Life style
Hope with Safa Counselling Centre
Why the name Safa? Safa means peace, we named it because it provides a safe haven for people who are disturbed. Ameena Faiz Mustapha President and senior counsellor said “our projects are open to all communities and faiths””We are focused on bringing ease and solace to those in distress and in need . At the inception we did a housing project for displaced refugees and we named that project the Safa housing project.”
Excerpts
Q About senior counsellor and president, Ameena Faiz Musthafa
A I am a professional family counsellor and I did a Diploma in Counselling at the FSSI ( Family Studies and Services Institute) for over 40 years . This Institute is the pioneer in family counselling and late Fr. Merwin, was the pioneer Under his leadership I followed a comprehensive course which included case studies ,examinations and after several months of training under senior counsellors. Later I worked at FSSI for several years until I joined my husband to go to London after he was appointed as the High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in UK.
After I returned to Sri Lanka I had a great desire to start a counselling centre as there was an increasing number of divorces and break-up of families among many and the percentage was alarming. This initiated the formation of Safa . Soon it became success and there was an
excellent response from counsellors, lawyers, professionals
Q What role do you play, your experience and motivations
A The experience at the FSSI as a lecturer specially on pre-marital counselling was very educative. The syllabus was very intensive and I learnt the intricate art of counselling to start off on my own .
Fadhiya R Saleem
Q What inspires you about counselling and this place in particular
A I knew the counselling is the only answer to solve most problems and most people did unaware about counselling Counselling helps the people to relieve their stress and anxiety. Soon people with problems came to the centre. We dealt with family and marital matters, parenting, stress management, addictions, depression, and so on . Safa counselling at Kalubowila gave the much needed serene ambience to help people to get thier problems . We gave a patient hearing to all those who came for guidance.
Q What are many key roles played by Safa Centre A Problems of any kind family, marital, parenting, anxiety, depression, addiction and stress management. We also deal with
b) Pre-Marital Counselling for young couples
c) The topics at this programme are communication, intimacy, conflict management, financial management legal issues, domestic issues
d) Intimacy is a wide subject children don’t discuss with their parent and vice versa There is so much of misinterpretations about intimate relationships, divorces, sexual abuses and many more on crucial subjects.
A We conduct pre -marriage counselling not only in Colombo but in urban areas as well. We have conducted in Kandy, Kahatawita, Matale, Malwana, Akurana Gampola, Colombo Maligawatte, Dematagoda and ,Mattakkuliya
f) We had many workshops on several topics like anger management, mental health among women, positive parenting, conflict management and many other mental health matters.
Q What is the best thing about counselling, comment
A We are happy when we see contentment and smiles among the traumatised We are happy that our mission has been fulfilled
Q Do people fear when coming for help?
A Yes. There is a stigma attached among many people that counselling is only for the mental sickness. To overcome this stigma among has introduced many awareness programmes to educate the public, through articles, workshops and other social media networks we always try to convince the people that mental illness is just like many other illnesses and can be treated effectively
Q What are characteristics of a good counsellor
A a) Be a great listener
b ) Be a person with confidence Confidentiality is the most important key
c) To be empathetic
d) To understand and have feelings towards problems.
e) Never to be judgemental
f) To stimulate and make them aware of problems and s give a solution
Q What’s unique about Safa Counselling Services
A The Safa Counselling Centre has a very good team of Counsellors who are qualified professionals with degrees in many subjects. Our aim is
a ) Confidentiality
b ) To stimulate to think positively
c ) Advise or guide
d ) To be a good listener and to be focussed on the client all the time.
e ) We depend on a good feed back
f ) We have many success stories
Q Safa’s experience with people from different cultures and religions from a counselling perspective We are open to all whatever culture or religion and treat all problems with confidentiality.
Institute of Hospitality Sri Lanka
The 32nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the UK-based Institute of Hospitality’s Sri Lanka Chapter was held recently at the Ramada Hotel Colombo,.The event provided an evening of camaraderie , reflection of the past and present achievements,setting new benchmarks for the future
The AGM had the presence of two distinguished guests, the Chief Guest Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, and the Guest of Honour British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Andrew Patrick. Their inspiring speeches were lauded by all hoteliers who were present at the occasion
A special thanks was extended to Robert Richardson, CEO of the Institute of Hospitality UK, along with his team, sponsors, committee members, and all attendees for making the event memorable.
Dr. Harsha Jayasingh, Past President of the Institute of Hospitality (UK) Sri Lanka Chapter, emphasised the Institute’s longstanding history and the strength of its Sri Lankan branch. “The Institute of Hospitality (IH) UK has a history of 86 years, and we are proud to be the Sri Lanka Branch. IH Sri Lanka is much stronger now with many members from all areas of the hospitality industry,” he stated.
Dr. Jayasingh highlighted the significant role of tourism in Sri Lanka’s economy,. He said tourism it is the third-largest source of revenue for the country. “Tourism accounts for about 13.3% of total foreign exchange earnings and employs 450,000 people directly and indirectly. The hospitality industry in this island of pearl holds tremendous potential for economic growth, job creations, and cultural exchange,” he added.
