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Promoting peace and harmony
The initiative aims to unite the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims living in the border villages in the Polonnaruwa District and promote ethnic harmony among them. They are one of the most vulnerable groups created as a result of the ethnic conflict and harmony among them would provide a powerful foundation for peace.
Description
This initiative started in 2000 and is continuing still. its target group is 26 border villages in the area with a population of 2500 consisting of Sinhalese, Muslims and Tamils. The initiative forms community level groups in the villages that work for conflict transformation on a village level through promoting cooperation between ethnicities. These groups are linked through a main organisation formed with representatives of each small organisations.
Aims / Objectives
The initiative aims to unite the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims living in the border villages in the Polonnaruwa District and promote ethnic harmony among them. They are one of the most vulnerable groups created as a result of the ethnic conflict and ethnic cooperation and harmony among them would provide a sustainable and a powerful foundation for a bottom to top peace and conflict transformation process.
How it is Articulated
We conducted a research in the border villages to gather data on the inhabitants and designed the initiative accordingly. Villagers were motivated to form organisations in community level and these organisations were linked through a main organisation consisting of representatives. The farmers and other key people in the village were given social mobilisation trainings and selected educated people from each area were given community leadership trainings. PRDF meets these multi-ethnic groups twice a week, discussing with them ways to find solutions for their problems and ways to overcome the tragedy of war and motivating them for peaceful coexistence.
Achievements / Learning Points
Along with the progress of initiative, the villages have become friendlier towards other ethnic villages, and show cooperation and support towards each other in public activities. The unity and the cooperation is specially seen in their agricultural work and in people’s deaths, weddings and festivals. These have taken a more multi ethnic nature whereas they were often limited to people from one ethnicity earlier. The villagers who used to attack each other whenever they hear of LTTE or army attacks nearby, does not do that any more, having realised thorough improved communication and interactions that their neighbours are human beings just like themselves, who desire nothing but to live in peace, farm their lands and see their children grow up safely. The community level people who live in a war context are not aware of the peace process that is taking place among the higher social levels. These people only need guidance to motivate them towards peaceful coexistence in their day to day lives. They intuitively know it and with people to guide them, they see the benefits of working together and act accordingly. Therefore grassroots level peace building is rewarding and sustainable.
Geographical Area of Operation
Polonnaruwa
Funding Resources
Netherlands Embassy , National Peace Council
Organisations Involved
Farmer’s associations and village development associations in the area.