Governing Board

Mrs. Sandhya Weerasinghe, President of the Board of Directors, SOS Children’s Villages, Sri Lanka since July 27, 2012.

Mrs. Sandhya Weerasinghe is a lawyer by profession and earned a Masters in International Relations and a Masters in International Law from the University of Colombo. Her professional career of over 25 years first began with regulatory work in the field of environmental protection and management and later as a consultant on policy and law for the Government for the protection and management of natural resources. At various points in her career Mrs. Weerasinghe was a visiting lecturer at the Universities of Colombo and Moratuwa, and served as a resource person in training and capacity building programmes for youth, women and public officers. She also spent time in programmes on poverty alleviation, women’s rights and child protection and led a tsunami response team that worked in seven districts. Mrs. Weerasinghe has also participated in public advocacy and multi-agency initiatives for influencing decision makers and the media. As a member of the team that prepared the National Plan of Action for the Children of Sri Lanka for 2010-14 as part of the Government’s obligation under the Child Rights Convention, she focused on the Disadvantaged Child that spotlighted the government’s commitment towards not only the economically disadvantaged child but also other at-risk children and their families. Mrs. Weerasinghe has been associated with SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka since October 2010. As President of the SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka, she continues her work to improve the lives of children, their families and the society they live in.

Ven.Pethigamuwe Rahula Thero, Member of the Board of Directors, SOS Children’s Villages since July 01, 1987.

Ven.Pethigamuwe Rahula Thero has been associated with SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka since its inception. He is the chief incumbent of three temples in Colombo - South and patron of the Youth Buddhist Council at Piliyandala, Sri Lanka. He has rendered his services as the Chief Patron / Principal of the Hermann Gmeiner Sunday School conducted at his main temple at Piliyandala.

Ven.Pethigamuwe Rahula Thero has devoted his services for the well being of the children from the deprived families through his Nursery School namely “Sri Rahula Nursery”. He has facilitated to establish an Art Centre and many Social welfare campaigns within the temple premises with the help of the well-wishers.

Subsequent to the Tsunami devastation Ven.Pethigamuwe Rahula Thero provided temporary shelter and immediate relief for more than 800 victims within the premises of his temple.

Ven.Pethigamuwe Rahula Thero serves as a mediator in the Peace Council of Piliyandala which was established to resolve minor disputes of the people. He is also serves as a Justice of Peace.

Ven.Pethigamuwe Rahula Thero continues to provide his support to SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka as the Vice President of the Board.

Mr. Dominic Sansoni, Member of the Board of Directors, SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka since December 27, 2005

Mr.Dominic Sansoni is a freelance photographer specializing in documentary, travel, architectural photography. He is widely traveled, with a special love for Asia, and the Far East. He is widely published and has many books to his name. He has also done a substantial amount of documentary photography for SOS in India, Cambodia, Nepal, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

He is also the Director of a family owned design and hand-woven textile company called ‘BAREFOOT’. He serves as the Treasurer of the Board of Directors of SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka.

Mr. Nandasiri Ponnamperuma, Board Member, SOS Children’s Villages, Sri Lanka since July 2011.

Mr. Nandasiri Ponnamperuma is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (FCA), Fellow Member of Institute of Certified management Accountants of Sri Lanka (FCMA) and he completed the Master of Business Administration – Finance (MBA) of University of Southern Queensland, Australia in 2009. Mr. Ponnamperuma is the precedent partner of Ponnamperuma & Co. (chartered Accountants) and senior consultant in Management and taxation. In addition, he serves at several private limited liability companies as a Board of Director. He possesses more than twenty years of experience in the field of accountancy. Moreover, he is an ex-banker.

Ms.O.W.Tikirikumarihamy, Member of the Board of Directors, SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka since May 31, 2006

Ms. O. W. Tikirikumarihamy joined the SOS Organization in year 1984 as a SOS Mother at SOS Children's Village, Nuwara Eliya. She completed 25 years in service as a SOS Mother, in March 2010. Mother Kumari is embedded with resounding leadership qualities. She has a sound understanding of the vocation of SOS Mother and the objectives that this vocation demands. She has developed an interior disposition to respond to her profession with loyalty, having realized the SOS concept well.

During her career as an SOS Mother, she had brought up thirty two children, who had been entrusted to her care during last 25 years. At the moment, Mother Kumari is nurturing nine children, and it is the third generation of children that is being cared by her. Mother Kumari has held the role of Mothers' Representative of SOS Mothers in Nuwara Eliya on several occasions with the consent of the whole community. She takes initiatives and has acted as the spokeswoman of the Mothers and Aunts in matters pertaining to their responsibilities. Mother Kumari has led the community of Mothers, to achieve their goal, inspiring them and guiding them whenever necessary. She contributes to the training process of Mothers through practical means, with tender care and sisterly affection. Having assessed Mother Kumari's conduct as an SOS Mother, she was appointed to the Board of Directors in the year 2006.

Ananda B. Karunarathne, National Director, SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka, Member of the Board of Directors since March 01, 2009 as an ex-officio.

Ananda Karunarathne joined SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka in April 1988 as a Senior Co-worker. He is a Bachelor’s Degree holder of the University of Peradeniya and followed a Master’s Degree in Labour Studies at the University of Colombo.

Mr.Karunarathne had served in the Government Sector as well as in the Private Sector in Sri Lanka before he joined SOS Children’s Villages. He started his career with a Japanese Construction Company as an Administrative / HR Officer.

Mr.Karunarathne has earned a Postgraduate Qualification in Human Resource Development and followed a Diploma in Personal Management as well as the National Diploma in Training & Development.

He completed training in Management and in Labour Law & Industrial Relations conducted by the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon and training in Rural Development Planning conducted by the Norwegian Agency for International Development.

Mr.Karunarathne left SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka in March 1992 for a short period and rejoined as the Village Director-Designate for Children’s Village, Anuradhapura. Subsequently, he assumed duties at Children’s Village, Galle as the Village Director where he served almost eight years before he took over the responsibilities of the Project Director-Administration & Finance at the National Office in January 2001. In January 2005, he was elevated as the Deputy National Director.

In March 2009, Mr.Karunarathne assumed responsibilities of the National Director at SOS Children’s Villages Sri Lanka and appointed to the Board as a Member from June 19, 2009 by virtue of his post as the National Director.

Mr. Ananda Karunarathna’s newest value addition to SOS Children’s Villages Srilanka as well as Asia is that he is chosen to the newest Management Council of SOS Children’s Villages International to represent Asia. It is indeed a fact SOS Children’s Villages Sri lanka is proud of.

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