• A place of hope for children with disabilities

Every child is born with potential. For some, that potential is obvious and easy to nurture. For others, particularly children living with disabilities, it can be harder to see — not because the potential is any less, but because society often places limits on them. 

Disability does not take away the ability to learn, grow, or contribute. What it demands is the right support, understanding, and opportunity. 

This is where the Ayati National Centre for Children with Disabilities steps in, offering hope and a pathway for children and families across Sri Lanka by providing a space for children with disabilities to receive proper diagnosis, treatment, and support in building a stable life foundation.

Five years since Ayati opened its doors to the public, The Sunday Morning Brunch visited the centre to take a look at what it does and learn more about its hopes for the future.  

“‘Ayati’ means hope in Sanskrit and as a centre, it is meant to give hope,” Ayati Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dhananjaya Rajapaksha explained, adding: “One in five children have some form of disability. Kids with disabilities have their own potential, and it is our duty to support them and allow them the fullest chance to excel in life.”

The centre, Sri Lanka’s first national facility of its kind, was established in 2016 as a trust and has been in operation since 2020. It came to be through a unique public-private partnership between the University of Kelaniya, Hemas Holdings, MAS, the Roshan Wijerama Family Foundation, the Sri Lanka Army, and Rotary International.

Building Ayati

The centre began modestly in a small space in Kelaniya, and has always been a multilateral collaborative venture. 

“The University of Kelaniya got involved swiftly and so did Hemas initially. Then MAS and a few other like-minded organisations got in touch. We collaborate with the Faculty of Medicine, the Ministry of Health, and the private sector. The Roshan Mahanama Trust and a few others got involved too,” Rajapaksha shared.

Today, Ayati is a sprawling facility with specialised units for medical care, audiology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, prosthetics, education, and family support. Over 14,000 children have registered since the centre’s opening, with around 60 children visiting daily.

Rajapaksha did not shy away from addressing one of the core missions of the centre. “The biggest worry parents of a disabled child have is what will happen to the child after their death,” he said. Ayati hopes to help alleviate this fear by helping parents and children. 

He also explained that there were many different forms of disability, some requiring more care and accommodation than others. Where possible, Ayati looks to help parents develop the best frameworks to help their children thrive. 

“We want to help them become independent and to develop life skills to help them become employable,” Rajapaksha said. “We have supported employment units to train children with essential skills that will enable them to seek employment.”

This practical, future-focused approach is central to Ayati’s mission. Beyond therapy, the centre builds capacity and confidence for both children and families.

What Ayati does

The centre is staffed by clinicians employed by the University of Kelaniya or the Ministry of Health, though staffing gaps exist for reasons such as brain drain. Daily maintenance, equipment upkeep, and standards are handled by the trust. 

Among Ayati’s facilities is a fully equipped audiology lab, “one of the best in the country”. The centre also trains educationists in how to effectively handle children with disabilities.

The Ayati model is structured to keep things as smooth as possible for both parents and children. A child first undergoes assessment, then a multidisciplinary team decides what treatment is needed. Scheduling is handled in-house, so families can receive multiple therapies in one day. Families from rural areas are provided with meals and transport allowances of up to Rs. 3,000 to reduce the financial burden.

“Often, when a disabled child is born, one parent has to give up their economic power in order to stay at home and take care of the child,” Rajapaksha said, noting that disabilities were often lifelong. While Ayati, as a centre for children with disabilities, can only work with children till they reach a certain age, the goal is to use this time to prepare and educate parents and children to be able to handle the long term. 

The centre itself is impressively equipped:

• Audiology Unit: the only fully calibrated audiology lab in Sri Lanka, with a capacity for over 100 sessions a week
• Prosthetics and Orthotics Unit: builds customised accessories like prosthetics to help children live more normal lives
• Sensory Room: designed to help children with social-emotional development through controlled sensory experiences
• Gait Lab: analyses and corrects walking patterns
• Occupational Therapy Rooms: hand skill sessions and adaptive learning
• Educational Unit: develops learning plans, supports children in mainstream schools, and liaises with schools to ensure exam accommodations like extra time or readers

Beyond medical and therapy services, Ayati also fosters social integration through sports events, hobby groups, and informal parent advocacy groups. These allow families to connect, share experiences, and build resilience.

