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People's Aspirations

Praja Abhilasha ("People's Aspirations"), the Joining Hands network in Sri Lanka, began its formation in May 2005. An invitation, given by the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO), was sent to many non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and grassroot and community groups around the country. They convened in Colombo, Sri Lanka to discuss the idea of forming a countrywide network that would represent marginalized communities from coastal and farming areas affected directly and indirectly by the tsunami of 2004. Accepting the proposals that were given at this meeting, the groups officially formed the Praja Abhilasha network in September 2005. The network is composed of 21 organizations from around the country and is inclusive of all faiths and religious bodies present on the island, though there are no institutional churches among its membership.

At its first meeting in September 2005, Praja Abhilasha decided and finalized the focus areas and content of its program; the key issues being land rights and human rights, especially for those affected by the tsunami or displaced by the war. They believe "the right to land is a human right of the people, as it relates to life and livelihoods of the people, in a context of globalization, privatization, and International Monetary Fund (IMF) imposed economic reforms in our country."

During its first year, Praja Abhilasha's programs focused on the education of communities about their land and human rights. The different organizations of Praja Abhilasha held many human rights and land rights workshops for those villagers in their certain areas. Many were well received and helped start discussions among villagers about what to do next with this new knowledge.

As the first year is coming to an end, Praja Abhilasha is hoping to continue the education and awareness programs in 2007, but with a greater intent to reach people outside of the network, and to move them into action. Our goals are to improve the communication among the network by creating a Network newsletter and a central Information Center. This Center would be available for all network members, locally and internationally, and provide information about human and land rights' violations, government policies, or activities that have occurred within the network. We are also hoping to hold a Globalization workshop, to educate our network members on this issue, relative to the country's situation, and create an open dialogue about what should happen next.

Though Praja Abhilasha is still laying the foundation and discovering its potential as a Joining Hands network, we are excited to continue to develop its identity and its role in the Sri Lankan reality, alongside our other partners.


NEWSLETTER
First Edition, December 2006
Sri Lanka by Chenoa Stock
People's Aspirations Praja Abhilasha ("People's Aspirations"), the Joining Hands network in Sri Lanka, began its formation in May 2005. An invitation, given by the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO), was sent to many non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and grassroot and community groups around the country. They convened in Colombo, Sri Lanka to discuss the idea of forming a countrywide network that would represent marginalized communities from coastal and farming areas affected directly and indirectly by the tsunami of 2004. Accepting the proposals that were given at this meeting, the groups officially formed the Praja Abhilasha network in September 2005. The network is composed of 21 organizations from around the country and is inclusive of all faiths and religious bodies present on the island, though there are no institutional churches among its membership. At its first meeting in September 2005, Praja Abhilasha decided and finalized the focus areas and content of its program; the key issues being land rights and human rights, especially for those affected by the tsunami or displaced by the war. They believe "the right to land is a human right of the people, as it relates to life and livelihoods of the people, in a context of globalization, privatization, and International Monetary Fund (IMF) imposed economic reforms in our country." During its first year, Praja Abhilasha's programs focused on the education of communities about their land and human rights. The different organizations of Praja Abhilasha held many human rights and land rights workshops for those villagers in their certain areas. Many were well received and helped start discussions among villagers about what to do next with this new knowledge. As the first year is coming to an end, Praja Abhilasha is hoping to continue the education and awareness programs in 2007, but with a greater intent to reach people outside of the network, and to move them into action. Our goals are to improve the communication among the network by creating a Network newsletter and a central Information Center. This Center would be available for all network members, locally and internationally, and provide information about human and land rights' violations, government policies, or activities that have occurred within the network. We are also hoping to hold a Globalization workshop, to educate our network members on this issue, relative to the country's situation, and create an open dialogue about what should happen next. Though Praja Abhilasha is still laying the foundation and discovering its potential as a Joining Hands network, we are excited to continue to develop its identity and its role in the Sri Lankan reality, alongside our other partners.	Back to Archives >>>
	Links: Profile JH partner network Praja Abhilasha Profile JH Companionship Facilitator Chenoa Stock
Background Sri Lanka's unique diversity has been a blessing and a curse to its people. It is that context, including the reality of ethnic conflict and continued violent incidents and fighting, where Praja Abhilasha derived its motivation to form a network. Sri Lanka is a country of great diversity, providing a richness of culture that is unique to a country of its size. The current ethnic composition of the population is 74 percent Sinhalese, 13 percent Lankan Tamils, 7 percent Lankan Moors, and 6 percent Indian Tamils. The religious community is also diverse, with 69 percent Buddhist, 15 percent Hindu, 8 percent Muslim, and 8 percent Christian. Before receiving independence from Britain in 1948, a system of separation among the ethnic groups, including access to different resources, had been developed. This system produced militant groups among Tamils, Muslims, and Sinhalese, creating a conflict that would continue well after independence. This conflict escalated to a full-scale civil war in the northern and eastern parts of the country in 1983, fought between the Sinhalese government troops and the separatist movement, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Through Norwegian Government facilitation, peace talks were held between the government and the LTTE in 2001, and a ceasefire agreement was signed in February, 2002. The situation of the country calmed down after this, but normalcy only lasted for a couple of years when, in December 2004, the country was profoundly devastated by the tsunami. This disaster affected the fishing communities on the coast and the tourist infrastructure of the country. It destroyed villages, flooded rice fields and plantations, and denied the fishing community any chance to salvage the resources of their livelihoods. Though many foreign organizations provided international relief, the results were not always positively received by the locals, as they felt that their situation was being used by powerful foreign governments and international institutions to compete for visibility in relief efforts. Though some tsunami work and development is coming to an end and relief has been provided, there continue to be communities of people, to this day, living in tsunami resettlement camps who have not been given compensation or any other alternatives for housing.
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