Ecological Conservation & Plantation People (EC&PP)

Promoting ecological conservation and climate justice through the active involvement of local communities in 13 Dioceses and advocate & lobby for the dignity of the plantation communities who are commemorating 200 years of their arrival to the country in 2020s.

Training Of Trainers (TOT) training in Basic Solid Waste Management at Kandy & Jaffna

Caritas Sri Lanka in collaboration with the resources of USAID, Clean City Blue Ocean Organization conducted two Training of Trainers (TOT) programs at Kandy and Jaffna. Sixty participants participated in the TOT held on 20th & 21st of October 2023 at Kandy representing Kandy, Badulla, Galle and Ratnapura Dioceses while another 70 participants participated in

Empowering Communities Through Training: TOT Programme on Solid Waste Management

Waste management is a critical issue in Sri Lanka, with improper disposal causing environmental degradation and health hazards. To address this concern, Caritas Sri Lanka, in collaboration with USAID Clean Cities Blue Oceans (CCBO), is taking a significant step towards a cleaner and more sustainable Sri Lanka through the project: Stepping Stone to Safeguarding Sri

Capacity Building Workshop on Advocacy and Lobbying for the staffs of Caritas Sri Lanka

Caritas Sri Lanka organized a capacity-building workshop on advocacy and lobbying for both its National Center staff and diocesan-level staff. The workshop took place on September 11th and 12th at the CSL-SEDEC auditorium, with 65 participants from the Diocesan Centers and the National Center. The workshop was conducted in both Sinhala and Tamil mediums, with

Strengthening Partnership Skills: Workshop Empowering Caritas Sri Lanka Staff

Caritas Sri Lanka SEDEC successfully organized an impactful workshop on September 15, 2023,  aimed at enhancing the partnering capabilities of their Diocesan Project Coordinators and National Coordinators (NC) staff. The event, held at the SEDEC Auditorium in Colombo, brought together a diverse group of dedicated professionals eager to develop and refine their partnering skills. The

Catholic Bishops Demand Action on Unresolved Socioeconomic Issues Faced by Plantation Community in Sri Lanka

In a significant press conference held at Caritas Sri Lanka, SEDEC, on June 30th, 2023, the Catholic Bishops of the Plantation Regions united their voices to address the longstanding unresolved socioeconomic issues faced by the Indian Origin Plantation Community in Sri Lanka. The press conference marked the 200th commemoration of the arrival of the Indian

Caritas Sri Lanka joins hands with the Malayaga Makkal Walk “Tracing our roots to win our rights”

The arrival of the first batch of Indian Origin Tamil Speaking workers took place from 1823 to 1824 as per historical evidences. These Indian Origin Tamil Speaking workers were brought from South India under a system of bonded labor by colonial rulers. Their purpose was to provide labor for the coffee plantations. These people had walked

2023 World Environmental Day Commemoration by Caritas Sri Lanka Diocesan Network

Introduction   World Environmental day is celebrated globally on 5th June from 1973. The day provides a platform for environmental activists to voice their concerns and highlight the negative impacts of global environmental issues to the global community. In that line, the theme for World Environmental Day 2023 focuses on ‘Solution for Plastic Pollution’ under

An Awareness session on the 200-year Journey and the Present Day Plight of the Plantation Community in Sri Lanka at the National Seminary Kandy

An awareness session was conducted at the National Seminary in Kandy on 12th of May 2023 with the objective of enlightening the major seminary brothers and the staff regarding the social issues and structural discrimination faced by the plantation community in Sri Lanka for the past 200 years. Rev. Fr. Michael Rajendram, National Animator for the

World Water Day 2023 Commemoration by Caritas Sri Lanka Diocesan Network

“Humanity still has the ability to work together to build our common home” – Pope Francis- Introduction Water is one of the most important basic natural elements on which the planet Earth is comprised of, as it constitutes 71% of the land area. In addition, water is recognized as the giver and the source of

Thammitigama Tank Restoration and Clean-up under the SSEP World Water Day Celebration 2023.

