Strengthening Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Systems in Sri Lankan Schools
The COVID-19 pandemic and Sri Lanka’s economic crisis have placed already vulnerable and marginalized communities at further risk with challenges to livelihoods, food security and social protections. Increased stressors and the resulting strain on available support services and resources such as mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) have contributed to documented increases in sexual and…
Read MoreAddressing Sexual and Gender-based Violence through Local Partnerships and Governance Systems: Lessons from Sri Lanka
By Gigi Dupuy, Sr. Technical Advisor for Governance & Chioma Okafor, Sr. Technical Advisor for Local Capacity Strengthening, Global Communities Since July 2018, Global Communities has implemented the Social Cohesion and Reconciliation (SCORE) program in Sri Lanka, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). One of the components of the program is…
Read MoreCatalyzing Success for Sri Lanka’s Women Entrepreneurs through SCORE
Over 50 women entrepreneurs from across Sri Lanka recently gathered for “SCORE Women in Action: Advancing Women Entrepreneurs Through Digital Technology.” The event was organized by Global Communities, in collaboration with the Office for National Unity and Reconciliation (ONUR), as part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Social Cohesion and Reconciliation (SCORE)…
Read MoreYoung Innovators in Sri Lanka Use Technology to Bridge Cultural and Ethnic Divides
By Jessica Ayala DreamSpace Academy, located in Sri Lanka’s Batticaloa District, and its co-founder, Kishoth Navaretnarajah, believe that the key to creating a future beyond historic cultural tensions and conflict lies with empowering youth through technology and innovation. “Facilitating peacebuilding is one of the pillars of DreamSpace,” says Navaretnarajah. “DreamSpace itself is … a great…
Read MoreExpanding Outreach and Support for the LGBTQI+ Community in Sri Lanka
By Aditi Sharma Transgender people in Sri Lanka frequently face social rejection, lack protection and have little to no representation in political parties due to the absence of anti-discriminatory legislation in the country. They are often excluded from accessing essential services and social benefits systems as well. “Some of our community members don’t have sustainable…
Read MoreSupporting Mobile Legal Clinics in Sri Lanka to Increase Access to Justice
In Sri Lanka, some segments of the population — particularly those directly affected by the prolonged armed conflict — face challenges due to a lack or loss of personal documentation pertaining to their identity, citizenship, civil status, property ownership and education. For these groups, such as internally displaced persons, the resettled and returnees, the lack…
Read MoreSupporting Economic Resilience through Increased Livelihoods in Sri Lanka
By Nagarajah Sathyaruban and Amila Jayamaha In Sri Lanka’s Mullaitivu district, a lack of job opportunities and career guidance avenues has contributed to a high youth unemployment ratio. For local youth, this has reinforced negative stereotyping, increased the risk of substance abuse and led to a sense of isolation and disillusionment, with ethnicity seen as a…
Read MoreGiving Kudumbimalai a Lifeline
By Rukshana Rizwie and Lizzie Hickman In Sri Lanka’s Batticaloa district, deep within the jungles of Koralai Pattu South, sits a village of abandoned wells — all deep, dirty and depleted. For many years, over 400 families living in Kudumbimalai had to drink and cook with contaminated water from the repositories, even though they knew…
Read MoreReflections on Programming Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to impact communities beyond what many thought would be a few weeks of quarantine. As we recognize the second anniversary of the pandemic, we reflect on Global Communities’ country teams that are hard at work to help mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on their communities. We were able to…
Read MoreSocial Media for Social Change – SCORE Leads the Way
Social media has emerged as one of the most powerful tools for communication and connection, bringing together millions of people across continents and within communities. But with that power, highly accessible channels are readily available for spreading disinformation, sowing divisiveness and contributing to offline conflict. In Sri Lanka, there has never been a more urgent…
Read MoreSCORE Facilitates Exhibition for 20 Women Entrepreneurs
SCORE worked in close collaboration with the Women’s Development Unit of the District Secretariat of Kandy to organize an exhibition showcasing the products of 20 women-led SMEs from all 20 District Secretariat Divisions in Kandy, at the District Secretariat premises on March 3, 2021. The exhibition was in celebration of International Women’s Day, under the…
Read MoreSCORE Supports Kandy District Secretariat to Celebrate Strengths of Diverse Women Marking International Women’s Day
By Kathya de Silva Senarath After months of close coordination between the Kandy District Secretariat and the Social Cohesion and Reconciliation Activity (SCORE), the International Women’s Day celebration in the Kandy District kicked off on a grand scale at the Secretariat auditorium on March 9, 2021. The event was a celebration of womanhood regardless of…
Read MoreUS Ambassador to Sri Lanka Visits SCORE Activities in the North
“Proud to increase educational opportunities and support COVID-19 response in Sri Lanka” – Ambassador Teplitz By Kathya de Silva Senarath US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives Alaina Teplitz, with US Embassy delegates, visited the North of Sri Lanka on February 23 and 24, 2021 to oversee the Social Cohesion and Reconciliation Activity (SCORE) programs,…
Read MoreUnited States Donates Mobile Testing Unit to Fight COVID-19 in Moneragala
This article originally was published by the US Embassy in Sri Lanka January 13: The United States donated a mobile testing unit to the Regional Health Services in Moneragala, received by Dr. B.M.C. Dasanayaka, as part of the effort to fight COVID-19 in Sri Lanka and protect lives through early detection. The mobile unit will…
Read MoreSCORE Holds International Webinar on Transformative Role of Women During COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has compelled all sectors of society to face new realities, particularly women as they face increased financial difficulties as well as having more responsibilities with children’s education at home which, for many, is now both the work place and learning space. Women in our society have the extra burden of providing caregiving…
Read MoreUSAID SCORE in Sri Lanka Provides 4,000 Hygiene Kits to Help Vulnerable Women During COVID-19
By Kathya de Silva Senarath Over the last month, the U.S. Government donated 4,000 personal hygiene kits to low-income women in the Western Province in Sri Lanka. On November 23rd, 850 kits were handed off to Rosy Senanayake, the mayor of Colombo, to be distributed among Colombo Municipal Council workers and residents of Modara. Many…
Read MoreUSAID SCORE in Sri Lanka Supports Hospitals and Health Offices in Matara and Kalutara to Contain COVID-19 Spread
With the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sri Lanka, health authorities experienced an urgent need of personal protective equipment (PPE) to contain the spread of the virus, but since contagion is rapid, authorities are struggling with limited resources. Some Medical Officer of Health (MOH) offices in Matara do not even have enough thermal…
Read MoreSCORE Assists Schools with Setting Up Health Rooms and Added Healthcare Among Schoolchildren
By Kathya de Silva Senarath The Ministry of Health has instructed schools to take necessary steps to ensure basic precautionary measures against COVID-19. Among its many guidelines, the ministry recommends setting up separate health rooms at schools for isolation and related care when necessary. However, schools in marginalized areas have limited capacities to set up…
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