• Cricketer and Roshan Mahanama Trust Founder Roshan Mahanama on the need to be more aware of the needs of children

On the cricketing field, Roshan Mahanama is a legend. A member of the 1996 World Cup winning cricket team, he is also an International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee and one of the finest fielders and match referees in international cricket. His titular honour of Deshabandu is well-fitting. But, Roshan’s passion is not just cricket. Growing up in a home where giving was a way of life, he began focusing on improving the lives of underprivileged children primarily in health, education, and creating a safe environment for children. His ultimate goal is developing future citizens who can sustain themselves and our nation at large. His giving is driven through the Roshan Mahanama Trust, the Indira Cancer Trust, the SOS Children’s Villages and the Hemas Outreach Foundation, no fewer than 10 charities. As Kaleidoscope celebrates its third anniversary, featured on the show this week is Roshan Mahanama on his innings of giving, after cricket.

Following are excerpts from the interview:

Q: What are the biggest challenges that underprivileged children in Sri Lanka face today?

A: The main challenge is having their basic rights taken away from them. There is a lack of education because parents cannot afford it. Malnutrition is a huge issue and children don’t have a safe environment to live in. They get abused physically and sexually. Children are our future and it is our responsibility to look after them because if they suffer, the country will suffer in the long term.

Q: Where is the country falling short of in addressing these issues?

A: There is no single national policy for children in this country. It is important that Government organisations related to areas such as social welfare, health, females, and children come together and implement those national policies. While there are policies established by some Government organisations, there is no point in storing them in cupboards; these must be implemented. Because it is about safeguarding territory, if one entity gets involved, the other related agency won't. There is no unity and no continuity. There has to be one plan for these policies to be implemented and taken forward.

Q: What are the realities of children living in urban settings and rural settings?

A: There is no difference at all. In fact, urban poverty is huge and people don’t realise how bad it is. The needs of children from rural areas and the needs of children living in urban areas are similar. In urban homes however, meals have been cut short from three to two to now, one.

We all know that it is the parents’ responsibility to keep their children comfortable and that they will sacrifice everything to do that. However, children are foregoing even the basics in this situation from food, to education and medication. They are being neglected because parents are helpless. It is not that parents don’t want to provide for their children, it is just that they cannot. I was visiting the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children recently and while our surgeons and doctors are excellent, there is a shortage of medication for them to perform to their optimum. The principal in a school in Badureliya told me that he has made the wearing of shoes to school optional because most children can’t afford to buy school shoes.  If you’re underprivileged, the realities are the same whether you are urban or rural.

Q: How has cricket inspired you to go on this path?

A: There is one thing that I realised very early on, that our careers depend on our fans. We have a responsibility therefore to be there for our fans who come from all strata of society, more so for the needy and the underprivileged. When I was in the ICC, I realised that on the third day of the first test match of the year, the players in Sydney, Australia, dedicate the day for breast cancer awareness. Through the McGrath Foundation, Cricket Australia turns the entire ground pink, denoting breast cancer awareness. Similarly, there is one game in the year in South Africa, when all the uniforms are pink in support of breast cancer awareness. After seeing these, I realised that I have a responsibility. I am surrounded by females in my family and in support of my mother, wife and my daughters, I thought of wearing pink on Wednesdays to support this initiative. ‘We wear pink on Wednesday’ is this campaign. Dr. Lanka Dissanayake of the Indira Cancer Trust noticed this and asked me to join forces with the Trust and we launched ‘On Wednesdays we wear pink’. It is cricket that brought me this far and cricket that has helped me give back, mainly after I stopped playing. I played in an era where there was not much money in cricket and not many sponsors. That has changed and I hope that by doing my projects, younger sporting personalities will come forward to support worthy causes.

Q: How did your family inspire you on this path?

A: My parents influenced me greatly as did my uncle, who dedicated his life to social service. I grew up in this environment and felt the need to be there for people who needed my support. Many sports people forget that their careers flourish because of their fans and so we need to be there for those who have supported us. My family was always helping people and my most vivid memory was when after the 2004 tsunami, we travelled around the country helping people from the affected areas. I have had this influence growing up and beyond and that has resonated and remained with me.

Q: In working with children, what are some of the lessons that you have learned?

A: Firstly, that a lack of education is not good for a developing country like ours. We boast about our literacy rates but look at India for example. It is a country that has flourished with a lower literacy rate than we have. It is important to create an empowering environment for children, whether abled or disabled, because each child has talent. I am part of the Ayati Trust, a centre of excellence for children with disabilities. While a child’s development is paramount, the Centre also identifies individual talent. On the ‘World Down Syndrome Day’, I was amazed to see the pool of talent that these children possess. The entire country must unite to give all children an opportunity. As adults, our responsibility is to show children the correct path and help them reach and showcase their true potential.

Q: How did the Roshan Mahanama Trust come to be?

A: I work closely with the Hemas Outreach Foundation’s Light a Future, the Indira Cancer Trust, Sarvodaya and the SOS Children’s Villages for which I’m a brand ambassador and also with the Sri Lanka Stroke Association and the Kidney Patients Association, among others. Having seen the results of each of these initiatives and during Covid-19, I realised that this country has survived crisis upon crisis because our diaspora always stretches their generosity towards us. The trust placed in us to ensure that the funds are utilised to their optimum and for the right causes made me launch the Roshan Mahanama Trust. It works with a board of trustees who are renowned for their altruism, integrity and ethics.

Q: What are the key areas that the Roshan Mahanama Trust focuses on?

A: The key focus is children under four sub-focus areas, namely, disability, cancer, sexual and physical abuse, and educational intervention via scholarships, school equipment, and dry rations. Suwa Arana, Sri Lanka first paediatric palliative care centre under the Indira Cancer Trust will open on 29 June and we’ll be constructing a centre for sexually and physically abused children in the Karapitya Teaching Hospital. Some of my friends and eminent personalities have agreed to support the fundraising efforts and I know that this is a journey we have to make together for the sake of our future generation.

Q: What do you think needs to change to ensure education equality for all children, especially post-Covid-19?

A: Online education became a phenomenon during Covid-19 and has remained so. Plenty of children are finding it difficult to follow online classes in the city, so you can imagine how difficult it is for those in rural areas. It is important to have a proper policy in terms of online classes. There is a huge disparity on how children in private and public schools follow online classes and as a result, the school cycle has also changed with not all children following the same calendar. We also start sending children to school far too early and don’t allow them to enjoy childhood. Norway’s entrance age for school is seven years. In Japan, children are taught the basics of manners, etc., in the first few years. In Sri Lanka, children get into the rat race from the age of two.

Q: What does our country need to do differently, to help make it a better place for our children?

A: As adults in Sri Lanka, we have a responsibility to show our children to live by example. The leaders of our country have not set a good example for the future generation. The great leader Imran Khan, whom I’ve had the privilege of playing against, says: ‘People who have become successful, failed at some point in life but analysed the situation, corrected their behaviour and bounced back’. It doesn’t happen without leaders. I will not compromise on honesty, integrity, friendship, loyalty, and discipline. Unfortunately, the environment now is to put money above all else, compromising all other values. This is a change we have to make, ensuring that the future generation won’t emulate adults’ mistakes. I hope that the leaders of this country will be accountable and more transparent and not just focus on their electorate. They must show their constituents the bigger picture that we must journey together for the betterment of everyone.

(The writer is the host, director, and co-producer of the weekly digital programme ‘Kaleidoscope with Savithri Rodrigo’ which can be viewed on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. She has over three decades of experience in print, electronic, and social media.)