Sri Lanka and the Maldives share a long history. The connections between these two island nations go back centuries, built on trade, culture, and a shared place in the Indian Ocean. For us at WISH Foundation and Wickramarachchi Opticians and Hearing Care, that relationship became something tangible when we packed our equipment and crossed the water to Faresmaathodaa.
How It Came Together
This project was organised in partnership with the Sri Lanka-Maldives Business Council, with the full support of the Faresmaathodaa Council and government representatives. It was a multi-day CSR health initiative designed to bring quality eye and hearing care directly to a rural island community that has limited access to specialist services.
Over three days, our team of opticians and audiologists set up clinic on the island and got to work.
What We Did
The camp served over 1,000 Maldivians, providing free eye screening, hearing screening, and treatments across the full duration of the programme.
400 pairs of prescription spectacles were distributed to those who needed them. Every pair was prepared and fitted by our clinical team on the ground.
Alongside the vision work, our audiologists provided hearing screening and care, including hearing devices for those with impairments. The Faresmaathodaa Council noted afterwards that the inclusion of hearing care alongside eye services went beyond what they had expected, and expressed their gratitude accordingly.
What It Felt Like
There is something different about taking healthcare to a place that rarely sees it. In Colombo, a person with failing vision can walk into one of our 55 clinics. On a remote island in the Maldives, that is simply not an option.
Seeing the response from the community — the queue of people who came forward, the relief on faces when they tried on their glasses for the first time — reminded us of why this work matters beyond the clinical numbers.
A Note of Thanks
To the Sri Lanka-Maldives Business Council: thank you for the vision to organise this and for bringing us in as partners.
To the Faresmaathodaa Council and government representatives: your hospitality and coordination made this possible. We are grateful for the welcome your community extended to our team.
Could We Do This for Your Community?
If you represent an organisation, council, or business that would like to bring a similar health screening programme to your community — whether in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, or elsewhere in the region — WISH Foundation would be glad to talk it through.
We have the clinical team, the equipment, and the experience to make it happen.
