After a hard day of studies and lectures, the 24 girls head to their ‘home’ away from home -, their hostel, where the aromas of warm curries greet them. This hostel at Kithulwatte Road, Borella is different from any others of its kind. This is a place where they have warmth and a touch of [...]

The Sunday Times Sri Lanka

Home away from home at Girls hostel

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After a hard day of studies and lectures, the 24 girls head to their ‘home’ away from home -, their hostel, where the aromas of warm curries greet them. This hostel at Kithulwatte Road, Borella is different from any others of its kind. This is a place where they have warmth and a touch of homeliness thanks to their patron- the Sri Lankan University Women’s Federation.

The Girls hostel for Colombo University students was opened on December 18, 1987 on a land given by the UDA. The building was built by the Colombo University. It was howver, closed down in 2006 for reasons unknown. It was the SLUWF which undertook the project of refurbishing the dilapidated building after eight years. The idea of renovating the building and starting the hostel again was initiated by Indra Puvimanasinghe when she took over the presidency of the SLUWF last November.

“The initial donation was from a friend who visited Sri Lanka last November. A Deputy Vice Chancellor in a university in the United States, when she heard about our association and this project she immediately donated 1500 dollars. That was when my dream truly felt realistic,” Ms. Puvimanasinghe says. The project was abandoned by the Colombo University due to the cost of Rs. 3 million which the engineers had estimated was needed to repair the dilapidated building. “We are proud to say that not only did we manage to do all the renovations with only Rs 1.2 million but we managed to do it within three months,” she says.

SLUWF President Indra Puvimanasinghe

The hostel comprises 12 rooms, five shower rooms, five toilets and six wash basins located separately to minimise congestion, a kitchen and pantry and two study areas with a garden right around. The headquarters of the SLUWF is also within the perimeter and the resident caretaker provides security for the girls who are from areas like Matara, Kandy, Anuradhapura and Kurunegala. They are students of the Colombo University from various faculties. Each students pays Rs.3000 per month as hostel fees and they will share the electricity and water bills among them. The girls themselves say that it is a relief after the other hostels they have been living in which had cost them Rs.15, 000 a month.

The hostel can house 48 girls with the use of bunk beds but for the time being they don’t want to overcrowd the hostel. “The furnishing of the hostel including curtains and provision of a rack, small table etc. that comes with each room were donations of the members. Since our association is also a non-profit organisation, we have little funds. But because of this hostel we can now earn a fixed income which can be allocated to pay those who work for us,” Ms. Puvimanasinghe says.

Although the hostel has been in operation since last September, it was officially declared open last morning (October 25) by Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo, Dr. Kumari Hirimburegama.

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