Sonduru Diriyawanthi celebrated one year of donating and uplifting the lives of women diagnosed with cancer, through the national wig donation program. Kumarika, the leading hair care brand of Hemas Manufacturing together with the Indira Cancer Trust, Lions Clubs of Aluthgama Bentota and Galkissa, Sri Lanka College of Oncologists and the Ministry of Health launched this project on the 05th October 2021. The project aims to donate natural hair wigs to women who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy while creating awareness of the physical and mental trauma that a patient would go through.
Around 80% of women diagnosed with cancer have to undergo chemotherapy, which causes hair loss. Most women who lose their hair suffer physically and mentally, depriving them of social interaction. This social endeavor will cater to the increasing demand of natural hair wigs and help women recover from their traumas and face society with self-confidence.
Azmara Mannan, Marketing Manager at Hemas Manufacturing said, “Empowering Sri Lankan women is one of the main aims of Kumarika. We understood that hair loss due to chemotherapy is a big concern for women. We have launched the Sonduru Diriyawanthi project together with Indira Cancer Trust, Lions Clubs of Aluthgama Bentota and Galkissa, Sri Lanka College of Oncologists, and the Ministry of Health to support these women to step into society with confidence and face the life’s challenges stronger.”
Dr. Lanka Jayasuriya Dissanayake, Chairperson / Trustee Indira Cancer Trust stated, “The number of cancer patients are increasing daily and unfortunately they undergo both physical and mental hardships. These women are further troubled due to hair loss from the chemotherapy treatment. We are bound to extend our support for the continuity of this national project and are also thankful for all the project partners.”
Past District Governor, Lion Chandani Withana from the Lions Club of Aluthgama Bentota said, “We partnered with Kumarika and Indira Cancer Trust through the wig making Center, for this national project one year ago. We are indeed happy that we were able to support cancer patients, encourage them and work towards their betterment from the inception of the project to this day. We hope to continue taking this timely initiative forward with the help of all the project partners.”
During the last year, Sonduru Diriyawanthi initiative has donated more than 2500 natural hair wigs and care packs for women diagnosed with cancer. These donations were conducted in several phases at the Kotalawela Defence University Hospital, Apeksha Hospital Maharagama, and the General, National, Base and Teaching Hospitals in Anuradhapura, Kandy, Badulla, Karapitiya, Kurunegala, Thellippalai, Jaffna, Ratnapura, and Batticaloa.