Thammittagama Village is situated in the Kurunegala District in Sri Lanka. A Village level environmental adult group was formed in the village under the ‘Stepping Stones to Safeguarding Sri Lanka’s Natural Environment project’ (SSEP), implemented by Caritas Sri Lanka in early 2023. After several discussions with the villagers, a serious issue which affects them badly

Environmental Management and Leadership Program for Youth at Caritas Chilaw

Caritas Sri Lanka (CSL) organized an Environmental Management and Leadership Program for the youth in the Diocese of Chilaw under the “Stepping Stone to Safeguarding Sri Lanka’s Natural Environment project” (SSEP). SSEP is a project implemented by Caritas Sri Lanka with the goal of creating an environmentally conscious community through advocating and lobbying against all

Launch of the LLPP Facebook page to advocate for the rights of the Malayaga Tamils

The Facebook page, “Lighting the lives of the Plantation People” (LLPP) was launched on 25 October 2022 by Caritas Sri Lanka – SEDEC. The arrival of the first batch of Indian Origin Tamil Speaking workers took place from 1823 to 1824. They were brought in from South India as labourers by the British to work on

An Awareness Session for the Clergy of the Diocese of Kandy Diocese on mission of the Catholic Church in the Emancipation of the Plantation community in Sri Lanka

An awareness session for clergy of the Diocese of Kandy was conducted on 4th of April 2023 at the Fatima Retreat House Lewella, Kandy with the aim of highlighting the social issues of the Plantation community and the mission of the church leaders in addressing the causes of structural discrimination that the plantation community (Malaiyaga

Invitation to the Media personnel to cooperate with the journey of empowerment of the Plantation people.

A discussion was held on 16th of March 2023 at the Caritas Sri Lanka, SEDEC Auditorium to seek support and collaborations from the Colombo based media institutions, to highlight the issues faced by the plantation communities in Sri Lanka. In 2023/24, Sri Lankans would remember and commemorate the 200 years of arrival of the plantation community

Validation of the Plantation Research

Validation of the research on Challenges and Future Directions of Children’s Education Rights in Plantation Communities of Sri Lanka was held on 9th of March from 2.00pm to 5.00pm at the Caritas SEDEC upper conference Hall. The research is one of the major activities under the “Lighting the Lives of Plantation People” Program (LLPP) with

Educational Exposure tour with Environmental Children’s Group in Mannar Diocese

Three Village Level Environmental Children’s Groups (VLECGs) were formed in selected villages under SSEP in Mannar District. A group of 155 children from VLECGs were taken for an educational exposure tour on 13th February 2023. The main objective of this exposure visit is to educate children about natural resources and the importance of conserving natural

Caritas Anuradhapura Youth Exposure Visit to Sinharaja Rainforest

Climate change is an inherent social issue that can upset anyone’s life in countless ways. Climate change is causing different social, economic, and public health issues on all the communities around the world. Therefore, advocating for climate justice by the local communities is the most essential solution to this worsening scenario. On that note, ‘Stepping

Coconut Oil Production Factory Opening Ceremony at Keeri – Mannar

“Stepping Stone to Safeguarding Sri Lanka’s Natural Environment” (SSEP) is a project implemented by Caritas Sri Lanka in all its 13 DCs from January 2022. It is a three-year project funded by Misereor with the goal of forming environmental sensitive empowered communities. The project will assist the selected communities who face the effects of environmental

Formation of National Civil Society Forum Governing Body under the program of Lighting the Lives of the Plantation People

Formation of Governing Body of the National Civil Society Organization Forum was held on the 11th of February 2023 at Caritas Sri Lanka SEDEC Auditorium.  This event was held in connection with the creation of CSO forums in the first year in all the five Plantation Dioceses such as Kandy, Badulla, Ratnapura, Galle and Colombo.