ISSN: 1391 - 0531
Sunday, July 1, 2007
Vol. 42 - No 05
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A homely tribute

The only elders’ home run by a school opens its doors to ex-teachers and past pupils

By Smriti Daniel. Pic by Bertie Mendis.

The rooms – spacious and flooded with light are empty now but not for long. Soon they will be filled with the voices of women – many of whom may have known each other in better days, when their souls were full of hope and they were young. The Kotahena Shepherdian Home for Elders (KOSHE) is unique in Sri Lanka as the only Elders’ Home founded and maintained by a school – in this case the Good Shepherd Convent, Kotahena – for its past pupils and ex-teachers.

Christobel Saverimuttu

The unusual project inspired by the plight of Consy Muller, was the brainchild of Ms. Princey Caspersz, a past teacher and later Ms. Daphne Lord, reveals Christobel Saverimuttu, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees at KOSHE. “Ms. Muller dedicated her life to others…she was practically an institution at our school,” she said, adding “Ms. Muller had taught generations of Shepherdians.” When her ex-students discovered that their teacher was alone in the twilight of her life, consigned to a lonely fate at an elders’ home, they decided that they would build a home of their own where Ms. Muller and others like her could stay. Ms. Muller was thrilled with the idea, and though she did not live to see it become a reality, remained hopeful to the very end.

An interior section of the new home.

The aim of the home today is to provide an environment where ex-students and teachers of the school are repaid for their service; a place where they are not only treated with gentle care and respect but also where they are surrounded by the familiar faces of fellow students and teachers belonging to their very own alma mater.

“We laid the foundation stone in 1975,” says Mrs. Saverimuttu. Explaining that even though they had already set aside the 30 perches of land (15 perches donated by Ms. Judith Gunawardene, a past pupil and the balance sold by her at a nominal rate) for the home, she reveals the funds dried up and consequently the entire project had to be shelved. However, in 2002, things took a turn for the better when the Lions Club International Foundation donated 50,000 U.S dollars to the project.

Suddenly reinvigorated, the board of trustees immediately restarted the project – and they were not alone. Mrs. Saverimuttu reveals that almost everything – from the drapes to the wooden furniture in the home was donated by ex-Shepherdians. Even the thoughtful design of the home was pro-bono work for architect Ranjan Nadesapillai. Pointing out the special features, Mrs. Saverimuttu indicates the shallow steps, the railings that run along every wall and finally the balcony that is accessible from the second floor and looks directly onto the home’s in-house chapel – removing the necessity for those living upstairs to make their way down for mass.

The home when it is fully occupied will house up to 32 elders in eight rooms. In each cheerful room are four beds, with adjoining toilets and bathroom facilities. A staff of six will be hired to see to the needs of the residents, says Mrs. Saverimuttu, adding that volunteers will be drawn from a roster that boasts over 30 names of ex-pupils of the school. Any medical care that is required will be provided once again by volunteers – ex-students who are now qualified doctors. Even the matron of the home, Ms. Chandra Perera is an ex-Shepherdian with considerable administrative experience.

While work on the structure and interiors of KOSHE is complete, the board of trustees is still in need of funds to run the home. Mrs. Saverimuttu reveals that the home needs to ask for payment from some of its residents, but that they will use that money to run the centre, thereby making it possible for some needy individuals to live there entirely free of charge. Fundraisers, including the annual ‘Shepherdian Chimes’ will be held in order to build up a nest egg for the home’s smooth running, she reveals. In the meantime, however, Mrs. Saverimuttu and her team are already preparing to open KOSHE’s doors and welcome their first residents in.

 
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Copyright 2007 Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.Colombo. Sri Lanka.