Once again, Little Friends, Guides, Senior Guides, and Guide Leaders joined hands to celebrate World Thinking Day and the joint birthdays of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell. World Thinking Day was celebrated at national-level on Sunday, February 22, 2009 at the Viharamahadevi Park arena in Colombo.

The Chief Guest at this year's celebration was Dr. (Mrs.) Sujatha Gamage, Director, LIRNEasia Knowledge Networks, a partner organization with whom we have been carrying out the 3R project. Other
dignitaries included Mr. Hugh Capet, Deputy Head of the French Mission in Sri Lanka, representatives of the Family Planning Association (also a partner organization), and representatives of the Scouts Association.

Senior Guides, Guides, and Little Friends paraded the flags and costumes of other member countries. This was followed by the collection of the Thinking Day coins, and the renewal of the Promise.

In keeping with WAGGGS' (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) new Global Action Theme, each World Thinking Day between now and 2015 will use one of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as a topic.

This year's theme is: Girls worldwide say "stop the spread of AIDS, malaria and other diseases," based on the sixth MDG: combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Information stalls, which focused on
diseases relevant to a particular province of Sri Lanka, were set up by Members of said province around the Viharamahadevi Park arena.

Western Province focused on Rat Fever. Rat Fever is not viral; it is transmitted by rats urinating in and thereby contaminating water which is then drunk by humans. It can also be transmitted by rat bites, but rat urine is the more common medium of transmission. Reported cases show an increase of Rat Fever in Sri Lanka.

Of the reported cases in 2008 (Jan – Oct), 776 (highest number) were from the Western Province.
The Western province also looked at Tuberculosis. Likewise, the Sabaragamuwa Province focused on Malaria which is prevalent in areas like Embilipitiya and Ratnapura due to gem pits not being covered and then getting flooded.

The North Central Province focused on HIV/AIDS which is prevalent in the region due to the number of tourists and soldiers. The Uva Province focused on kidney disease, whilst the Southern Province focused on Filaria.