Upload
truongcong
View
215
Download
1
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Final Report Inter‐religious Cooperation for Community
Development and Social Empowerment in Trincomalee and Batticaloa Districts and Padaviya Division
Karuna Center for Peacebuilding
Grant #ARD048
5/31/13
1
BACKGROUND The Inter‐religious Cooperation for Community Development and Social Empowerment in Trincomalee and Batticaloa Districts and Padaviya Division program was started in August 2011 and completed in April 2013. It was implemented by Karuna Center for Peacebuilding in partnership with Sarvodaya. The program was designed around the following theory of change: If key religious leaders from all four faith groups can 1) develop mutual understanding and positive, tolerant attitudes towards each other, and 2) engage in joint activities in their communities, then these broader communities will also develop more positive, tolerant attitudes towards each other and ethnic tension will decrease. Religious leaders were selected as the target for a post‐war reconciliation program in the East for several reasons. First, it was understood that in Sri Lanka’s current political climate it would be very difficult to address ethnic tensions directly. While there are many, often unspoken, ethnic tensions left in the wake of the of the 2009 military victory over the LTTE, the government tends to avoid discussions of ethnic grievances and promote the idea that economic development will solve all remaining problems. The citizens of the East know that much more will be needed to rebuild trust after a protracted war that had a deep impact on communal relations. Bringing religious leaders together to explore what they offer from their respective faith traditions to promote social healing could provide a more politically acceptable way of addressing underlying tensions. Ethnicity and religion coincide for all but Christians who can in fact serve as a bridge between Tamils and Sinhalese. Secondly, in Sri Lanka religious leaders have a powerful influence. At a national level Buddhist monks supported the government in seeking a military solution to the war. At the local level the influence of religious leaders extends right down into the grassroots through the celebration of services, rituals, and festivals, and their sermons shape the interpretation of current events, especially at times of social stress. Religious leaders are naturally respected for their moral leadership, and their values are frequently adopted by the population at large. Bringing religious
As Sinhalese and Tamils we were living together side by side. Our politicians manipulated us and got us attacking each other’s throats. We need to go back to the days when we enjoyed peaceful co‐existence. This project is an opportunity for us to come together and understand each other. We have narrowed the gap between us to some extent. We need to continue to bridge this gap as we have all suffered from the war irrespective of our ethnic, religious, and geographical areas. We have a great responsibility to contribute to this process facilitated by Sarvodaya and the Karuna Center.
Quote from Hindu priest at interfaith dialogue workshop 7 months into the program
2
leaders together could provide a very visible way of bridging divides. And so, building on the theory of change stated above, it was thought that if clergy can transform their own prejudices and publicly advocate for tolerance, then reconciliation in the East could be more easily promoted. OBJECTIVES The program was then developed with two core objectives, each with two expected results: OBJECTIVE #1 Empower religious leaders to foster community reconciliation through conflict transformation skills, community development, and social empowerment projects that engage a broad range of community members. Result #1: Religious leaders from four faith groups develop skills in conflict mitigation/resolution skills. Result #2: Religious leaders take initial steps at becoming social change agents in their communities by initiating community development and social empowerment projects that engage a broad range of community members. OBJECTIVE #2 Promote and strengthen opportunities for inter‐religious/inter‐ethnic dialogue in communities to increase understanding and restore trust. Result #1: Religious leaders participate in facilitated inter‐religious dialogues. Result #2: Religious leaders facilitate inter‐religious or inter‐ethnic dialogue in their communities. PROGRAM STRATEGY Our strategy was to select a core group of 80 religious leaders from the four faith groups from Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and Padaviya. These religious leaders would go through a series of peacebuilding trainings and interfaith dialogues to develop mutual understanding and constructive relationships with each other and to develop the skills to become peacebuilders in their communities. They would implement community projects in interfaith teams that would have tangible benefits to local communities at the same time as bridging divides and rebuilding trust. A national conference was planned for the end of the program to give the religious leaders a national stage to share the results of the program and to promote interest in developing a
3
national network of religious leaders. A training of trainers (TOT) for Sarvodaya staff in interfaith peacebuilding was planned to support sustainability. It was believed that a regional approach would link areas, such as Padaviya, where Buddhists felt victimized during the war, with Trincomalee and Batticaloa, where Hindus and Tamils were more likely to see themselves as victims. A regional approach could also build relationships that could support a regional network of religious leaders prepared to advocate for religious and ethnic tolerance in an area deeply affected by the years of war. In a model (Figure 1) that we shared with the religious leaders at the first meeting and every subsequent meeting, we emphasized the importance of their ability to draw on inspiration for reconciliation from their own faith traditions, to build constructive relationships with each other, to develop peacebuilding skills, and to take effective, visible action together. Figure 1
4
Throughout the trainings and dialogue workshops we also emphasized how religious leaders could maximize their impact, using the diagram in Figure 2. If we think of social structure as a pyramid, religious leaders are in the middle with the capacity to form both horizontal and vertical linkages. Their influence reaches down into the grassroots, where they can either heighten divisions or encourage tolerance, by modeling collaboration between themselves and by developing programs that promote mutual understanding. They also have some capacity, albeit limited, to influence regional political and religious leaders. Vertical influence is strengthened in both directions by strong horizontal linkages. The more the religious leaders can bridge their own divides and speak with one voice, the more they can influence the grassroots and advocate for change with decision makers. And they can augment horizontal linkages by influencing local government officials, police, educators, and other community leaders. Figure 2
5
ACTIVITIES The original proposal accepted by CMM/USAID called for a 20‐month program. When the program was rerouted through the SURG contract, it was downsized to 12 months to fit within the SURG contract period. As the SURG contract was extended, the program was given more time and new activities were added. In the end, the grant was for 21 months and contained 19 months of active programming. These changes resulted in a shifting workplan, but one that was able to adapt to emerging needs and opportunities. The following section reviews the activities in chronological order, noting which activities were added as part of the extension. Tables in Annex II compare projected costs with actual costs and projected targets with results. Program Start‐UP (Activity #1) The two‐month start‐up phase focused on recruitment of a core group of 80 religious leaders, 20 from each of the major faith groups. Recruitment was done through district Sarvodaya teams, who encouraged local Sarvodaya societies and Shanti Sena (Sarvodaya’s youth wing) to nominate participants. The following criteria were used to select the core participants: service as a religious leader for a minimum of five years; interest and dedication to peace and community reconciliation; ability to influence colleagues and communities through personal and institutional power; commitment to remain with the project for a full year; and capacity for leadership. Sarvodaya also held meetings with leading district religious leaders from each of the faith groups to ensure their support and to get permission for prospective participants under their supervision to attend. It was deemed especially important to get approval from the heads of participating Buddhist monasteries. Meetings were then held in each district to inform religious leaders, government officials, and potential participants about the details of the program. Religious leaders were recruited as evenly as possible from each of the districts given the constraints of demographics.
