{"id":128227,"date":"2024-01-08T17:13:56","date_gmt":"2024-01-08T17:13:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=128227"},"modified":"2024-01-08T17:14:24","modified_gmt":"2024-01-08T17:14:24","slug":"vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/","title":{"rendered":"VACD Australia January 2024 Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">VACD Australia January 2024 Newsletter<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #800000;\"> Source:<\/span><\/strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 16px;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/2024\/01\/07\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vacd<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Dear friends, colleagues, supporters, sponsors, and collaborative partners,<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>\u201cHeartfelt greetings and our very best wishes to you, your families, loved ones, and colleagues during 2024 and over the coming years\u201d \u2013 VACD Australia &amp; Sri Lanka teams.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Delightful News:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">The 2023 United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities was observed at our VACD centres in the most delightful way, thanks to the Department of Social Services team from the Uva Provincial Council. This team visited our Bandarawela centre on Wednesday, 13th December, the Ambagasdowa centre on Thursday, 14th December and the Badulla centre on Saturday, 16th December. The team spent quality time with our children using basic toys and games to coach, encourage and help our children develop their motor skills, competitiveness, focus and concentration. Morning tea and lunch were provided for our children and staff by the Department of Social services at all VACD centres.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/2024\/01\/07\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49618 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image.jpeg\" alt=\"elanka\" width=\"600\" height=\"341\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/2024\/01\/07\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49618 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-1.jpeg\" alt=\"elanka\" width=\"600\" height=\"341\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Image Source:<\/strong><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/2024\/01\/07\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vacd<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Our strongly held view since inception has been that support, assistance, and guidance from all segments of the local community and state and private institutions are of critical importance if our mission is to be successful. We firmly believe that we will be able to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our children and their families through the collective participation and sincere commitment to our cause by the local community. This helps us to deliver lasting positive outcomes to those we have pledged to serve. We will continue to expand our outreach and collaborative partnerships to accomplish our medium to long-term mission, vision, and strategies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/2024\/01\/07\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49618 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-2.jpeg\" alt=\"elanka\" width=\"600\" height=\"341\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/2024\/01\/07\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49618 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image.png\" alt=\"elanka\" width=\"600\" height=\"341\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/2024\/01\/07\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49618 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-3-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"elanka\" width=\"600\" height=\"341\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/2024\/01\/07\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49618 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-1.png\" alt=\"elanka\" width=\"600\" height=\"341\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/2024\/01\/07\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49618 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-2.png\" alt=\"elanka\" width=\"600\" height=\"341\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/2024\/01\/07\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49618 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-4-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"elanka\" width=\"600\" height=\"341\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Image Source:<\/strong><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/2024\/01\/07\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vacd<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>VACD Bandarawela Centre \u2013 End of Year and Christmas celebrations:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Our VACD Bandarawela centre held their end of year and Christmas 2023 celebrations including a nativity play as seen below. We were delighted that Rev. Father Jagath Fonseka \u2013 Parish Priest at St. Anthony\u2019s Church in Bandarawela accepted our invitation to be the chief guest at this event and spent time with our children and staff.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/2024\/01\/07\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49618 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-5.jpeg\" alt=\"elanka\" width=\"600\" height=\"341\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/2024\/01\/07\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49618 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-3.png\" alt=\"elanka\" width=\"600\" height=\"341\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/2024\/01\/07\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49618 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-6.jpeg\" alt=\"elanka\" width=\"600\" height=\"341\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/2024\/01\/07\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-49618 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/image-4.png\" alt=\"elanka\" width=\"600\" height=\"341\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Image Source:<\/strong><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/2024\/01\/07\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Vacd<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>VACD\u2019s Projects, programs, and planned activities for 2024\/25<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Continuation and extension of our Education Assistance Program.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Est: A$ 5,000 P.A.<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Continuation and extension of our Family Assistance Program.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Est: A$ 10,000 P.A.<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Continuation and enhancements to our Nutrition Program for VACD children attending our centres.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Est: A$ 10,000 P.A.<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Resumption of quarterly visits to VACD centres by Paediatricians and General Practitioners from the local government hospitals to examine our VACD children, monitor and prescribe medications to them.