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 About us

The history of the Seva Vanitha Unit in Sri Lanka dates back to the year 1982. The Seva Vanitha Unit was formed under the chairmanship of the then First Lady Elena Jayawardena after the then President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, His Excellency JR Jayewardene pointed out the importance of establishing a voluntary organization, called Seva Vanitha by women working in every state institution.

Accordingly, she was fortunate to be the first Chairperson of the Seva Vanitha Organization of Sri Lanka, which in turn gave birth to island-wide Seva Vanitha branches of many state institutions.

INTRODUCTION TO THE ARMY SEVA VANITHA UNIT

The Army Seva Vanitha Unit was established with the assistance of Army officers, other ranks, civil employees and spouses of Army officers, other ranks and civil staffers as a voluntary organization to ensure that every opportunity is equal to all, irrespective of race, religion, language, caste or occupation. Plans were launched to set up a proper system dedicated to service that will support the welfare programmes, based on its recognized objectives. It is a non-partisan national organization dedicated to avail equal opportunities for all.

HISTORY AND ORIGIN OF THE ARMY SEVA VANITHA UNIT

With the inception of the Seva Vanitha organizations, the Army Seva Vanitha Unit was founded on 12 July 1984 on the instructions of the then Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Major General T I Weeratunga VSV RCDS NDC with the primary objective of providing welfare facilities to all ranks in the Army. The office of the Chairperson of the Army Seva Vanitha Unit is held by the wife of the incumbent Commander of the Army and it is an honorary and voluntary service. Mrs Sonia Weeratunga served as the first Chairperson of the Army Seva Vanitha Unit. Her term of service commenced on 12 July 1984 and ended on 11 February 1985.

The Army Seva Vanitha Unit was established at that time with spouses of senior officers serving the Army Headquarters as members. The spouse of the then Commander of the Army became the first Chairperson of the Army Seva Vanitha Unit and under her guidance, the welfare services were inaugurated and provided to war heroes and their families.

Following are the names and tenures of office of Chairpersons of the Army Seva Vanitha Unit since its founding to-date:

During the tenure of Mrs Dilhani Weerasuriya, who assumed duties as the President of the Army Seva Vanitha Unit on 17 December 1998, Seva Vanitha regimental branches of the Sri Lanka Army were established under the name of Regimental Women's Clubs and affiliated to the Army Seva Vanitha Unit. The wives of the Colonels of the Regiment and Colonel Commandants of respective regiments became the Chairpersons of the regimental women's clubs. In 2006, each Regimental Women’s Club was renamed as the Army Seva Vanitha Branch to read with the respective regiment.

OBJECTIVES OF THE ARMY SEVAVANITHA UNIT

1. Provision of lands, construction of houses and bathrooms, completion of partly-built houses, construction of donation of furniture and other necessary items to uplift living standards of next of kins of war heroes who were killed/disabled during the war.
2. Implementing measures to uplift the morale of war heroes who are in active service.
3. Fulfilling the needs of disabled war heroes who are hospitalized and under continuous medication.
4. Implementing vocational training projects for disabled war heroes.
5. Establishing welfare shops enabling the Army personnel and their family members to purchase goods at concessionary prices.
6. Implementing technical and other professional training programmes to enhance the skills of Army personnel and their children.
7. Establishing Pre-schools for kids of Army personnel.
8. Providing education and other scholarships to the children of the Army personnel.
9. Providing medical assistance for the Army personnel and their families.
10. Assisting the citizens in distress during national disasters.
11. Supporting the implementation of projects of national reconciliation.

AIMS OF THE ARMY SEVA VANITHA UNIT

    Formulating alliances to uplift welfare measures for the next of kin of all war heroes who were killed, missing and injured during the three-decade long war.

Taking steps to stimulate the morale of all serving personnel and fulfill the requirements of soldiers who were at the battlefront.

Initiation of projects to offer vocational training to disabled soldiers.

Establishment of sales outlets for members and children of Army families to purchase goods at subsidized price.

    Inauguration of pre-schools, implementation of varied welfare projects and provision of scholarships to uplift educational standards of the children of war hero families.

   Provision of financial assistance to utility projects launched for the welfare of members and children of Army families by way of enhancement of  technical knowledge and other trades

 Supply of financial assistance for medical treatment of members of Army families.

Offer of emergency relief assistance to civilians, affected by national catastrophes, like floods, landslides, etc.

Promotion of projects of national, religious, social and cultural values with focus on reconciliation, co-existence and harmony.

THE MISSION OF THE ARMY SEVA VANITHA UNIT (ASVU)

The mission of the Army Seva Vanitha Unit is to provide welfare facilities to the next of kin of war heroes who had sacrificed their lives on behalf of the Nation as well as for the next of kin of war heroes who had gone missing in action. Similarly, those injured whilst defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the motherland, are also taken care until the end of their lives.

ORGANIZATION

Membership

Spouses of the officers, other ranks and civil employees are the members of the Army Seva Vanitha Unit.

Organization

In order to carry out the role of this organization in a systematic, efficient and collective manner, two committees are functional as follows:

ADMINISTRATIVE COMMITTEE

The Commander of the Army serves as the Patron and the Chief of Staff as the officiating Deputy Patron. The staff of this committee is as follows:

1. President:  Spouse of the Commander of the Army.


2. Vice President:  Spouse of the Chief of Staff of the Army.


3. Secretary:  Spouse of the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army.


4. Deputy Secretary:  Spouse of the Commandant, Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force.


5. Public Relations Officer: Spouse of the next most senior officer other than the above posts is selected by a secret ballot of the members at the General Meeting or by the seniority of the Army Officer.


6. Deputy Public Relations Officer: Spouse of the next most senior officer other than the above posts is selected by a secret ballot of the members at the General Assembly or by seniority of the Army Officer.


7. Senior Officer in Charge of the Project: Appointed by the Executive Committee on the recommendation of the President to look into the progress of all the projects implemented under the Army Seva Vanitha Unit.


8. Executive Secretary: A Lady Officer of the Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps is appointed at the discretion of the President and there is no fixed term for the post of Executive Secretary. The rank must be Captain or higher.


9. Treasurer: At the discretion of the President, a Lady Officer of the Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps shall be appointed and the maximum period for which she may hold the post of Treasurer is 03 years. However, the post may be vacated at the discretion of the President.

OPERATIONAL COMMITTEE

The Chief Administrative Committee of the Army Seva Vanitha Unit is the Working Committee of its Legislative Council. The President of the Seva Vanitha Unit is also the President of this Committee. Deputy President, Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Public Relations Officer and the Deputy Public Relations Officer are the members of this committee.