The Sri Lankan Friends’ Club (SLFC) has elected a new president and other office bearers for the ensuing year. The officials were elected in the club’s annual general meeting at Skill Development Centre (SDC) recently.
SLFC is a voluntary Sri Lankan expatriates’ organisation formed in 2008 that is functioning to help co-ordinate the social welfare activities for the Sri Lankan community in Qatar. The meeting at the SDC was the club’s third Annual General Meeting. The SLFC is attached to the Sri Lankan Coordinating Committee (SLCC), working under the aegis of the Sri Lankan embassy in Qatar.
The new panel of office-bearers includes Nandika Jayashantha as the president, Dulan Thaminda as general secretary, Kithsiri Wanniarachchi as treasurer and Gayan Rukshan as chief co-ordinator.
The club also elected deputies to the office-bearers, co-ordinators and deputy co-ordinators to take care of activities in the fields of sports, art and music, media and welfare. Additionally, eight committee members were elected at the meeting. The members of the club also agreed to nominate Anura Hettigoda and Dammika Jayasena as advisers to the club.
Addressing the gathering, the newly-elected president Nandika thanked the club members for the support given to him and his newly elected colleagues. He also thanked the members for their participation in the past activities of the club and extending their support to community activities along with other Sri Lankan expatriates living in Qatar.
“I am thankful to all our members and friends for their complete support to us and I would urge you to continue supporting us [in future as well],” he said. A large number of the members of the club were present on the occasion.
The club members also adopted the action plan for the ensuing year. The plan includes a blood donation campaign on May 27 at the Stafford Sri Lankan School, a cricket tournament, an art and painting competition for Sri Lankan children, and a welfare project aimed at a needy rural area in Sri Lanka.
The SLFC remains active in other community activities throughout the year. SLFC provides support to all national and public events conducted by Sri Lankans in Qatar. Besides organising sports, recreational and social welfare activities in Doha, the club also takes part in events of national importance for Sri Lankan community.
Last year, as usual, SLFC was an important member of the organising committee that held the largest public celebration for Sri Lankan expatriates on Sinhala and the Tamil New Year.
Being part of these activities help with the club’s primary aim to enhance Sri Lanka’s image in Qatar and to help develop brotherhood and friendship among different communities of Sri Lankans living in Qatar. Other objectives of SLFC include improving the communal harmony among Sri Lankans, and to highlight the inherent talents of Sri Lankans in Qatar in the fields of art and culture, literature, sports and others.
The club also intends to assist Sri Lankans facing problems in Qatar, help ease problems in Sri Lanka and also assist the Qatari authorities with any requests that they may make about the Sri Lankan community in Qatar.
The 3rd Annual General Meeting of SLFC at SDC.