Planned Religious Leader Representation
District Buddhist Hindu Christian Islam Total
Trincomalee 08 10 10 07 35 Batticaloa 02 10 08 10 30 Padaviya 10 0 02 03 15 Total 20 20 20 20 80 Christians included both Tamils and Sinhalese and both Catholics and Protestants. While there are no women clergy in Sri Lanka, we did include Christian and Buddhist nuns, as well as female members of religious temple, church, or mosque committees, bringing the total number of women up to six. Targets for the start up phase were met with the exception, that we were not
6
able to recruit Buddhist monks from the town of Batticaloa, where the head monk was not supportive. Two Buddhist monks were instead recruited from outlying villages, but due to the distance and their local responsibilities, they were only peripherally involved, attending only a couple of trainings and community activities. Otherwise, the program began without any overt resistance from religious or government institutions. As with the Batticaloa Buddhists, three Buddhist monks recruited from Padaviya came from small villages and their local responsibilities prevented them from full participation. Two Muslim participants moved to the Middle East part way through the program, and one left the area. While the program began with 80 participants, 72 were active throughout the program and are referred to as the core participants in this report. The final breakdown by religion and district was as follows: (See Annex I for names)
District Buddhist Hindu Christian Islam Total
Trincomalee 07 09 09 07 32 Batticaloa 0 12 09 07 28 Padaviya 07 0 02 03 12 Total 14 21 20 17 72 Intra‐faith trainings (Activity #2) Two‐day single faith trainings, co‐facilitated by Karuna Center and Sarvodaya, provided an important opportunity for each faith group to meet as a cross‐district group; to share their particular concerns about the lingering effects of the war and fears for the future; to develop a list of peace principles from their faith tradition to share with the other faiths; and to establish trust with the Sarvodaya and Karuna Center facilitation
team. The Hindu and Muslim groups were surprisingly forthright about their grievances, frequently referring to Sinhalization of the region. The Christians, coming from both ethnic groups were more circumspect, and the Buddhists, while supportive of the program, seemed less aware of ongoing tensions. For them, peace had at last arrived. This attitude, typical of many dominant groups post‐conflict, gradually shifted over the course of the program. Training was also given on assessing community social problems to prepare the religious leaders for the generation of community projects. The participants were especially interested in this aspect of the program, as they were eager to offer tangible benefits to their communities. During the
GROUP EXERCISE DURING MUSLIM INTRAFAITH TRAINING
7
exercises on conflict and problem analysis, they identified many persistent social problems left in the wake of the war, which they hoped some of the projects could address. Interfaith Peacebuilding Workshop (Activity #3) The initial 80 participants were divided into three interfaith, inter‐region groups for three‐day peacebuilding workshops, co‐facilitated by Karuna Center and Sarvodaya, in which they shared core teachings of each faith, exploring the ways in which all traditions advocate for peace, harmony, respect, and equality. They explored the role identity can play in war and in building peace; how communities are socialized into prejudice;
and how being a religious leader and a peacebuilder can become a shared identity. For many, it was the first time they had spoken to a member of another group. The final day was spent planning for the community projects. There were some initial concerns that community expectations around these projects might be high with hopes for bricks and mortar projects, even though we were explicit from the start that funds were limited and could not be used for construction. These concerns were worked out in subsequent community meetings with project staff, in which the purpose of the projects and limits in scope were more fully explained. The Community Projects (Activity #4) The implementation of community projects in interfaith teams became a core activity of the program. The program originally called for nine projects, three per district. However, we soon realized that such a small number of projects would involve a very limited number of the 80 participants, especially as they had been recruited from throughout the districts, and almost all were eager to participate. In the end, the religious leaders implemented 50 community projects between February 2012 and January 2013. After consultation with the religious leaders, we selected three areas of focus, based on three core areas of need.
1. Language classes‐ Religious leaders saw the inability to communicate across ethnic groups as a root cause of prior conflict and ongoing tension.
2. Economic activities/vocational training‐ Religious leaders saw vocational training and
home gardening as important ways of addressing poverty and youth unemployment, and empowering women.
LEADERS INDENTIFY PRIMARY CONCERNS FOR THEIR FAITH GROUPS
8
3. Peacebuilding activities‐ Religious leaders identified the need to address ongoing social distance and tensions between faith groups, both through informal activities such as sport meets, cultural exchanges, youth camps, and joint voluntary work, and through more structured awareness raising programs, peacebuilding trainings, and student exchanges.
Projects in each of these areas were to be designed in a way that would bring maximum interaction between different faith and ethnic groups. The three core areas of need were acknowledged to be very large. It was understood that the community projects would make small contributions, and we felt it was especially important that the religious leaders themselves take initiative in designing the projects, as they knew best their own capabilities and what would be well received in their communities. The resulting projects included: Language Classes:
• 20 six‐month Tamil, Sinhala, and English language classes for both youth and adults, meeting two‐days a week
• 1 student exchange program with students from language classes Economic/Vocational Training Activities:
• 3 six‐month women’s vocational training projects: including palmyra handicrafts, sewing, and mushroom production
• 1 coconut growing project as a home gardening activity • 4 computer classes for youth
Peacebuilding Activities:
• 2 awareness programs, focusing on managing day to day conflicts, improving relations between communities, and religious teachings on peace from all four faith groups;
• 11 shramadana programs in which mosques, Buddhist and Hindu temples, and churches were painted and grounds improved, and cemeteries cleaned;
• 4 interfaith sports festivals; • 3 cultural exchanges for youth, combined with the distribution of school supplies; • 1 youth camp, involving voluntary work, an awareness program, and cultural sharing
Total numbers reached through these programs along with those reached in a second round of classes added in October 2012 as part of the grant extension (Activity #17) are shown in the following tables:
9
LANGUAGE CLASSES
DISTRICT # Classes # Students
Total Students Activity #4 Activity #17 Activity #4 Activity #17
Trincomalee 12 10 498 368 866 Batticaloa 5 3 137 100 237 Padaviya 5 5 145 137 282 Total 22 18 780 605 1,385
SRAMADANA WORK CAMPS
DISTRICT # Programs # Participants Notes
Trincomalee 10 996 2 Buddhist temples, 3 Hindu temples, 3 Mosques and 3 Churches
Batticaloa 0 0
Padaviya 3 669 6 Mosques, 3 Buddhist temples, 1 Hindu temple and 1 Church
Total 13 1,665
COMPUTER CLASSES
DISTRICT # Classes # Students
Total Students Activity #4 Activity #17 Activity #4 Activity #17
Trincomalee 1 1 35 35 70 Batticaloa 0 0 0 0 0 Padaviya 3 0 138 0 138 Total 4 1 173 35 208
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT PROJECTS
DISTRICT # Programs # Beneficiaries Total
Beneficiaries Activity #4 Activity #17 Activity #4 Activity #17 Trincomalee 0 0 0 0 0 Batticaloa 1 1 21 20 41 Padaviya 2 1 52 25 77 Total 3 1 73 45 118
COMMUNITY AWARENESS ON PEACEBUILDING
DISTRICT # Programs # Beneficiaries Total
Beneficiaries Activity #4 Activity #17 Activity #4 Activity #17 Batticaloa 4 0 955 0 955 Total 4 0 955 0 955
10
SPORTS
DISTRICT # Programs # Beneficiaries Total
Beneficiaries Activity #4 Activity #17 Activity #4 Activity #17 Batticaloa 3 0 276 0 276 Trincomalee 2 0 136 0 136 Total 5 0 412 0 412
CULTURAL SHARING AND SCHOOL MATERIAL DISTRIBUTION
DISTRICT # Programs # Beneficiaries Total
Beneficiaries Activity #4 Activity #17 Activity #4 Activity #17 Padaviya 1 0 213 0 213 Trincomalee 4 0 480 0 480 Total 5 0 693 0 693
HOME GARDENING
DISTRICT # Programs # Beneficiaries Total
Beneficiaries Activity #4 Activity #17 Activity #4 Activity #17 Padaviya 1 0 505 0 505 Total 1 0 505 0 505
STUDENT EXCHANGES
DISTRICT # Programs # Beneficiaries Total
Beneficiaries Activity #4 Activity #17 Activity #4 Activity #17 Trincomalee 2 0 275 0 275 Total 2 0 275 0 275 Annex II shows projected targets and actuals for each of these activities. In many cases, a project involved a series of discreet activities. For example, the awareness program in Batticaloa involved a number of one‐day events in different locations, and many of the shramadana projects involved work on several different religious sites on different days. As mentioned, there was some initial concern among the religious leaders about community expectations. However, the religious leaders were uniformly pleased with how the projects were received in their communities. In impact interviews, community project beneficiaries spoke enthusiastically about the projects and in many instances described forging new relationships across religious and ethnic divides.1 Among Tamil and Sinhala youth, interest in learning each
1 Impact interviews were conducted at the end of the project by a consultant hired by Sarvodaya to write a Learning
11
other’s languages seemed particularly high. Notably, additional Tamil classes were added in Padaviya in October 2012 due to demand. While for many, initial motivation to learn Tamil or Sinhala may have been to improve chances of employment, during interviews students spoke with enthusiasm about making new friends and being able to speak to each other at shramadana events or when invited to each other’s festivals. Participation in language classes was quite even among faith groups. While classes were primarily attended by youth, adults also participated. In impact interviews the religious leaders highlighted the value of shramadana activities in which religious leaders, community members, and government officials worked together painting, digging, and repairing religious sites and then shared meals and cultural festivities. Faith groups took pride in being hosts to other groups and invitations were then extended for subsequent festivals.
