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Overview of the Project

Over 31 years, ISD has been advocating for the rights of the plantation community by raising awareness and facilitating them in demanding their rights. In the meantime, it has conducted research and studies to support the lobbying and advocacy process to win the rights of the recently migrated plantation community in Sri Lanka. Since 2007, ISD has collaborated with BftW to implement projects in the plantation community that focus on raising awareness of rights and lobbying and advocacy to influence changes in government acts and policies. ISD believes that strengthening the community is crucial for pressurizing the government and policy makers to recognize the plantation community as equal citizens of the country.
The specific objectives aim to

(I) The plantation community in the project working area received government infrastructure projects and services from local government authorities

(II) Improved social, political and economic rights of women and youth of the project locations

(III) Plantation communities engaged in climate change adaptation and mitigations of environmental hazards and enjoy environmental justice

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Overview of the Project

The Plantation community in Sri Lanka has been historically marginalized for generations. Institute of Social Development (ISD), who lobbies and advocates for the equitable rights and justice of the plantation community since 1991, identifies the structural discrimination amongst the plantation population, and the limited space for them to claim their rights. In order to counter this long-lasting injustice, ISD through the "CSOs and Community Collectives for Democratic Governance (CCCDG) project", intends to strengthen civil society organizations (CSOs) in the plantation sector to address human rights, legal reforms, policy, development, and democratic governance issues through collective actions and advocacy.

This five-year project commenced in June 2023 is made possible by the United states Agency for International Development (USAID). The CCCDG project will directly support an average of 300 community groups in the plantation sector, while implementing the project activities via five partner organizations and 100 CSOs in seven districts in the Uva, Central, and Sabaragamuwa provinces in Sri Lanka. Through this approach, we firmly believe that civil society provides an arena into which societal forces can be channeled in order to drive the social and institutional changes necessary for the transition toward increased resilience.

Overall Objectives

The overall purpose of this project is to create more informed and active public participation. The specific objective aim to

(I) expand civil society space by promoting citizen and government engagement

(II) support civil society capacity building and networking space for collective actions at the national and regional level

(III) increase civil society support for more inclusive, sustainable democratic and economic governance.

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Overview of the Project

The outbreak of COVID- 19 was declared a public health emergency of international concern on 30th January 2020, by the World Health Organization (WHO). Following the escalating development of the situation, on 11th March 2020, the WHO Director-General declared the outbreak as a pandemic. The impact of the pandemic was widespread that ranged from economic to social. The OECD Economic Outlook March 2020 reported a 0.5% drop-in global GDP growth rate for 2020 to 2.4% due to the Corona Virus outbreak. It observed that a long lasting and more intensive outbreak could slow global growth to 1.5%. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates suggested a significant rise in global unemployment of about 24.7 million. Further, a new report published on 7th April mentioned “As of 1st April 2020, the ILO’s new global estimates indicated that working hours would decline by 6.7% in the second quarter of 2020, which was to be equivalent to 195 million full-time workers.” Sri Lanka set an example with its timely and proactive response to the global pandemic despite being a low and middle-income country. Broadly, Sri Lanka implemented a “whole-of-government and whole-of-society” approach as a response advocated by the World Health Organization (Exit strategy of COVID-19 epidemic in Sri Lanka April 15, 2020)

Sri Lanka recorded its first case of COVID-19 on 27th January 2020. Since then, as of 30th April 2022, Sri Lanka had reported 664,000 confirmed cases, 16,509 deaths. Although the marginalized plantation communities were not physically lost their lives in a major level by the COVID outbreak, the social and economic conditions weighed on them in a drastic way, even though the plantation workers were asked to continue their work during the COVID affected period to earn the foreign income. At the same time the plantation residents who worked in the cities and the townships returned to the estates during COVID pandemic period. The return of the workers to the estate doubled the economic burden. This over burden increased malnutrition among children, lactating and pregnant mothers and children and school dropouts alarmingly increased. Taking into consideration the COVID pandemic impact, ISD Intends to increase the nutrition of the children CDC, schools, lactating and pregnant mothers by providing mid - day meal, nutrition Pack and home gardening facilities to families in selected Estates and villages.

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Project Introduction

During the year 2015, after formation and establishment of Good Governance, Coalition Government coming into the power, the international communities and the Sri Lankan government were interested in establishing sustainable peace in the country. After three decades of civil war, based on this requirement, this government initiated to implement 32/1 UNHCR recommendations in the country to pay justice for the victims. In the meantime, Institute of Social Development (ISD) and International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC) implemented a project on Transitional Justice to strengthen the government process of Transitional Justice mechanism with the support of Secretariat for Coordination on Reconciliation mechanism (SCRM).

ISD and ICSC initially conducted few focus group discussions with victim widows of affected families, similar discussion was conducted with Ministry Secretaries, District Secretaries, Head of Sri Lanka Police, Military Services and selected civil society leaders along with Minister for Reconciliation and National Unity. As an outcome, it was decided to form a network in the country consisted of Civil Society Organizations to carry out and strengthen the government transitional justice mechanism establishing the sustainable peace in the country. This network was named as Truth and Reconciliation Forum (TRF) covering 25 districts of Sri Lanka.

Since 2016, the Truth and Reconciliation Forum was strengthening the civil societies in reconciliation and promoting sustainable peace among communities by conducting awareness programmes and activities at district level.

In 2019 ISD decided to expand its activities at village level by forming and establishing Village Solidarity Forums (VSF) under Truth and Reconciliation Forums (TRF) to conduct awareness at the grassroot level to disseminate the message on coexistence and reconciliation and lobbying their grassroot level issues to the relevant authorities. In the meantime, ISD conducted coexistence and reconciliation activities for selected Directors, In Service Advisors, School Principals, on the request of the Department of Education of Central Province. A special training was initiated by ISD on Conflict Resolution targeting three-wheel drivers.

During Covid’19 pandemic ISD conducted all its planned activities with support of virtual platform and the TOT trainings are being conducted for TRF and VSF members.

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Introduction to the Project

The project aims to bring equal status and development of the plantation community: on forming and strengthening the Rural Development Societies (RDS), Disaster Management Committee (DMC) and capacitate the young boys and girls in the 30 estate locations to obtain the services of Divisional Secretariat (DS), Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) and other government institutions. Also, project collaborate with the policy makers and political representatives to bring amendment to relevant legislations that bring inclusion process of Malayaga Tamilar. Furthermore, the project works on women empowerment such political representation, political leadership and to improve the decision making power at the household and society.

The politically empowered and organized target community enjoyed the government’s provisions and access to rights by demanding equality and equity.

1. Empowered members of the target groups have improved access to development projects and social services from local government institutions and ministries.
2. Women and girls of the project location successfully demanded equal access to their rights within the private as well as in the public sphere.
3. The inclusion of HTC in government acts is ensured