“සාර්ථක යුග දිවියකට අත්වැලක්”

(බෞද්ධ සාරධර්ම, මනෝ විද්‍යාව සහ වෛද්‍ය විද්‍යාව ඇසුරින් පැවැත්වෙන එක් දින වැඩමුළුව)

Addressing the sharp and visible increase in divorce and separations and marital problems in our society Damrivi developed and implements this as a youth programme aimed at facilitating a happy and a contented married life. This programme also serves as a pre-marital counselling programme.

Sri Lanka has a population of 20 million out of which 18 % are in the age group of 15 to 25 years. Even though the social structure is undergoing a rapid change there is a high percentage of marriages arranged by the parents or relations relying on values other than the compatibility of the couple in their attitudes and the way of thinking. Even in the instances of love marriages the relationships seem to start and progress on to a marriage based on values such as being handsome, being beautiful or being trendy rather than on values that help to result in a long lasting relationship. How ever the social taboos and the gap in communication that exist between the parents and their grown up children regarding sexual and family matters results in the younger generation starting their family life without any guidance and unprepared for the difficulties they may encounter. At present hardly any pre-marital counseling service exists in Sri Lanka. This inadequacy in the preparation for marriage is reflected in the increasing instances of domestic violence, the rising divorce rates and high suicide rates seen in the recent past.

In theory the couple could visit any government health unit or a well women clinic to access this service, but the lack of privacy, overcrowding, the service providers having to share their time with more pressing problems and most of all the lack of awareness of the younger generation of the significance, need and the crucial value of this aspect of preparation for married life result in their entering marriage almost blindly. The programme addresses the spiritual, biological and psychological needs for a happy marriage. This includes Buddhist concept of love and family values, concept of non violence, domestic Violence and its consequences , stresses and strains of a marital relationship, causes of conflict and Resolution in the Buddhist Way , addiction to smoking alcohol and drugs , reproductive health , sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS , Buddhist attitude towards wealth, the Value of Meditation as a practical approach emphasizing the benefits of control over one's mind etc.

This programme is conducted by Buddhist academics, doctors, psychiatrists, gynecologists/obstetricians, and psychiatrists. The programme has been conducted in the form of a full day interactive workshop. It has been conducted in the Investment Zone for the employees of the BOI companies , for the member of the Civil Security Force from the threatened villages, for the employees of the corporate sector and the for youth in general . The programme has had a very positive response from the participants and the post-evaluations confirm this.

Though there are constant requests from participants to conduct the programme for their fellow workers or colleagues, there is a need to advocate with employers to make this programme available for their employees. The lack of interest among employers is due to the fact that the impact of programmes of this nature for mental transformation is not tangible like donating material things, constructing houses or providing medical benefits. Damrivi appeals to all employers and to those engaged in social development to help to make this programme available to our youth through sponsorships.

Though the programme aims at youth as the primary target group, it has been well received by all age groups equally as an effective programme for promoting mental health and harmony in family relations.

Our first programme was conducted in 2006 at the Youth Center, Maharagama for 80 youth, both girls and boys . The programme was conducted as a 2 day workshop and was offered free of charge. Since then , many programmes were conducted in various parts of the country both in Government an private sector institutions.