Research shows that early diagnosis and intervention produce the best outcomes. Rajapaksha emphasised that children whose disabilities were diagnosed before age two had the highest chances of success.

“Some hospitals in Sri Lanka now have neonatal scanning facilities, which helps. But often, parents only realise something is wrong when the child starts school. Sometimes that’s because of denial, sometimes because they simply don’t know what to look for. That delay reduces the effectiveness of treatment. Awareness is as important as facilities,” he said. 

Parents’ voices

Brunch also met with families whose lives have been transformed by Ayati. Three parents shared their stories.

Taniya and Aanya

Taniya, a mother from Negombo, recounted the traumatic birth of her daughter Aanya, now six.

“She was born at 33 weeks. My water broke early and by the time she was delivered, she wasn’t breathing. The doctors told us she was a flatline baby. She had to be put on life support and we were told there would be severe brain damage. At one point, the doctors even gave us the option to let her go. But we couldn’t. She had already fought so hard to survive.”

Aanya was eventually diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The first months were crushing for Taniya. “It felt like I had been hit by a speeding train. I had murder-suicide thoughts. But eventually, I realised I couldn’t stay in that place. I had to climb out.”

In 2019, Taniya brought Aanya to Ayati. Since then, she has made remarkable progress. “She was expected to be bedridden. Instead, she goes to parties, weddings, and has friends. Her cousins know about her condition and support her. Other kids ask about her special shoes and we explain. She doesn’t live in a boxed world. We treat her like a normal child.”

Shanika and Nisheli

Shanika’s daughter, Nisheli, was born after a difficult delivery and was deprived of oxygen at birth, resulting in brain damage.

“Doctors told us it would be hard, but Ayati gave us hope. They said she could do well, that she could walk, and she did. She has survived against all odds,” Shanika said.

Today, Nisheli takes part in concerts and sports meets, though stigma remains a challenge. “People sometimes ask questions or make comments. We explain to them that she has a small illness. She lives a pretty normal life and we try to keep it that way.”

Tharindu and Lidhiya

For Tharindu, the father of five-year-old Lidhiya, Ayati has been a lifeline.

“She is our sixth child, and the only one to survive. She was born at 32 weeks and had breathing issues. She was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for a month and was diagnosed with Down syndrome. At first, we didn’t know what to do. We didn’t have any experience with this kind of condition.”

Referred to Ayati, the family received guidance, therapy, and support. “Now, she is thriving. She can do most things herself. The people at Ayati treat us with respect. They understand the stress we go through. The relationship with the therapists is very strong and important. They do their very best to make it healthy for us and our child.”

A national model for the future

While Ayati today is a national centre of excellence in Ragama, the vision has always been larger. From the beginning, the trustees designed Ayati to be a model for the whole country, not just one facility.

“Operating a national centre of excellence is only the first step,” Rajapaksha explained. “Our long-term goal is to extend services all over the country.”

This means taking Ayati’s approach beyond Ragama to rural Sri Lanka, where access to specialised care is often impossible. Many of the families who currently visit Ayati travel long distances. Decentralising services and training local health and education professionals is seen as the way forward.

Ayati is also growing its role as a hub for training. Over 200 undergraduates currently train at the centre, while teachers, nurses, and paediatricians take part in capacity-building programmes. 

Another area of expansion is preparing children for life beyond therapy. The Supported Employment Unit helps young people build essential skills for independence and employability. “We want to help them become independent and to develop life skills to help them become employable,” Rajapaksha said.

In addition, Ayati is deepening its research partnership with the University of Kelaniya. By combining treatment, training, and research under one roof, the centre hopes to shape new approaches to disability care that will serve Sri Lanka for decades to come.

Finally, financial sustainability is a central part of the vision. With the facility now five years old, Ayati is working towards an endowment fund to guarantee resources for future generations. 

Ayati is sustained mainly by Hemas and MAS, with other support. But as the building marks its fifth year, the need for repairs is urgent. “We are trying to raise funds to do these repairs, plus some improvements,” Rajapaksha explained. 

An endowment fund is also being launched to ensure long-term sustainability. “We encourage corporates to contribute through CSR partnerships as well as personal donations. This is a national initiative. Investing here is investing in the future of Sri Lanka. One in five children have some form of disability. It is our duty to support them,” he stressed. 

For more information on the Ayati National Centre for Children with Disabilities and to get involved, visit www.ayati.lk