A True Example of Humanitarianism.

Gifted and accomplished, when it comes to community work, that is one way to describe Ms. Kanchana Thuraisingham. She is an amazing, versatile, socially conscious woman. Originally from Sri Lanka, Ms Thuraisingham started her early years in the Holy Family Convent Bambalapitiya studying to be a teacher in Colombo, Sri Lanka.  Her brilliance and hard work was recognized when she was offered a scholarship by the Indian Government to pursue her studies at the University of Poona.  After completing a Bachelor’s Degree of Commerce, Kanchana came to Canada in 1992.

Unaware of what the future held for her in her new surroundings, Ms. Thuraisingham began work as a Financial Analyst at Westbourne Inc. in suburban Mississauga.  As Kanchana began to experience life, her perspective began to change. She developed a keen interest in the area of community service. Her compassion for others might be a derivative from her early years in the convent in Colombo.  But she realized her purpose was much more than being in a stuffy office playing with numbers all day.  She explains, “The time that I was in Canada, there were many new immigrants from all parts of the Globe, but few incidents made me very sad when I realized my people from Sri-Lanka also needed help.” This was part of the spark that lit her flame in her pursuit to make a difference in her community. She began to volunteer for a variety of non-profits organizations to gain more field experience and knowledge. 

With insurmountable drive, Ms. Thuraisingham volunteered her time avidly to help the people in South Asia. She later joined the Victim Services of Peel as a Crisis Counselor and Program Co-coordinator. With her generous spirit, Kanchana helps South Asian families dealing mainly with issues of domestic violence and assists with support services. This community family advocate has been seen on a variety of television shows on local stations sharing her concerns and message of service to others.  As a result of her continued community work, Kanchana was also recognized by the Government of Canada with a prestigious award for being the Most Outstanding Community Worker.

After a few years at Victim Services, Kanchana founded her own community organization called the Sri Lankan-Canadian Community Services in 2006. This “one-stop shop” agency for community services offers the Sri Lankan community a variety of social services catering to those in need throughout the province of Ontario. Even with all of this, she still finds the time to hold the position of President for the Holy Family Convent, Bambalapitiya Past Pupils Association, and has been at the helm for the past two years. Ms. Kanchana Thuraisingham is a true example of humanitarianism.