In some instances the projects were the first activities to bring divided communities together. For example, an elderly Buddhist monk recently spearheaded the resettlement of the remote Buddhist village Morawawa in Trincomalee District, which was abandoned after an LTTE attack killed six villagers in the early years of the war. The monk wished to reach out to the surrounding Hindu villages by inviting their youth to attend a computer class at the temple. He personally visited the Hindu villages to convince parents that their children would be safe
The Imam of the Jinnar Nagar mosque prepared his congregation to host a shramadana by telling the story of how the prophet Mohammed built a church in Mecca so that Christians would also have a place to pray. It was the first time members of other faith groups would be entering the mosque, and the Imam wanted his congregation to understand that religious tolerance is a core teaching of Islam. The congregation then hosted 80 people from the other three faith groups over the course of a week to repair the mosque and its grounds. The volunteers (including Sinhalese) also decided to build a toilet for a poor Muslim widow, who lived near the mosque, and bought the materials with their own funds. All this was occurring at the same time that the mosque in Dambulla was attacked. The difference in attitude was noted by all, and the congregation of Jinnar Nagar has continued to host other faith groups in its celebration of Muslim festivals.
SHRAMADANA AT JINNAR NAGAR MOSQUE
12
coming to a class held at a Buddhist temple in a Sinhala village. He bought two computers and provided transportation with temple funds. Friendships have developed between the children, and their families are now also becoming acquainted. The Palmyra project served three villages, two Hindu and Christian and one Muslim, in a border area. During the war the LTTE occupied the two Hindu/Christian villages and the Sinhalese army the Muslim villages. Villagers were accused of being collaborators by both sides. Shops and houses were burned and civilians lost their lives. Before the start of this program, relations remained distant and/or hostile, as youths often became involved in skirmishes. The program gathered 20 Hindu, Muslim, and Christians women who received training five full days a week for six months. After the training, the women continued to work daily in interfaith teams in each other’s homes to fill basket orders requested by the Palmyra board. When interviewed, they elaborated on the ways that their joint training and subsequent shared work has helped to build better relations. They now attend weddings, funerals, and festivals in each other’s villages and bring along their families and friends. If they witness trouble brewing among youths, they warn each other, call the religious leaders, and if necessary, call the police.
Throughout the activities in the project, in the interfaith dialogue workshops, the mid and final knowledge sharing meeting, in district council meetings, in the mid and final surveys, and in impact interviews, religious leader spoke repeatedly of the importance of these projects. They were proud to be able to offer something of perceived value to their communities, and they formed strong relationships across faith groups through the implementation of the projects.
They spoke increasingly of the power of making their joint work publically visible, both to their respective communities and to district officials. One of the many ways they did this was by publically worshipping in each other’s religious sanctuaries during events associated with the projects. Fifty separate projects was challenging from the perspective of project management, but deepened the trust and relationship building that was core to the objectives of the project. The religious leaders were not just talking about interfaith tolerance but practicing it and practicing it publically. Results for this activity far exceeded original targets and expectations. The original project design also called for the religious leaders to facilitate community dialogues. In the first and second dialogue workshops religious leaders engaged in intensive dialogues with each other and learned and practiced dialogue facilitation skills. It was decided, however, that community dialogues were best folded into existing community projects, as part of an
HINDU, MUSLIM, AND CHRISTIAN WOMEN LEARN TO WEAVE PALMYRA
13
awareness program or a youth exchange, rather than creating them as stand alone events, which people may not be motivated to attend. In this manner, the dialogues would also have more context and could be more easily managed by the religious leaders. Products under Activity #4 There were three anticipated products under Activity# 4; 1. Interfaith calendars: Religious leaders came together to develop an interfaith calendar that they could share with their congregations, communities, schools, and government institutions to build awareness of each other’s religious holidays. The target number was 1500, but for the same price we were able to produce 4,000, which were given to the religious leaders for distribution. A separate calendar was printed for the Muslim community without pictures of people or animals to respect their religious practices. 2. Children’s storybooks: Religious leaders collected stories related to peace and tolerance from each of their faith groups to be published in Tamil, Sinhala, and English. These took much longer to produce than planned, largely because we were not at first satisfied with the quality of the stories. They were, however, published in time for distribution at the national conference. The target number was 3,000, but we were able to publish 6,000 (2,000 in each language) for the budgeted amount. The distribution plan is included in Annex III. It is hoped that these stories will be a valuable resource for language learning in addition to enhancing awareness that messages of peace and tolerance lie at the heart of all religions. 3. Radio and TV spots, and video documentary A 30‐minute video documentary filmed over the course of the program has been completed. It documents the full range of program activities and results, concluding with the national conference. It will be made available to program participants to show to their congregations and communities and to other peacebuilding organizations. The effort to get TV and radio spots was abandoned, as we discovered these would be expensive, politically sensitive, and of little interest to TV networks. “Interfaith peacebuilding is not easily marketable,” we were told. However, we were able to get TV and press coverage for the exchange program with religious leaders from Galle and for the national conference. Interfaith Dialogue Workshop #1 (Activity #6) This workshop, held in March 2012 and co‐facilitated by Karuna Center and Sarvodaya, had a profound effect on the program. After an opportunity for sharing on the successes and
14
challenges of the community projects, the workshop proceeded with 1) skill building for the kind of listening and speaking required for constructive interfaith dialogue; 2) actual dialogue on how each faith group was affected by the war and their concerns for the future; and 3) dialogue facilitation practice. During the dialogues, members of each group spoke openly and personally about the impact of the war. They spoke of loosing loved ones, witnessing atrocities, being falsely accused of conspiring with one side or another, of displacement, loosing lands, and fear for their lives, in addition to current concerns about ongoing discrimination. In the reflection period afterwards, all faith groups expressed surprised that they had been able to share so openly, and the subsequent sense of relief was palpable. All faith groups also spoke to the value of the exchange.
“Yesterday we learned the difference between debate and dialogue, and today we actually had a dialogue. Everyone spoke from their hearts, and we were able to listen and to understand their experience. But only those in this room had this experience. We must have these dialogues with all religious leaders and in our communities.” – Buddhist monk
“We spoke of the wounds in our hearts and minds. There were no lies; the truth came out.” – Christian Pastor
“We think we as a minority were the only ones affected, but we have heard how the Buddhist monks suffered too. In war everyone suffers.” – Hindu Priest
“We have understood that hiding our feelings does not help. After sharing openly, we feel more ready to compromise with others, and in our Friday sermons we can encourage others to compromise.” ‐ Imam
15
The dialogue experience inspired the leaders to attempt to develop the same kind of understanding and compassion through their community projects. They emphasized the importance of being very visible in their work together by attending each others’ festivals and project events, of making full use of their influence in their communities, and of resisting any political forces that might pull them apart. As
an Imam put it, “There are elements in the society that try their best to keep us apart. We need to understand that and to be resolute to stay together, as we are here.” Mid‐program Review and Knowledge Sharing (Activity #5) A one‐day program review was held with 24 representative participants and the Karuna Center/Sarvodaya facilitation team and project staff to review the project’s objectives, results to date, and to discuss any course corrections to improve upon the project’s impact. As this activity came immediately after the very successful interfaith dialogues, the participants seemed overly optimistic about the possibilities, and we worked hard to help them anticipate possible challenges as they reached more deeply into their communities or interacted with religious leaders less open to the project’s goals. There was a general consensus that the community projects offered the greatest vehicle for impact, but that the religious leaders could do more to make sure these projects serve peacebuilding ends, by bringing different communities together wherever possible, visiting the language classes to speak about their different faith traditions, and attending each other’s project events. We also held a half‐day evaluation meeting with the project staff in which we evaluated our progress on the “outcome markers” we developed as a group at the start of the project. In general, the staff was satisfied with progress, and the discussion focused on specific challenges and ways to increase impact. Exposure Visits (Activity #8) Forty of the 80 religious leaders in the program participated in an exposure visit to Galle, where they were hosted by the Galle District Interfaith Peace Foundation, which was formed in 1982 to address anti‐Tamil sentiment among the Sinhalese majority in Galle District. The Foundation has
INTERFAITH DIALOGUE
16
been active ever since, conducting dialogues, community mediations, peace marches, interfaith programs for community leaders, and district peace conferences. The religious leaders from the East were very interested to learn how the Galle leaders have worked over the years to diffuse communal tensions before they erupted, and there were lively discussions on how these strategies could be adapted for the East.
