Located in the leafy suburb of Manipay, Jaffna, Northern Sri Lanka, the Green Memorial Hospital is the second oldest teaching medical institution in Asia. Founded in 1847 by Dr Samuel Fiske Green, an American medical missionary, the hospital began enrolling students in 1848. Today, 170 years after its foundation, this non-profit hospital serves all communities in Northern Sri Lanka. Dedication.

The hospital’s structures have survived against all odds. Its uncompromisingly dedicated staff continues its work to help the people in the region without fuss or fanfare. Such steely determination to survive and thrive in the single-minded quest of helping all communities in the region emboldened a few of us to build on what we accomplished in March 2017 when we rode our bikes to Manipay to raise money for this extraordinary institution – a trip that left us sobbing like children. Like a well-aimed arrow, it hit us right there – it shone a light on the unassuming way some people go about their daily lives for the betterment of others. Compassion.

We lucky few saw first-hand the sheer professionalism with which the staff works, even though these good people were lacking critical resources: they never complained. We saw the obvious needs of the hospital – lack of facilities, state of disrepair of its extensive buildings etc. We saw the nurses and caregivers patrolling the sprawling premises to attend to the needy. We saw the glint in the eyes of the new batch of nurses, clinging proudly to their newly minted, hard earned certificates. Life simply goes on at the Green Memorial Hospital. Grit.

The Green Memorial Hospital needs funding, equipment and goodwill of specialist doctors, nurses and other medical professionals. The hospital needs you – whoever you are. So that this grand institution will be better equipped to serve the health care needs of its patients: all communities in that region. It must regain its preeminent status, rising to its former glory, firmly perched where it belongs: at the top, an example to all. It must regain its status for the benefit of the communities it serves. Without help, the hospital will survive. With help it will thrive. Hope.

Please join us.