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Pro Bono<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Provide travel, medical assistance to children from impoverished regions and financially stressed households and free prescribed medication to all our VACD children.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>N\/A. Should be known by mid-2024<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Conduct quarterly health camps\/clinics\/workshops for children and parents from across the Uva Province.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Est: A$ 20,000 P.A.<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Conduct regular leadership, vocational, computer, Excel\/Word, motivational &amp; other skills training etc. for VACD children, their parents, siblings and young VACD club members.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Est: A$ 10,000 P.A.<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Revive our Sri Lanka Young VACD Members Club, motivate, coach, and train young supporters of our mission to be potential future leaders and implement a medium-term leadership succession plan at VACD Sri Lanka. Provide vocational training opportunities for them with our collaborative partners and corporate sponsors.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Est: A$ 5,000 P.A.<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Implement our household income generation program by providing resources, training in home gardening, animal husbandry, bee keeping and other income generating prospects for VACD parents in collaboration with Teardrop Hotels and other local &amp; provincial government agencies\/specialists.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Est: (see 10 below)<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Provide sewing machines, overlockers, sewing material etc. at our centres to help parents learn to sew and earn additional household income.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Est: 9 &amp; 10 = A$ 20,000\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Provide additional hands-on specialist training for our newly recruited assistant teachers at the MJF Charitable Foundation on a regular basis.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Est: A$ 10,000 P.A.<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Provide equipment for physical training, sports, exercise, recreation, art, craft, painting, music, dance, singing, vocational and life skills training, audio-visual equipment, computers, printers\/scanners for rehabilitation, workshops &amp; seminars for computer literacy training and additional office furniture to facilitate our capacity enhancement program.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Est: A$ 40,000\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Implementation of our \u201cEarly Childhood Supported Playgroup Program\u201d for young children with developmental concerns by VACD Australia Director Ms Gabriella Vascotto \u2013 Visiting Consultant to VACD centres in Sri Lanka, Learning Consultant Autism\/Behaviour and Supported Playgroup Project Consultant for Catholic Education Melbourne, assisted by Mrs. Netaisha Harvey \u2013 VACD\u2019s Head of Inclusive Education &amp; Partnerships.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>N\/A. Should be known by mid-2024<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Implement an \u201coutreach\u201d program into remote rural areas of the Uva province where parents with children with disabilities need to be educated on the reasons for their child\u2019s health condition and how to obtain medical guidance and expert advice, in collaboration with the local ministry of health.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Est: A$ 20,000 P.A.<\/strong><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Multiple Donation Options to Support Our Mission:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">The following hyperlink will enable you to find all donation options that are available to you on our webpage:\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/donate\/\">https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/donate\/<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Donations to VACD Australia by Australian Taxpayers are tax deductible.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Multicurrency Benevity Causes Portal for International Donations:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">International donors who wish to support our mission can do so through the Benevity Causes portal via the hyperlink below for all your multi-currency donation options:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/mygoodness.benevity.org\/community\/search?query=vacd&amp;country=036\">https:\/\/mygoodness.benevity.org\/community\/search?query=vacd&amp;country=036<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>A Big \u201cThank You\u201d To All of You\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Our journey is bound to be long and challenging. The official and unofficial numbers of children and families who need our support are sizeable. We look forward to your continued generosity, active support for our undertaking and you being partners with us in this most fulfilling and worthwhile 12+ years journey that we traverse together.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Please visit us at:\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/\">https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/<\/a>\u00a0 and reach out to us at:\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"mailto:fstephen@bigpond.net.au\">fstephen@bigpond.net.au<\/a>\u00a0should you choose to support our mission. Please share this newsletter with your network! Together, we certainly can make a difference in the lives of children with disabilities, one by one!!!<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Many thanks, best wishes, and warmest regards\u2026. Felix<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\"><strong>Felix Stephen<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Chairman of the Board of Directors \u2013 VACD Ltd. Sydney \u2013 Australia \u2013\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/\">https:\/\/www.vacd.org.au\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Member of the Advisory Board \u2013 VACD Sri Lanka<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Member of the Advisory Board \u2013 Two Leaves Foundation Sri Lanka<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Senior Associate \u2013 Cognoscenti Group \u2013 Sydney \u2013 Australia-\u00a0<a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.cognoscenti.global\/\">http:\/\/www.cognoscenti.global\/<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">Member of Investment Committee \u2013 Arrive Wealth Management \u2013 Brisbane \u2013 Australia \u2013\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arrivewealthmanagement.com.au\/\"><span style=\"font-size: 16px; color: #000000;\">https:\/\/www.arr<\/span>ivewealthmanagement.com.au\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VACD Australia January 2024 Newsletter Source:Vacd Dear friends, colleagues, supporters, sponsors, and collaborative partners, \u201cHeartfelt greetings and our very best wishes to you, your families, loved ones, and colleagues during 2024 and over the coming years\u201d \u2013 VACD Australia &amp; Sri Lanka teams. Delightful News: The 2023 United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":128228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[59572,59571,57739],"class_list":{"0":"post-128227","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-aside","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"tag-mrs-netaisha-harvey","9":"tag-vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter","10":"tag-vacd-bandarawela-centre","11":"post_format-post-format-aside"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.7.1 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>VACD Australia January 2024 Newsletter<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Our strongly held view since inception has been that support, assistance, and guidance from all segments of the local community\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VACD Australia January 2024 Newsletter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Our strongly held view since inception has been that support, assistance, and guidance from all segments of the local community\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"eLanka\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-08T17:13:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-08T17:14:24+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Children-eLanka.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"429\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"216\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"eLanka admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\"},\"headline\":\"VACD Australia January 2024 Newsletter\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-08T17:13:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-08T17:14:24+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\"},\"wordCount\":1051,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Children-eLanka.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Mrs. Netaisha Harvey\",\"VACD Australia January 2024 Newsletter\",\"VACD Bandarawela centre\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\",\"name\":\"VACD Australia January 2024 Newsletter\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Children-eLanka.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-01-08T17:13:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-08T17:14:24+00:00\",\"description\":\"Our strongly held view since inception has been that support, assistance, and guidance from all segments of the local community\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Children-eLanka.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Children-eLanka.jpg\",\"width\":429,\"height\":216,\"caption\":\"Children-eLanka\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Articles\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/category\/articles\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"VACD Australia January 2024 Newsletter\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\",\"name\":\"eLanka\",\"description\":\"eLanka - Sri lanka events in Australia\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization\",\"name\":\"eLanka\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg\",\"width\":192,\"height\":82,\"caption\":\"eLanka\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elanka\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SriLankanDownUnder\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd\",\"name\":\"eLanka admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"eLanka admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/author\/elanka\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"VACD Australia January 2024 Newsletter","description":"Our strongly held view since inception has been that support, assistance, and guidance from all segments of the local community","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"VACD Australia January 2024 Newsletter","og_description":"Our strongly held view since inception has been that support, assistance, and guidance from all segments of the local community","og_url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/","og_site_name":"eLanka","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/","article_published_time":"2024-01-08T17:13:56+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-01-08T17:14:24+00:00","og_image":[{"width":429,"height":216,"url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Children-eLanka.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"eLanka admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"eLanka admin","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/"},"author":{"name":"eLanka admin","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd"},"headline":"VACD Australia January 2024 Newsletter","datePublished":"2024-01-08T17:13:56+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-08T17:14:24+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/"},"wordCount":1051,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Children-eLanka.jpg","keywords":["Mrs. Netaisha Harvey","VACD Australia January 2024 Newsletter","VACD Bandarawela centre"],"articleSection":["Articles"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/","name":"VACD Australia January 2024 Newsletter","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Children-eLanka.jpg","datePublished":"2024-01-08T17:13:56+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-08T17:14:24+00:00","description":"Our strongly held view since inception has been that support, assistance, and guidance from all segments of the local community","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Children-eLanka.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Children-eLanka.jpg","width":429,"height":216,"caption":"Children-eLanka"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/vacd-australia-january-2024-newsletter\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Articles","item":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/category\/articles\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"VACD Australia January 2024 Newsletter"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#website","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/","name":"eLanka","description":"eLanka - Sri lanka events in Australia","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#organization","name":"eLanka","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/elanka-logo.jpg","width":192,"height":82,"caption":"eLanka"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/eLanka.com.au\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elanka\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SriLankanDownUnder"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/f6e635b74ab35ef88a68a9973cacc5bd","name":"eLanka admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/2e0d346a7f97b80e861cdeafe7b7de523b59f5060666f1a5da8369457bf9b6c3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"eLanka admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew"],"url":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/author\/elanka\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=128227"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128229,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128227\/revisions\/128229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/128228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}