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Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka lies beneath the great mass of India, surrounded
by miles of Indian Ocean. It is a country that is embroiled in a civil war
that has impacted upon the country in a devastating manner. The great
majority of its populace struggles with the daily tedium of living;
finding a wholesome meal, having shelter from the elements and coping with
illness. What was once a paradise island is now in need of help.
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Establishment of AFLAC
AFLAC was founded by Capt. Elmo Jayawardena, a Sri Lankan
pilot employed with Singapore Airlines. He and an executive committee of
five directors run AFLAC. A member of the Executive committee heads each
AFLAC project. In addition, AFLAC has chief coordinators for every
project. A number of coordinators work under the chief co-ordinator. Every
beneficiary of AFLAC has been allocated a co-ordinator who acts as the
link between AFLAC and the beneficiary. AFLAC is registered under the
Ministry of Social Services in Sri Lanka as a Non Governmental
Organisation engaged in charitable work. AFLAC has now also been appointed
as an approved charity in Sri Lanka.
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Ideology behind AFLAC
AFLAC was formed in 1995 with the purpose of alleviating
poverty in Sri Lanka. It is modeled on the belief that every person can do
something to help another, irrespective of class, wealth and status.
Founded upon the quote 'It is better by far to light one solitary
candle than to curse the darkness' AFLAC believes that everyone has
the capacity to light a candle, be it large or small, which will shed some
light on someone else's darkness. As such, we function as a link between
your act of generosity and someone else's need.
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AFLAC work
AFLAC attempts to attack poverty through five main areas
of work; education, health, shelter, food and clothing. It carries out
certain miscellaneous projects through an AFLAC general fund. All projects
run independently of each other and different people are involved in
varying manners. All prospective projects are screened by the executive
committee for their viability, authenticity and suitability under the
AFLAC programs. An important aspect of AFLAC is that no part of any
donation received is reserved for administration costs. All administrative
expenses are borne by the executive committee and participants as part of
their own contributions to AFLAC. All donations from individuals are
channeled directly to recipients without any form of dilution.
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International branches
There is a network of international branches across the
world which function independently, to engender an awareness in people of
the needs and difficulties faced by the poor in Sri Lanka. These branches
decide what role they can play in alleviating such difficulties. Branch
presidents make their own decisions about what AFLAC programs suit their
respective countries or cities and use their own initiatives rather than a
standardised process to spread the message of AFLAC. European branches
include Amsterdam and Frankfurt, London, Eastbourne and Wales. Across
America, there are branches in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Texas, Chicago,
Toronto, Vancouver and Edmonton. In the Middle-East, there are branches in
Riyadh and Dubai. In the Asia-Pacific region, there are branches in
Melbourne, Perth, sydney, Hong Kong, Wellington and Singapore.
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Sri
Lanka