A delegation of 25 from the Galle Peace Foundation made a return exchange visit to Batticaloa, where they were hosted by our Batticaloa participants. Many additional religious, civic leaders, and government officials attended the opening event. The religious leaders from Galle visited the Palmyra project (which was of particular interest to them as an example of peacebuilding through a joint economic venture)
and engaged with our religious leaders in dialogues on the ways religious values shape their lives and how religious leaders can promote social cohesion.
District Meetings (Activity #13)2 From the start of the community projects, religious leaders held meetings with district Sarvodaya staff to coordinate and monitor the community projects. In Batticaloa and subsequently Padaviya, these evolved into both divisional level and district level meetings, and the religious leaders grew interested not only in coordinating the management of their projects, but in developing organizational structures that would continue beyond the grant. Meetings were then held in each district in July and August with the dual agenda of evaluating the progress and impact of the community projects and sharing ideas for creating permanent district‐level interfaith councils. Training for Religious Committee members (Activity #14)3 Each faith group has active lay religious leaders, who are members of committees to support the work of their Hindu Kovil, Buddhist temple, church, or mosque. Among our 80 core participants, we already had a few members of religious committees, who proved to be active and valuable participants. Engaging them was also a way of bringing in more women. In the mid‐term evaluation interviews, religious leaders commented that their duties as clergy prevented them
2 This activity was added in July and August 2012, using unspent funds from Activity #4. 3 Added activity in July 2012, using unspent funds from Activity #4.
A HINDU PRIEST AND A BUDDHIST MONK SHAKING HANDS AT THE EVENING CULTURAL EXCHANGE
17
from doing as much as they would like to support the community projects. Providing peacebuilding training to religious committee members, particularly targeting youth (under 35 years of age) seemed like a good way to strengthen the reach and impact of the program and include more women. It was hoped that these young people would become active supporters of the community projects and interfaith councils, and take on their own interfaith initiatives through established Shanti Sena committees (the youth wing of Sarvodaya). We set a target of 80, but the interest was strong, and a total of 93 participated in two‐day trainings in each of the districts (62 males and 31 females). Sarvodaya facilitated the workshops, adapting training tools and exercises used for the core participants in previous trainings. At least half of these young people became actively involved in program activities, while the others are bringing their exposure to peacebuilding skills to their work with Shanti Sena committees. Interfaith Dialogue Workshop #2 (Activity #9) A second set of interfaith dialogue workshops took place in late August and early September 2012, co‐facilitated by Karuna Center and Sarvodaya. The program was designed to deepen skills that could enhance the religious leaders’ capacity to increase their impact as bridge builders and social change agents. We had a section on “Do No Harm,” in which they looked both for unintended consequences of their community projects and for ways to strengthen them. Based on religious leaders interest in the Galle Peace Foundation’s capacity to diffuse tensions with early intervention, we also had a unit on basic mediation and conflict resolution skills. In a spectrum exercise, the leaders placed themselves between two poles, one with the words “there is no peace in the Eastern province” and the other with the words “there is complete peace”. In both workshops, most participants stood closer to the end of “no peace,” demonstrating a more honest and sophisticated understanding of their context than at the
start of the program. This exercise led to a discussion of the fact that peace is more than the absence of violence and to a candid look at the many injustices and challenges that remain. As one Tamil participant put it, “Tamils especially do not feel secure. Things are still burning under the surface.” A Buddhist monk acknowledged. “We only have half peace.” Participants identified obstacles to peace, which were then used as topics for practice dialogue sessions after a review of dialogue facilitation skills. Some groups also chose to focus on social problems as a subject for dialogue, ones that they feel they have a moral obligation to address as clergy. The prevalence of childhood sexual abuse since the end of the war was high on the list.
A BUDDHIST MONK AND AN IMAM CO‐FACILITATE A PRACTICE DIALOGUE SESSION
18
Establishing District Interfaith councils (Activity #15)4 Another round of district meetings was scheduled for October 2012 to develop a formal structure for the interfaith councils and to get the religious leaders input on planning for the national conference. In each district, an 11‐member core group, whose members were nominated by the broader group with an eye to equal participation of faith groups, was given the responsibility for taking decisions and moving the council forward. Officers were elected with slightly different structures in each district. Continuing Community Projects (Activity #17)5 When the decision was made to extend the project at least until February 2013, the religious leaders and project staff requested a second five‐month round of the most successful classes, which included 18 language classes, the Morawawa computer class, a second sewing training in Padaviya, and a second palmyra class in Batticaloa. These projects all met targets and were well appreciated. Numbers of participants in these classes are included in the tables for Activity #4. Rescue Stories (Activity #19)6 The objective of the rescue stories project was to engage the religious leaders in collecting and disseminating stories of rescue from the years of war, examples where a member of one ethnic group took personal risk to save the lives of members of another group. As with most violent conflicts, stories of atrocity in Sri Lanka receive wide attention and leave a bitter residue, whereas stories of rescue, which could counterbalance negative stereotypes and support reconciliation, go mostly untold. Leora Kahn, the director of a Karuna Center partner organization, Proof: Media for Social Justice, conducted a day‐long training on the collection and use of rescue stories for 20 participants, including interested religious leaders and project staff. She then worked with them to collect interviews from 22 rescuers that the religious leaders had previously identified. Ten of these stories were published in a pamphlet in Tamil, Sinhala, and English. The hope was to have the pamphlet ready for distribution at the national conference. But problems with the quality of the translation, the need to check on accuracy of some of the facts, and concerns about political sensitivities regarding the way some of the stories were told delayed publication until the end of
4 Added as part of the extension. 5 Added as part of the extension. 6 Added as part of the extension.
19
the project. 1500 pamphlets have been printed and the distribution plan is described in Annex III) New Community Projects (Activity #16)7 The three district interfaith councils each initiated a new community project to give them visibility and experience in organizing and managing activities as an interfaith organization. Activities were selected after a thorough discussion of community needs, opportunities for strengthening inter‐community relations, and potential impact. The process of finding a common purpose despite differences appears to have strengthened the religious leaders confidence in their ability to work together. The Batticaloa district interfaith council organized three shramadana programs to re‐paint a Hindu temple, a mosque, and a church. Members of the Trincomalee and Padaviya district interfaith councils decided to conduct awareness programs on child abuse and child rights for high school students of mixed ethnicity. These activities were successfully implemented, according to planned for targets. National Conference (Activity #10) The national conference titled “National Reconciliation and Development through Inter‐religious Coexistence” was held on March 2, 2013 at the BIMCH convention center in Colombo. Our core group of 72 religious leaders from Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and Padaviya joined religious leaders from round the country, including high level leaders from each faith group. In total, 542 religious leaders and 83 members of civil society attended, along with TV, radio, and print journalists. The Total of 625 participants exceeded the original target of 300 and a revised target for the cost extension of 500. Highlights of the conference were broadcast on four TV news programs. Sarvodaya staff presented the achievements of the 20‐month program and showed a video montage of its activities. A Hindu priest and Buddhist monk from the program gave speeches on the project’s impact and read the joint recommendations that were developed by the interfaith councils.8 (See Annex IV) There were also speeches by eminent religious leaders from each faith group and by Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, President of the Sarvodaya Movement. In later discussions about the conference at district council meetings, the religious leaders expressed pride in bringing their achievements and recommendations to a national audience. They were well aware that the conference was coming at a critical time, just as the extremist Buddhist group, Bodu Bala Sena, was becoming active and tensions with Muslims were on the
7 Added as part of the extension. 8 Arriving at joint recommendations that all could agree upon took some real negotiation at a day‐long meeting of the 11‐member core groups and involved important discussions about the appropriate relationship between religion and politics.
20
rise, as witnessed in the recent objections to the sale of Halal meat to non‐Muslims. An ongoing theme over the course of the program has been how the religious leaders can promote greater interfaith harmony though three different activities: building horizontal linkages with each other, influencing the grassroots, and advocating with leaders and policy makers. This was their first attempt at advocacy.
