About us

Our vision is to assist and enhance the lives of innocent victims of war, who are facing extreme hardship in the Northern and Eastern regions of Sri Lanka

Who we are….

Assist Resettlement & Renaissance (Assist RR) is an independent and secular organisation, which was formed in 2012, with the aims to relieve the poverty of innocent victims of war in Sri Lanka by assisting and enhancing their livelihood.

Although the members of this group have been assisting displaced people on an ad-hoc basis, it was considered necessary to form an organisation to raise funds to help rebuild the lives of people in war-ravaged areas of Sri Lanka in a structured and sustainable way.

People in these areas were displaced many times during the final phase of the civil war and spent their past few years in various refugee camps after the end of civil war.  They are now facing extreme hardship after they were resettled in their villages due to lack of assistance.  They are being housed in tents and houses with no roofs with scarce water and toilet facilities and are living on hand-outs without much work or job opportunities.

Children are learning under trees and in temporary shelters as most of the pre-school and primary school buildings were destroyed during the war and haven’t been re-built yet.  Our charity is therefore aims to relieve their poverty by providing funds to start their own livelihood projects and to stand on their own feet.  Our charity also aims to improve the education of children affected by the war by providing shelters at schools without buildings and providing additional lessons. In addition to the above areas, Assist RR provide assistance to improve healthcare in the war affected areas.

For the past few years, members of Assist RR have supported a range of projects (see Projects) in the northern region of Sri Lanka including building community halls in Mullaithivu, funding and distributing reading glasses to resettled people in Vanni, raising funds for “Save the Children” for the benefit of children affected by the war in Vanni. We are currently raising funds to carry out cataract operations in Vanni.

How do we choose the beneficiaries….

Assist RR identify and choose the beneficiaries with the help of local charities and volunteers. The beneficiaries are then prioritised based on their needs and family situation.

We have a number of local volunteers who work on our behalf and gather information to assess the needs.  This is also done through certain local organisations and charities that we work with. We then prioritise families, individuals and children, who are in dire need of help  The local charities have got a better knowledge of the needs of the people and can help us to identify the people need urgent assistance.  In addition to local help, our members in the UK also visit these areas at their own expenses and assess the situation and requirements at regular intervals. Although we are working with local charities in identifying the needs and prioritising the needy families, our trustees will make the final decision in terms of where the funds will be spent.

How do we raise funds and do promotions.…

Assist RR raises funds through musical concerts and do promotions via Television media and other charity events.

We organised two music concerts in Dec 2012 and used the platforms to promote our charity and to raise funds.  Dr S P Balasubramanyam, a music legend from South India, helped us in promoting our charity during these shows.  We also appeal amongst friends and family to raise funds for carrying out our smaller scale projects.  Assist RR use Television media and local gatherings including other charity events to advertise our activities and gather support.

We are also raising funds by placing money boxes at business establishments in the UK and requesting friends and families to pay small donations (£5-£10) by standing orders every month.

ASSIST RESETTLEMENT AND RENAISSANCE has achieved charitable status in England and Wales with the Registered Charity Number 1151025.

Office bearers

Patron

Dr K S Rajah, FRCS

Trustees

Dr Velautham Sarveswaran, Solihull, UK – Chairman

Dr Ratnagopal Jeyapooranabala, FRCS, Norwich, UK

Mr Veluppilai Sivakumar, Essex, UK

Mr Benet Rohan Raj Joseph, Solihull, UK

Dr Mayooran Shanmuganathan, Consultant Cardiologist, High Wycombe, UK

Mr Utheshankar Kathirgamathamby, UK

Overseas Coordinators

Australia – Mr Guna Thirukumaran

Malaysia – Mr Kanagarajah Thurairajah

Singapore – Mr Neminathan Navaneethan

Sri Lanka – Rotarian Mr P Henry Amalraj

 “A few heart-whole, sincere, and energetic men and women can do more in a year than a mob in a century.”

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