He also pointed out more women should be attracted to the industry and advocated for the use of technology in hospitality sector to attract the younger generation.
The newly appointed Chairman Ramesh Dassanayake spoke about the challenges faced by the industry, including the reluctance of youth to join the sector. . Dassanayake expressed concerns over the migration of staff between hotels and the overall ‘brain drain’ in the sector. ” We must maintain high standards in the hotel We must try to attract tourists to Sri Lanka, we must have with many facilities Hence, hotel schools and other professional institutions involved in skills development mustincrease their intakes,” he pointed out.
Chief Guest Sajith Premadasa emphasised the importance of eco tourism and said “We need to have an environmental policy related to tourism in place,” . .
The 32nd AGM of the Institute of Hospitality UK, Sri Lanka Chapter, was a testament to the strength and potential of Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry. The insights and commitments shared during the event set a new benchmark for the future.(ZC)
Pix by Thushara Attapathu
Life style
He recognizes human identity beyond boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion.
Visit of Sri Gurudev to Sri Lanka
Humanitarian, spiritual leader and Global Ambassador of Peace Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Sri Gurudev) was in Sri Lanka on a three day tour on the invitation of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dinesh Gunewardene. Gurudev who inspired a wave of volunteerism and service to moot one of the largest volunteer-based organisations in the world – The Art of Living – visited the various projects under the aegis of the foundation and launched twelve vocational and technical centers around the island. He was accompanied by thousands of followers from Sri Lanka and around the world.
Gurudev who visited Sri Lanka for the sixth time also had a first day cover launched in honour of his visit. He is a strong proponent of spreading happiness, using the unique Sudarshan Kriya, yoga, meditation and practical wisdom to unite people, empower individuals and transform communities. His programmes provide techniques and tools to live a deeper, more joyous life, while his non-profit organisations recognize the human identity beyond the boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion.
The Art of Living which has more than 30,000 teachers and over one million volunteers across 180 countries has touched in excess of five hundred million people around the world. CNN called it “Life Changing” and The Washington Post headlined it, “Fresh air to millions”.
In Trincomalee, Gurudev met with war victims and had a heartwarming engagement with the children from the children’s homes run by the Foundation. He also visited the Koneswara Temple in Trincomalee and graced the Kumbhabhishekam at Seetha ecogPnize the human identity beyond the boundaries of gender, race, nationality and religion. Amman temple at Nuwara Eliya. He held discussions with the trustees on the progress of the foundation’s social service projects, while also holding a special event – Ekamuthuwa – attended by a large number of dignitaries and his devotees from around the world.
His time with the Prime Minister was spent discussing the prospects of unity in diversity and uniting Sri Lanka by adding happiness into the formula of living. In addition he had discussions with the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, prominent business stewards and civil society leaders.
by Zanita Careem
Envison your dream wedding day come to life at the Epitome Hotel, a prestigious city hotel in Kurunegala offering an unrivalled luxury rendors experience for weddings.
The venue is designed to embody opulence and luxury from all quarters for a spectacular wedding in kurunegala,Thier ballroom is the largest banquet facility in Sri Lanka It can be divided into six luxurious pillarless wedding halls on the ground floor and 25pax smaller banquet halls.
It can be easily named as a five star heaven in the heart of the city contributing to a myriad of immense experiences tailored to inspire and delight wedding experiences.
From opulent décor set up to exquisite table decor, lavish food, every detail is meticulously curated to spark your imagination and ignite creativity for a perfect wedding. The previous prestigious wedding shows season one and season two attracted large crowds
were unique events which gave the wedding vendors and potential clients had an opportunity to connect and interact with each other. Beyond being a showcase it was a chance for the wedding vendors to unite and contribute to the vibrancy of the wedding industry. The wedding show covered all area of the bridal industry providing a comprehensive variety of bridal supplies from Sri lanka and became the most popular bridal exhibitions in Kurunegala.This bridal exhibitions allowed brides and grooms to experience first hand the products and services available from suppliers in Sri Lanka
These wedding shows held at The Epitome created a benchmark and gave an opportunity for vendors to create connections to the utmost satisfaction said Harshan Lakshita Executive Director. of the magnificent Hotel
Our wedding shows featured experts and professionals in every field‘ It covered all areas of the bridal industry provided a comprehensive variety of bridal supplies from Sri lanka and became most popular bridal exhibition in this region.We are always open to everyone to join us at our wedding shows in the future. It is an opportunity to discover the incredible talent within our local wedding and bridal vendors to make meaningful relationships and plan thier special day at our breathtaking hotel The Epitome said General Manager Kavinda Caldera
The Epitome Hotel’s bridal show which will be held end of June will buzz with great ideas,advice and inspiration for all those who plan thier dream wedding
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The Hotel Epitome’s Wedding Season 3 will marked excellence, celebration and inspiration for those in the wedding industry. The exhibition halls will resonate with ideas on exquisite bridal wear to decor, florists , photography etc and showshowcase the rich tapestry of talent within the local wedding industry. .
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