“NATIONAL RECONCILIATION AND DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INTER‐RELIGIOUS COEXISTENCE”, CONFERENCE HELD
AT THE BIMCH CONVENTION CENTER
Unfortunately, to the chagrin of many of our non‐Buddhist program participants in particular, at the close of the conference a vote of thanks was given by a well known Buddhist monk, who described Sri Lanka as a Buddhist Sinhala country where all religions are free to practice as long as they can adapt and respect the ways of the Buddhist Sinhala culture. In subsequent discussions at the district councils, we looked at this statement as emblematic of dominant attitudes and the challenges the religious leaders face in bringing positive change. They recognize that they have come a long way in the last 20 months and that in many respects they are ahead of their own leaders. Final District Interfaith Council Core Group Meetings9
9 Added activity as part of the extension.
21
In the last months of the program, the district interfaith councils became active organizations, supervising community projects and preparing joint resolutions for the national conference. The Batticaloa and Trincomalee groups are applying for NGO status, while the Padaviya group has decided to operate as a group within the Sarvodaya structure. After the national conference, Olivia Dreier from Karuna Center had a strategic planning meeting with the core groups of each district council to develop a SWOT analysis, a clear mission statement, clear goals for the coming months, and ideas for activities that would support those specific goals. Each council core group produced a draft planning document to discuss with other
council members and present at the Final Symposium. In performing the SWOT analysis, all three councils noted general receptivity and enthusiasm for the community projects, as well as strong relationships between the religious leaders, as a strengths and opportunities. Acknowledging the presence of potential “spoilers,” they strategized on ways to build their base by working with other moderate leaders. Funding of course will be a major challenge to the sustainability of these organizations, but the leaders expressed confidence that they could raise small funds from their religious institutions and local businesses for community activities. The Batticaloa group has already started to implement their own programs without the support of the grant. In March, they held two peacebuilding awareness programs, one in a Muslim village and one in a Hindu village. They have apparently adapted some of the training activities used in the program for these activities. The meetings also offered an opportunity to reflect on the national conference. Notably, the Buddhist monk who is president of the Trincomalee council apologized on behalf of Buddhists for the remarks made by the Buddhist monk at the close of the national conference and emphasized his own commitment to pluralism. Final Knowledge Sharing Symposium (Activity #11) A Final Knowledge Sharing Symposium was held for the core participants and the most active of the trained youth religious leaders. A Total of 88 participants attended, including 59 from the core group and 34 of the youth leaders. The morning was devoted to looking back over the course of the program and reflecting on the changes participants noted in themselves and in their communities. In the afternoon each of the district councils met to ratify the action plans
MEMBERS OF THE BATTICALOA INTERFAITH COUNCIL PREPARE PLANNING DOCUMENT
22
developed by their core groups. These plans were then presented in plenary. The day ended with closing remarks from a member of each of the four faith groups. A Buddhist monk from Trincomalee recalled how nervous they were to meet each other in the beginning of the program, afraid of each other’s accusations, of blame for the horrors of the war. He remembered feeling stymied by the Tamil/Sinhala language barrier, uncertain of others’ religious customs, of what would offend. “Now we are friends, almost like family,” he commented. “It is time for us to heal the divisions that have caused so much suffering in this country.“ A Hindu priest, also from Trincomalee, noted, “We have learned to not allow our religion to box us in. Now we see that as religious leaders we have similar values. We are all human beings. The fact that we practice separate faiths and wear different types of religious garments need not separate us.” Given that the war ended with a military victory and that ethnic and religious tensions remain high, the trusting relationships these religious leaders have forged is no small accomplishment. TOT Interfaith Manual (Activity #18)10 Karuna Center staff, with input from Sarvodaya, created a TOT manual in interfaith peacebuilding based on the trainings and dialogues held over the course of the program. The manual contains six chapters: Interfaith Peacebuilding; Conflict Analysis; Social Healing and Dialogue Practices to Promote Interfaith Understanding and Cooperation; Peacebuilding Interventions to Address Interfaith Conflicts; Becoming an Interfaith Peacebuilding Trainer and Facilitator; and Additional Group Building Exercises. Each chapter contains explanations of theory, models for teaching, and instruction for interactive exercises. 1,500 copies have been printed in English, Tamil, and Sinhala. The United States Institute of Peace will also distribute it on its peacebuilding and religion network of 2,000, and it will be made available to other organizations practicing interfaith peacebuilding. (See Annex 3 for the full distribution plan.) TOT Training on Interfaith Peacebuilding for Sarvodaya staff (Activity #10) Karuna Center director Olivia Dreier together with Pradeep Mahamuthugala (a Sarvodaya consultant who co‐led all the program’s workshops) led a three‐day TOT in interfaith peacebuilding to build the capacity of Sarvodaya staff to continue the work of interfaith peacebuilding. Sixteen Sarvodaya staff engaged in social programming and two staff members from the National Peace Council attended the workshop. Key exercises from the TOT manual were practiced and participants discussed their potential uses in a variety of settings. Participants also designed their own interfaith trainings for specific target groups and presented segments to the larger group for feedback. While three days was a short period of time to cover
10 Added as part of the extension.
23
the scope of interfaith peacebuilding and to practice designing interfaith trainings and facilitation skills, it was sufficient to teach the basic methodology. The TOT manual will provide an ongoing resource, as participants gain additional facilitation experience.
TOT PARTICIPANTS PRACTICE DIALOGUE TECHNIQUES
Other Products to Promote Interfaith Harmony In addition to the many project activities, a goal of the program has been to produce products that can reach a wider audience with messages of interfaith harmony. The interfaith calendars, children’s peace stories, rescue stories, TOT manual, and video have already been mentioned. A 46‐page Learning Sharing Document was prepared by a consultant hired by Sarvodaya and was printed in Tamil and Sinhala. It describes in detail the program activities and lessons learned. It contains interviews with program participants as well as project beneficiaries, and lists the joint recommendations of the district councils for improved interfaith relations in Sri Lanka. It was distributed at the national conference and will be made available to other interested groups. IMPACT The impact of this type of program is hard to measure and will become more apparent over time. However, based on a variety of evaluation tools—which included written surveys, mid‐term and final interviews with our core participants; outcome mapping with project staff; and impact interviews with participants, project beneficiaries, and community members—the
24
overall impact appears to be significant, and in fact beyond program expectations. These finding are addressed in detail in a separate evaluation report. Our evaluation tools were designed to test our theory of change: If key religious leaders from all four faith groups can 1) develop mutual understanding and positive, tolerant attitudes towards each other, and 2) engage in joint activities in their communities, then these broader communities will also develop more positive, tolerant attitudes towards each other and ethnic tension will decrease. Our methods sought to capture changes in attitudes and behaviors in both the core group of religious leaders and the communities they serve. As described in the evaluation report, changes in attitude and behavior among the core group were pronounced. At the start of the program many of the religious leaders had never spoken to members of another faith group, let alone shared grievances left from the war or concerns for the future. By the end of the program, the religious leaders had uniformly grown interested in learning about each other’s faiths; spoke of new understanding of how each group had suffered during the war; no longer blamed each other for community problems; and described heightened awareness of and respect for diverse points of view. Their relationships with each other became notably more relaxed and friendly. Hindu priests no longer routinely ate their meals separately, and Buddhist monks no longer required white cloths on their chairs. The religious leaders invited each other to attend their festivals, and during shramadana activities publically worshipped in each other’s religious sanctuaries. Many also commented on feeling safer and more comfortable when traveling or interacting with other faith groups outside of the project context. Interviews with the young religious committee members who were trained part way through the program also demonstrated attitudinal and behavioral shifts. Some youth participants confessed to former prejudices, and all spoke of new friendships across religious lines and of enthusiasm for engaging in more interfaith activities. The combination of interfaith dialogues and shared work on the community projects over many months appears have cemented strong bonds between the religious leaders that all felt were likely to last. The projects themselves had a significant impact in the regions where they took place. Several reasons were given. The projects brought people from different communities together, often for the first time, since the end of the war; the projects included discussions about peace and exposure to different faith traditions; and community members witnessed their religious leaders working collaboratively across faith groups. From religious leaders, religious committee members, and community project beneficiaries there were many reports of reduced tension and warmer relations at the community level, of members of different faith groups attending each other’s festivals, weddings, and funerals for the first time, and of youth from the language classes walking to school in mixed groups.
