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Village to Village
IRSD are helping promote tolerance and understanding in Sri Lanka's Anuradhapura District, bringing together inter-ethnic communities through their work with children's clubs. They have been organising visits for groups of children to ethnically different host communities, to experience the area's cultural diversity first-hand.
Description
The initiative selects 20 children between the ages of 15 and 18 years old from the children’s clubs in one area, and in a three day program, take them to three different communities that are of a different culture from their own villages, due to ethnic and religious difference. This exposes the children to cultural diversity and gives them an opportunity to experience and understand these cultures, as they spend time with the people from the community, eat with them, and stay overnight. These visits lay the foundations of friendship among different communities in the area.
The initiative started in 2003 and we aim to continue it until 2008, gradually spreading it to all the areas of the district. Following that, we will expand it to include the children from all over the island and ultimately for 100 countries close to Sri Lanka.
Aims / Objectives
The program aims to develop children’s understanding of the cultural differences between communities in Sri Lanka, and open them to accept this diversity. It further aims to improve friendship between different groups that are separated due to ethnic, religious and other differences.
Conflicts occur mainly due to lack of understanding between people and being exposed to diversity and different beliefs and ways of living, give the children the open-mindedness that is necessary for non-violent conflict transformation. Therefore the initiative gives them a wider perspective and provides the children with a wide network of friends from different communities through this program.
How it is Articulated
The team leaders of the clubs in divisional levels in the area select the children that form the guest team for a program, depending on their enthusiasm for joining the initiative and their active participation in the children’s clubs. The children travel together with representatives from the organisation and a few of their senior club members throughout the program.
The host communities, including the parents and children, organise a welcoming ceremony for the guest children delegation according to their unique cultural and religious identity. The entire village gets together to do this, forgetting any minor differences and disputes.
During the day time, the visiting children talk with the host community’s adults, youths and children, bringing the message of peace and cooperation to them. The host communities organise meetings with their community for the children.
The organisation publicises the program with announcements though the regional radio station of the arrival of the children’s delegation in the area, and through community meetings and though government administration systems.
After the program, the children provide reports on their experience to the senior club members who in turn send them to IRSD, and exchange them amongst each other.
Achievements / Learning Points
The opportunity to actually experience how different communities live, breaks down ethnic stereotypes and alienation. Therefore people are able to see the humanity in each other though this initiative.
This builds trust between the communities. The children who have participated in these programs have friends all over the district. As a result their parents can relax, knowing that even if their child is late coming home, there is a place for him or her to go and spend the night safely.
Being encouraged towards fairness and equality, children become more confident in finding their own voices and therefore often speak out or mediate in conflicts in the village, family, and in matters related to them. The children gain confidence and social respect through this initiative and get an opportunity to develop leadership skills.
This friendship of children formed across social borders has resulted in lessening the number of conflicts that occur among the different communities. Furthermore, seeing the development of their children, the parents have expressed more and more interest in joining our programs for adults.
Respecting people and their distinct cultures is extremely important in this initiative. In connecting with different communities, the openness of the community towards the initiative depends on the way we behave towards their beliefs and value systems. Therefore behaviour according to what we advocate is crucial to the success of the initiative.
Geographical Area of Operation
Anuradhapura District.
Funding Resources
Save the Children.
Organisations Involved
Government organisations in the area.