The Commonwealth Countries’ League holds annual fair
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The Commonwealth Countries’ League held its annual Commonwealth Fair 2019 at the Kensington Town Hall recently. The fair is in aid of the Commonwealth Girls Education Fund that sponsors girls of ability in Commonwealth countries through their secondary education.
The Commonwealth Countries’ League is a 94- year-old charitable organisation that began as the British Dominion Suffrage Union.This union became the British Overseas Committee of the International Women’s Suffrage Alliance with the aim of winning voting rights for all women in the British Empire. In 1966, President Alice Hemming persuaded the league to sponsor girls to enable them to continue with their studies. Many girls from the Commonwealth countries including Sri Lanka received scholarships. The vision is to empower and assist young women throughout the Commonwealth in their secondary education enabling them to become agents of positive change in their own communities.
Commonwealth @70 also marked the London Declaration that was signed by India, Pakistan, Canada , New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Ceylon ( Sri Lanka).Prime Minister D. S. Senanayake signed on behalf of the country while King George the VI th was the signatory for the UK.
The chief guest at the Fair was Lord Ahamed of Wimbledon.
The picture shows (left to right) Alistair Harrison, Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps, Nalini Paranavitane, President of the Commonwealth Countries’ League, and High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in the UK, Manesha Gunesekera at the Fair.