25
In our estimation, impact at the community level could have been further increased by more youth exchanges, especially among language students. There was one exchange and one youth camp, many language students participated in the shramadana activities and sports festivals, and we did learn of further activities that participating youth initiated on their own. However, more exchanges could have deepened relationships and perhaps led to more of a ripple effect. The program already had a massive number of activities to manage, and we simply could not add more. As mentioned, the emphasis in the community projects was to engage all the religious leaders in work in their own or nearby communities, which led to a large number of activities. More exchanges, however, would fit well with any subsequent programming. As discussed in the next section, the district interfaith councils will be essential to sustainability, but they will also have the opportunity to build on the impacts already achieved. These impacts can be increased if the councils can be engaged and supported in future USAID programming. As they are comprised of members of both the core group and the youth religious committee members, they also have the opportunity to increase impacts with the younger generation. In assessing impact against the program objectives and hoped‐for results we can say the following:
OBJECTIVE #1 Empower religious leaders to foster community reconciliation through conflict transformation skills, community development, and social empowerment projects that engage a broad range of community members. Result #1: Religious leaders from four faith groups develop skills in conflict mitigation/resolution skills. Result #2: Religious leaders take initial steps at becoming social change agents in their communities by initiating community development and social empowerment projects that engage a broad range of community members.
The results of surveys, interviews, outcome mapping, and significant change stories would all suggest that our first objective was successfully met with the expected results. The religious leaders have developed understanding for the sources of conflict and skills for bridging divides between themselves and among their communities. They report that in their awareness and peacebuilding community projects they use many of the models and skills that they learned in the program’s series of trainings. They have taken their role as social change agents seriously. They have developed three district‐level interfaith councils to continue to implement community‐based interfaith projects and publically model interfaith collaboration. In the
26
Hoivopatham area of Padaviya and in the Kantale area of Trincomalee, Muslim and Buddhist religious leaders have formed interfaith committees in collaboration with local government and police to address rising Buddhist/Muslim tensions.
OBJECTIVE #2 Promote and strengthen opportunities for inter‐religious/inter‐ethnic dialogue in communities to increase understanding and restore trust. Result #1: Religious leaders participate in facilitated inter‐religious dialogues. Result #2: Religious leaders facilitate inter‐religious or inter‐ethnic dialogue in their communities.
In evaluating our success in achieving the second objective, we can say that the community projects clearly had the effect of increasing mutual understanding and restoring trust at the community level. However, for the most part this was accomplished through joint activities and “awareness and peacebuilding programs,” rather than stand‐alone dialogues. While the religious leaders gained tremendously from their own dialogue experiences and incorporated dialogue‐like discussions into community programs, particularly those with youth, these discussions were not the kind of in‐depth dialogues the religious leaders themselves engaged in as part of their training. In‐depth dialogue requires experienced facilitators, especially when the topics are sensitive. The religious leaders chose wisely the kinds of activities that they could manage and that their communities would be ready to receive as a first step in rebuilding relationships. In retrospect, result #2 was overly ambitious and would be more appropriate in a future phase, both for the religious leaders and for their communities. SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES The project developed two primary vehicles for sustainability: increasing Sarvodaya’s capacity to promote interfaith reconciliation, and developing interfaith councils that can continue the work at the regional level. The interfaith district councils have the potential to sustain the work of the project but also face challenges. The Batticaloa council is especially strong and probably has the greatest capacity to maintain itself as an organization, especially if they receive ongoing advice and support from the district office of Sarvodaya. At the final meeting of the council core group, members spoke confidently of their capacity to register their organization and to raise money for their activities from local business leaders or their congregations. In fact, they have already initiated two interfaith awareness programs without any financial support from the grant. Council members did acknowledge the need for more participation from Buddhist monks. As the head monk of
27
the main Buddhist monastery in the town of Batticaloa is not supportive, they brainstormed ways of engaging more moderate monks from surrounding towns. The Padaviya council is well motivated, but decided to remain under the umbrella of the district Sarvodaya office. Working in a largely Buddhist area, they noted the importance of working in a quieter way that would not attract unwanted attention. The Trincomalee council is the most ethnically and religiously diverse and has a strong commitment to interfaith work. However, the council at this stage is not highly organized and will need more ongoing guidance from Sarvodaya. Karuna Center will have access to a small amount of funding from an international tea distributor that wishes to reinvest some of its profits from Sri Lankan tea for interfaith reconciliation projects. It is hoped that these monies can contribute to the work of the interfaith councils on an ongoing basis. They will be administered by the Shanti Sena arm of Sarvodaya. During the final meetings, the religious leaders all acknowledged that there will be people in their religious institutions, the government, and their communities who may try to thwart their efforts towards interfaith tolerance and reconciliation. Incidents that arose over the course of the program were small and successfully managed. In one instance a Grama Seva who at first strenuously objected to local community projects, fearing that Christians would use them to proselytize, became a great supporter and himself participated in shramadana activities. However, the religious leaders are aware that religious tensions in Sri Lanka are on the rise, and the interfaith councils are likely to require ongoing support from Sarvodaya to manage opposition to their interfaith efforts. One threat to sustainability is a proliferation of interfaith activities initiated by different organizations. In Batticaloa and Trincomalee, religious leaders reported being asked to attend too many different meetings. They felt our program had the most heft, as it was not just talk but connected to real projects. Nevertheless, the need for better coordination is clear. A Karuna Center volunteer began documenting all the different interfaith work in Sri Lanka in order to support linkages and avoid duplication. While the document is a work in progress, it has been shared with Sarvodaya and is included with this report in the hopes that it can support better coordination in the future. One of the original goals of the national conference was to create a foundation for a national network of religious leaders committed to interfaith peacebuilding. This goal was not pursued, as it was not realistic in the ensuing political climate. However, the director of Sarvodaya’s Shanti Sena movement is the South Asian representative of the international organization United Religions Initiative (URI), and plans to create regional chapters that could serve as the framework of a national interfaith network. The fact that URI is an international group might make it less subject to Sri Lankan politics.
28
Through close collaboration with Sarvodaya staff throughout the project, the TOT training, and the TOT manual, Karuna Center worked hard to build the capacity of Sarvodaya to strengthen and broaden its interfaith work. While interfaith collaboration has always been a core tenet of Sarvodaya’s philosophy of practice, this program offered more specific approaches to the kind of skill building that can foster trusting relationships across deep divides, address underlying tensions, and impact the community at large through joint projects that very visibly model interfaith tolerance and cooperation. LESSONS LEARNED Interfaith peacebuilding in Sri Lanka today requires a partner that is accepted by both the government and all faith groups. Sarvodaya was effective as an implementing partner as it had the full trust of the Buddhist community, the respect of government officials, and at the same time acceptance by all faith groups as genuinely respectful and inclusive. It also had deep reach and trust at the community level due to its long history of village empowerment and rural development. Starting the program with intra‐faith workshops was essential to building trust with the facilitation team. These workshops also allowed the facilitation team to hear fully the concerns of each group, and they permitted the religious leaders to build intrafaith relations between districts. Trust and relationship‐building between faith groups was best achieved through a combination of training in peacebuilding skills, interfaith dialogue, and joint work through community projects. Peacebuilding training provided a relatively nonthreatening structure that allowed religious leaders from mixed faith groups to come to a joint understanding of the inter‐communal tensions left in the wake of war. Out of this shared framework, it was then possible to go more deeply into current grievances and concerns through carefully facilitated dialogues. The dialogue process was a turning point. As the religious leaders often said, it allowed them to address the wounds they still carried in their hearts and motivated them to promote reconciliation at the community level. By working together as interfaith teams on the community projects, the religious leaders were able to publically model interfaith collaboration. In addition to the actual benefits of the projects, the religious leaders saw this as one of their most important contributions. Community members responded positively to activities that brought them together across communities. Whether through shramadana activities, language, or handicraft classes, we frequently heard that community members were eager to build relationships across perceived divides once given the opportunity. This indicated that communities will often take their lead from their religious leaders, who can serve as very influential exemplars.
