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…

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Addressing 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…

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Catalyzing 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)…

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Young 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…

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Expanding 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…

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Supporting 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…

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