A Call to All… from SUROL

At SUROL, we believe in the power of human generosity. For it is only through generosity and understanding that causes which seem unsurmountable, can be surmounted: where missions which seem impossible, are made possible.
SUROL’s efforts in lending succor to disabled leprosy persons in Sri Lanka clearly illustrates how human generosity can help bring in hope and happiness… vanquishing hopelessness and despair from people’s lives.
Our call to all is to seek your generosity whether in thought, word, money, time, things, or attention. Your support will help make a difference.

Who we are

SUROL stands for the “Society for the Upliftment and Rehabilitation of Leprosy Affected Persons” and was founded in 1971 by Fr. Realino Chiriatti and nurtured and brought to what it is today by the late Rev. Fr. Glen Fernando. SUROL’s purpose is mainly to rehabilitate those affected and disabled by leprosy, help their return to communities and rebuild their lives with dignity and self-respect. The founding members adopted a non-religious, non-sectarian and non-partisan strategy for the Society which opened doors for everyone.
Public education to remove the stigma attached to leprosy was one arm of SUROL’s two-way plan, the other being the important task of rehabilitation of disabled leprosy affected persons. SUROL has aimed at taking practical steps towards reducing the number of leprosy affected persons. SUROL provides all our beneficiaries an equal allowance monthly, that is 100% covered’
SUROL became a Government -approved Charity in 1973. Since then, SUROL gained friends both at home and abroad and was one of the smallest groups in the country run by a Board of Management consisting of 15 persons and now continues under the Patronage of the Catholic Archbishop of Colombo, Rt. Rev. Dr. Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, whose appointee is the Hony. General Secretary, Rev. Fr. Neil Dias Karunaratne. C.Ss.R

We offer Helping Hands…A Ray of Hope

Our Vision

We are committed and dedicated to establishing a society where persons affected by leprosy find themselves acceptable as equal partners with all others in the community and society at large.

Our Mission

Promoting activities for sharing of resources, to help disabled persons affected by Leprosy to uplift & rehabilitate themselves, and participate effectively in the social and economic life of the community.

Our Goals

Our priority is to provide relief and assistance in the rehabilitation of leprosy afflicted persons – the “Poorest of the Poor”; those marginalized persons in our society.
Our aim is to reach out to many more who are helpless and unable to eke out a living because of this disease.
Our commitment is to organize and implement programs to raise funds to finance and support the neediest disabled persons affected by leprosy.

Tribute

Our sincere appreciation and gratitude to all those who banded themselves to reach out to leprosy sufferers along the way – the Jesuit Priests & the sisters of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary Congregation who helped in forming SUROL. Those who laboured and did not want any recognition for their noble work in the Lord’s Vineyard. God bless them.

Rev. Fr. Glen Fernando

someone who worked tirelessly for SUROL

We wish to pay a glowing tribute to Late Rev Fr Glen Fernando who worked tirelessly for over two decades to make SUROL what it is today. He always had a smile on his face and addressed every one of our Beneficiaries by their first names for he had their life stories treasured in his heart. Our good Lord had blessed him with such a charisma that he was able to truly reach out always; everyone who came to him with a heavy heart with a kind word and meet their worldly needs to their heart’s content.

We miss you a lot, Father, your encouraging word, a gentle tap on the shoulder when we were wading through rough seas. Good Bye till we meet again …

May his soul rest in Peace, Amen!

Rev Sr Rudolf Perera

Your service to SUROL will always be remembered

We also wish to pay a special tribute to Rev Sr Rudolf Perera of the Holy Family Sisters who too had been with SUROL well over two decades and ceased her active services with the age catching up. Our Beneficiaries in distant places still recall how they met her at the nearest bus halt to their homes and provided transport – pillion rider on their bicycles and, most of the time, stayed overnight in their ramshackle homes.

The Lord is blessing you immensely, we are certain, for the hard work you put in His Vineyard, with all the comforts you quite rightly deserve. We know you might not be enjoying the comforts for you always wanted to serve the less fortunate with very little care of your self. We, in office, recall our little fights when you wanted to accommodate the entire Beneficiaries’ requests which did not fall within our purview. You are very much in our daily prayers.

The list will not be complete if no mention is made of those who served on the Board of Management who toiled in the background maintaining the accounts and other records, for we today pride ourselves that every cent received had been acknowledged & recorded and audited.