29
District interfaith councils are important for local ownership of the project and for sustainability. These councils were not planned as part of the original proposal, and the inspiration for them came from the religious leaders themselves. They proved to be a very important addition to our model. Project management would have benefited from having a Karuna Center employee in Sri Lanka. A project of this scope is difficult to mange from afar. As the number of community projects grew, in order to respond to the geographical spread of the core participants, the timely collection of receipts and timely production financial reports became more challenging. A local Karuna Center employee could have made project management more efficient. This type of project requires ample time. A one‐year program would have been too short to achieve the desired results. The initial relationship and trust building among the core group of religious leaders took time, and it took time to get the community projects successfully launched. While strong results were achieved, the program would have benefited from another six months. Additional time would have given the opportunity for more exchange programs for students who had completed advanced level language classes and for the district councils to have more coaching and practice functioning as independent organization, thus enhancing sustainability. CONCLUSIONS Both Karuna Center and Sarvodaya believe that the program has had a significant impact and in many ways far exceeded expectations. We are aware that along the way the sheer complexity of the program resulted in reporting delays, and we appreciate Tetra Tech ARD’s patience and support with these challenges. Expected results could not have been achieved in a single year, and we are also grateful that we were able to extend for an additional eight months, in keeping with the timeframe that was initially proposed. The sequence of activities outlined in the original proposal all proved important in meeting the program’s objectives. There is nothing that in retrospect we would have eliminated. However, the flexibility to add new activities was also essential to the program’s overall success. Notably, the addition of over 90 young religious committee members strengthened the community projects and the overall reach of the program. The formation of district councils has created a foundation for sustainability. Karuna Center is immensely grateful to Tetra Tech ARD and most especially to Sarvodaya. Without Sarvodaya’s vast reach and respect at the community level, along with its reputation as an organization that welcomes all religions, none of the program’s achievements would have
30
been possible. While we believe that the program’s impact has been significant, we also recognize that reconciliation after 26 years of war takes a long time. We hope that the interfaith councils will receive support from USAID and other donors to build on the work they have begun. As religious leaders of diverse faiths, they have built strong relationships with each other and their commitment to continue to promote interfaith tolerance at the community level and in the society at large is real. However, at present, they are working against a tide of increasing inter‐religious tensions, and they will benefit from ongoing support and encouragement.
Note: Annex I and the first part of Annex II were only pertinent for reporting purposes and have been removed from this public version of the report. We include the remaining annexes in the following pages.
ANNEX II cont.
ACTIVITY PERFORMANCE
80 80 Recruited
80 78 People
80 63 People
1500 4000 Printed
3000 6000 Printed
9 50 Projects
20 24 People
80 69 People
N/A N/A N/A
55 159 People
80 84 People
20 18 People
80 88 People
300 625 People
3 3 Meetings
80 93 People
3 3 Meetings
3 3 Projects
21 21 Projects
500 1500 Printed
Rescue Stories Collected 12 22 Stories
Rescue Stories Training 19 20 People
500 1500 Printed
7 1 N/A
1000 1000 Printed
3 3 MeetingsFinal District Core Group Meetings
Activity #18 - Interfaith TOT Guide
Activity #11 - Closing Symposium
Activity #12 - National Conference
Activity #19 - Rescue Stories Collection
Rescue Storybooks
Media: Documentary, TV/Radio
Learning Sharing Document
Activity #13 - Prelim district meetings
Activity #14 - Training/Religious Comm's
Activity #15 - District interfaith meetings
Activity #16 - New community projects
Activity #17 - Cont. community projects
Activity# 6 - Interfaith Dialogue #1
Activity# 7 - Community Dialogues
Activity# 8 - Exposure Visits
Activity #9 - Interfaith Dialogue #2
Activity #10 - TOT: Sarvodaya in Colombo
TARGETS ACTUALS
ACTIVITY PERFORMANCE
UNIT TYPEACTIVITIES
Activity# 1 - Program start-up
Activity# 5 - Mid-program review
Activity# 2 - INTRA faith workshops
Activity# 3 - INTER faith workshops
Activity# 4 - Community Dev Projects
Interfaith Calendars
Children's Storybooks
Seed Projects
ANNEX II cont.
ACTIVITY #4 PERFORMANCE
Community Projects by District Targets Actuals
Batticoloa District
1 English class - Valachchanai 40 30
2 English class - Jayanthi yaya 40 40
3 English class - Mankeni 40 25
4 Community Awareness on Peacebuilding 1130 955
5 Sport festivals 360 2766 Sinhala and English Class 40 42
7 Palmyra training 20 21
8 Inter-university student camp (Cancelled due to protracted student strike) 80 0
Padaviya
9 Sewing and handicraft training 25 26
10 Mushroom production training 25 26
11 Home gardening - Coconut tree planting program 1000 505
12 Sramadana in 3 mosques and 2 buddhist temples 200 293
13 English and Tamil language class - Thissapura 50 43
14 Youth Camp - nugarukgama 100 195
15 Tamil and English language class - Kolaniya 50 77
16 Sramadana in 2 mosques and 1 Buddhist temple 150 226
17 Computer class-Morakewa 50 50
18 Computer class-Balayawewa 50 43
19 Language class-Balayawewa - Tamil 50 25
20 Computer class - Akkara 100 50 45
21 Cultural Sharing and School Material Distribution 150 213
Trincolmale District
22 Cultural Sharing and School Material Distribution (Originally planned as sports festival) 40 76
23 Sport festival - Pulmudai 2 30 60
24 Sport festival--kinniya 3 39 76
25 Sramadana - Kinniya 4 1 hindu temple and 1 mosque) (102+141) 75 243
26 Sramadana- Irakkakandy 5 100 105
27 Language class-Sinhala-Muthur 6 30 28
28 Language class-Tamil-4th mile post 7 30 65
29 Language class-Sinhala-pulmudai 8 30 21
30 Language class -Sinhala-Town 9 30 48
31 Language class -Sinhala-kanniya 10 30 27
32 Tamil Language Class (49+43) 30 49
33 Sinhala Language class - kinniya 30 43
34 Sramadana - Mosq-jinnanagar 12 50 42
35 Sramadana -puliyankulam 13 55 44
36 Sramadana Calvari -uppuweli 14 65 23
37 Welding-5th mile post 15 (Canceled due to insufficient enrollment) 20 0
38 Cultural Sharing and School Material Distribution (Originally planned as language class) 100 65
39 Language Class-Tamil-pulmudai 17 30 31
40 Computer Training-morawewa 18 30 35
41 Cultural Sharing and School Material Distribution (Originally planned as Sramadana) 400 116
42 Sramadana - Morawewa 20 400 63
43 Sramadana -Muthur 21 150 91
44 Language Class-Tamil-mollipotana 22 30 33
45 Language Class-Sinha-mollipotana 23 30 35
46 Sramadana at a Mosque- mollipotana 24 100 96
47 Sramadana at a Hindu temple - Kantale 25 60 126
48 Sramadana at a Buddhist temple - Wevsri-kanthale 26 100 163
49 Tamil language class - kanthale (25+28) 30 25
50 Sinhala Language class - kanthale 30 28
51 Cultural Sharing and School Material Distribution - Anbolipuram 100 223
52 Student exchange program 29 200 275
ANNEX II cont.
ACTIVITY #16 PERFORMANCE
Community Projects of District Councils Targets Actuals
Batticoloa District Interfaith Council
Sramadanas at mosque, hindu temple, and church 120 150
Padaviya District Interfaith CouncilTwo awareness programs for High School students on
child abuse and child rights 300 325
Trincolmale District Interfaith CouncilThree awareness programs for High School students on
child abuse and child rights 300 450
ANNEX II cont.
