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Polonnaruwa Rural Development Foundation
This organisation works to build bridges between the different ethnic communities who live side by side. It is essential to strengthen these relationships to reduce conflict and they are achieving peace through their methods of enlightening people to have respect for one another.
Overview
Polonnaruwa Rural Development Foundation (PRDF) aims to promote peace among the Muslims, Sinhalese and Tamils living in the border areas in Polonnaruwa by encouraging them to get together to address the issue of poverty together. As a border area between the government and LTTE controlled areas, all three ethnicities live in the area and often face violence by unidentified armed parties. The people were divided along ethnic lines even though they live close by and they were hostile towards other ethnicities, often reacting to violence committed by unidentified parties by destroying innocent civilians belonging to villages of the other ethnicities.
Through the organisational work, the different ethnicities living in nearby villages have become friendlier towards each other. Therefore we see a lot of progress today compared with the patterns of these areas earlier. We conduct periodic research on the social conditions and needs assessments of the communities, and these too reveal significant improvements in people’s living conditions, attitudes and behaviour that lead to reduction in conflict arising within the communities.
Through the organisational work we have learnt that it is impossible to achieve peace through a process that involves war. There has to be a sustainable process starting from the village level, from the community, that spreads to the higher levels to achieve peace. Working with border villages is difficult given the high risk they are living in and the conditions that change daily. However, conflict transformation is most needed in the border villages since they have to learn how to continue their lives amidst the war and how best to contribute to the conflict transformation process in the country in order to ensure the safety of their lives and community.
What Services Are Provided?
Community leadership training, conflict resolution, skill development, vocational training, provision of loans.
Geographical Area of Operation
Polonnaruwa District
Funding Resources
Netherlands Embassy, Swedish Embassy, World Bank
What Further Information Would You Like?
Information on further training for the staff on peace building, conflict transformation, NGO management, report writing, funding sources.
What New Contacts Would You Like To Make?
People who work with honest commitment to build peace around the world and who have extensive experience in processes of peace building and conflict transformation.
Associated Organisations
Rajarata Sanvidhana Sansadaya, Community Based Organisations in Polonnaruwa