to obtain further information via a  hotline 0777 116 116, online,  and also by filling in a paper based form available at all HNB and select Commercial Bank branches across Sri Lanka so that those seeking more information and therapy can be connected to available resources. 

Furthermore, a secure information portal that can then be used to follow up on the needs in areas and create community-based referrals and access to treatments is being created by Microsoft and their tech partners.

The CP Awareness campaign is being supported by the following partners: Colombo Municipal Council, Urban Development Authority, Dialog’s Athuru Mithuru, HNB Bank, Commercial Bank, Microsoft, World Vision and Navajeevana Tangalla, Church of Ceylon, Methodist Church of Sri Lanka, Gangaramaya Temple, Kelaniya Temple, All Ceylon Jamiatullah and Sivan Kovil in Kotahena. Creative Partners – Sarva.  

The Cerebral Palsy Helpline 0777 116 116 offers useful information and emotional support. Please visit our website: www.mjffoundation.org or email [email protected] for more details. 

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is the most common intellectual disability in childhood. There are 17 million people with CP in the world with an estimated 40,000 people affected with CP in Sri Lanka. Although there are tools and resources globally, very little is known and practiced is in the form of rehabilitation or intervention in Sri Lanka. The earlier a child with CP commences therapy, the greater the chances of him or her having the ability to reach their greatest potential.

Dilmah’s MJF Charitable Foundation and National Centre for Children with Cerebral Palsy and Other Developmental Disorders (NCCCPDD) have been training midwives, MOH staff, therapists as well as families in dealing with children (and adults) with CP, providing them with the newest tools and resources to mitigate the effects of CP and engage in a holistic plan for intervention on the illness. They also provide free therapy and programs daily for over 450 children and youth affected by CP, Down syndrome, autism and other development disorders.