ACTIVITY #17 PERFORMANCE
Community Projects by District Targets Actuals
Batticoloa District
1 Sinhala class - Arumuhanthankidiuruppu 2 30 30
2 Sinhala class - Madhurapuram 30 30
3 Sinhala class- Valachchanai 30 40
4 Palmyra training 21 20
Padaviya
5 Sewing and handicraft training 25 25
6 Language classes (Tamil) -Thissapura 30 38
7 Language classes (English - 7 Kolaniya 30 19
8 Language class-(Tamil) Balayawewa 30 31
9Computer class - Akkara 100 (Cancelled - Computer
teacher not available in area.)50 0
10 Language class for adults - new - nugarukgama 30 22
11 Language class for youths - new - Kawanthissapura 30 27
Trincolmale District
12 Language class-Sinhala-Muthur 6 30 29
13 Language class-Sinhala-pulmudai 8 30 30
14 Language class -Sinhala-Town 9 30 38
15 Language class -Sinhala-Selvanayagapuram 40 35
16 Language class -Sinhala -kinniya 11 35 58
17 Language Class-Tamil-pulmudai 17 35 44
18 Computer Training-morawewa 18 35 35
19 Language Class-Tamil-Anbolipuram 30 30
20 Language Class-Sinha-Kinniya 40 60
21 Language class-Tamila-kanthale 27 30 44
ANNEX III
PROJECT INDICATORS – FISCAL YEARS 2011/12
PROJECT INDICATORS FY 2011 Target FY 2011
Achieved Result
FY 2012 Target
FY 2012 Achieved
1. Number of people trained in conflict mitigation/resolution skills with USG assistance (F 3.1)
80 78 95 201
2. Number of USG facilitated events geared towards strengthening understanding and mitigating conflict between groups (F 3.2)
4 4 42 107
3. Number of peacebuilding structures established or strengthened with USG assistance that engage conflict affected citizens in peace/reconciliation process
- - 48 53
4. Number of activities and events held to promote religious and ethnic tolerance (Q 2.1.G)
11 11 42 106
5. Number of people attending activities and events held to promote religious and ethnic tolerance (Q 2.1.H)
80 78 750 6,984
6. Number of workshops and seminars held to promote community empowerment (Q 2.3.F)
4 4 25 35
7. Number of citizens participating in workshops to promote community empowerment (Q 2.3.H)
- - 670 1,122
8. Number of media stories disseminated with SURG support to facilitate the advancement of reconciliation/peace process (Q 4.3.A)
3 0 9 11
9. Number of media products produced by SURG – supported organizations (Q 4.3.B)
- - 8 -
ANNEX III cont.
REVISED PROJECT INDICATORS – FISCAL YEAR 2013
PROJECT INDICATORS FY 2013 Target
FY 2013 Achieved
Result
Total Project Target
Achieved Total Result
1. Number of people trained in conflict mitigation/resolution skills with USG assistance (F 3.1) (Training on collection of rescue stories, TOT for Sarvodaya staff)
17 20 175 221
2. Number of USG facilitated events that are geared towards strengthening understanding and mitigating conflict between groups (F 3.2) (Includes 9 exchanges with participants in community projects, 6 community dialogues, 6 new community projects)
21 4 84 111
3. Number of people attending USG facilitated events that are geared towards strengthening understanding and mitigating conflict between groups (3.3) (Knowledge Sharing/Closing Symposium, national conference)
400 1,638 3,000 8,622
4. Number of community based reconciliation projects completed with USG assistance (3.5) (6 community dialogues and 6 new community projects)
12 3 59 53
5. Number of people trained in specific areas designed to improved CSO institutional capacity (5.2) (Capacity building for the district inter-faith councils)
20 64 20 64
ANNEX IV
Distribution list of children stories books, rescue stories, documentary, and TOT manual
Production # Of copies printed
List of individuals/ organizations
# Of copies
Children stories books
Sinhala 2000 Tamil 2000 English 2000
National conference participants (this includes all the religious leaders from the project)
700
Sarvodaya district libraries/ Education centers/
100
Inter-Religious groups 100
Selected schools in Trincomalee/ Batticaloa and Padaviya
1200
Other NGOs, CBOs and INGOs 50
Government institutions 40
Universities/ Higher education institutions
50
Rescue stories 1000 copies Religious leaders and youths 120
Sarvodaya district libraries/ Education centers/
100
Inter-Religious groups 100
Selected schools in Trincomalee/ Batticaloa and Padaviya
300
Other NGOs, CBOs and INGOs 50
Government institutions 40
Universities/ Higher education institutions
50
TOT manual 500 from each Sinhala/ Tamil and English languages
TOT participants 20
Sarvodaya district libraries/ Education centers
100
Inter-Religious groups 50
Sarvodaya trainers 20
Other NGOs, CBOs and INGOs 50
Government institutions 40
Documentary We will share this with the project participants and other peacebuilding organizations.
Note: The 4,000 copies of the inter-faith religious calendar were distributed to the religious
leaders, who in turn distributed them to religious institutions, schools, and libraries, and to the
26 Sarvodaya district offices. The Learning Sharing document was distributed at the national
conference in Tamil and Sinhala to share the results of the program.
ANNEX V Recommendations for Inter-faith Harmony, Prepared Jointly by the Inter-faith Councils of Trincomalee, Batticaloa, and Padaviya. These recommendations were presented by a Buddhist monk and a Hindu priest at the national conference and in the Learning Sharing document distributed at the conference. We record the following proposals as religious leaders who have actively contributed through inter religious cooperation, towards bringing about community development and social empowerment. We the Buddhist, Hindu, Islamist, Christian Catholic religious leaders are dedicated workers keen on human welfare, based on the teachings of our religious leaders. All of us expect to see everyone living on this planet to follow their own faith and live together within their own cultural frame. However, during the past few decades our human society has developed social evils, have separated themselves, enveloped with mistrust, doubt and fear in a conflict filled environment. The result is a cruel war which they had to face, harmful results coming not in a small way. Fortunately the war stopped about 3 years back and the fear due to terrorism was not there in the people and they looked forward to a bright future. But what is brought from history, the seeds of hatred are trying to germinate now. Instead of gathering and closely knitting up with the factors like unity and respect for one another, that enriched the people, they started in the opposite direction, harboring divisive factors. We witness this situation today in various sections of society. With the unshaken belief that at this decisive moment as religious leaders we have to give leadership to the people on national reconciliation and towards achieving this goal we actively worked with Sarvodaya Shanthi Sena for the past two years. By working with Shanthi Sena we were able to create an environment where all communities can work together in unity. The results are tremendously satisfying. In the areas we gave leadership, the communities respect diversity, understand each other and developed a culture of unity fulfilling each other’ s needs in a united Sri Lanka. Going by our experiences, it is our belief that this situation should prevail island wide and action should be taken to ensure it. Towards achieving this end, we the Buddhist, Christian Catholic, Hindu, Islamist, belonging into Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim groups submit our proposals for consideration by the responsible sectors and sharing them and that we will not stop at submitting the proposals , but extend our support to fulfill this most needed duty, which we will perform with dedication. 01 In order to strengthen national reconciliation establish religious unity groups in all districts and create
acceptance of such a move in all responsible sectors. 02 Ensure that the government accept and encourages all sectors that honestly work toward national
reconciliation 03 Commence a national coordination system consisting of national level religious leaders in order to
neutralize situations that might lead to conflicts, promoted by elements which intend harming the present national reconciliation process.
04 All political parties act with great responsibility in stopping religious and ethnic conflicts. 05 In carrying out welfare and development activities, whatever the organization involved in such
activities should not select groups according to ethnicity or religion, but select communities that deserve assistance.
06 Draw the attention of all persons in power to help annihilate doubt, fear, mistrust and violence and hold more programs that promote unity and inter personal understanding.
07 All responsible sectors should ensure and establish at maximum possible level factors that help unity
among ethnic and religious groups. 08 Refrain from exerting pressure and influence to stop religious events of any place of worship. 09 Provide facilities to teach Sinhala and Tamil languages among all communities in Sri Lanka.
10 Introduce policies and programs to preserve the cultural values which are dwindling fast in the present day society.
11 All religious sectors should conduct programs promoting peace.
12 Enact laws to prevent any mechanism, print, electronic or any other form using the facilities to insult any religion.
13 Take steps to implement the recommendations of LLRC relating to reconciliation and encourage local organizations keen on implementing the reconciliation process.
14 Establish a national institute to carry out activities relating to national reconciliation and government to ensure that activities are carried out actively.
15 Take legal action against individuals, institutions or groups that create religious conflicts.
16 A system should be created to control effects directed towards destroying or changing identities of any religion.
17 Media should highlight the effects towards building peoples’ collective consciousness for the purpose of strengthening inter-religious and inter-ethnic co-existences
18 New political system should initiated to develop sustainable peace and mete out justice to all in equal terms.
19 All political parties should have a code of ethics to refer to
20 All religious leaders should adhere to the basic principles of their religions; serve with dedication, and good examples to the general public.