Sixteen actualisation activities were held across the country under NPC’s Plural Action for Inclusion, Reconciliation, and Social Justice (PAIRS) project, funded by Misereor and co-funded by CAFOD. Driven by District Inter Religious Committees (DIRCs), youth leaders and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), these initiatives engaged over 6,828 (1,707 direct and 5,121 indirect) beneficiaries, transforming identified issues into tangible solutions for peace and inclusion.
Badulla
NPC and its partner Future In Our Hands Badulla held a session on promoting equal language access and inclusive transport services at the Sri Lanka Transport Board depot in Badulla. This community driven intervention addressed the lack of accurate trilingual signage in a district that is home to a large Tamil speaking population. The programme secured a commitment to rectify 100 inaccurate bus name boards and install new trilingual signage. Key actions included upgrading destination boards, installing inclusive seat stickers for clergy, women and persons with disabilities and coordinating with authorities for sustainable implementation.
Vavuniya
NPC, in partnership with the Federation of Institution for Rural Management, executed a CSO actualisation activity at the Vavuniya District General Hospital to address a critical barrier in a hospital that serves a diverse multi ethnic population. The initiative focused on the language inequality that caused confusion and delays for non-Sinhala speaking patients. The solution was the installation of 32 comprehensive trilingual nameboards throughout the facility, providing clear information in Sinhala, Tamil and English to ensure every patient, regardless of linguistic background, can navigate the hospital with dignity and ease.
The impact of this initiative was illustrated by a returning visitor from Britain who had previously endured a stressful experience trying to find his way through the hospital to purchase medicine, hindered by the lack of English directions. The new signs guided him effortlessly to his destination. In a revival of a cherished tradition Vavuniya DIRC, in partnership with NPC, reinvigorated the historic Pournami Festival. This festival had stood as a powerful symbol of coexistence in a region scarred by ethnic conflict, yet in recent years its spirit of inclusivity had diminished with declining participation. The DIRC orchestrated a remarkable comeback by broadening engagement across religious lines and generations through the involvement of school students. The result was an event attended 200 participants, including multi-faith religious leaders, local residents and youth.
Matara
NPC, in collaboration with the Environment and Community Development Information Centre and Ratnapura DIRC, conducted an actualisation activity for youth leaders. Many youths in plantation communities face unemployment after completing school due to limited access to vocational training opportunities, which forces them to continue working on plantations and perpetuates cycles of poverty and inequality. To address this issue, a programme on directing unemployed youth to vocational training courses was organized to connect youth with career and training opportunities. The session featured a discussion highlighting government-led vocational programmes and employment pathways with officials from the National Youth Services Council, National Youth Corps, National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority and the Technical College, Ratnapura. Over 100 youth participants attended, engaging with representatives who distributed recruitment forms, collected participant details and initiated steps to enroll interested youth in vocational courses.
“These young people, born and raised on plantations, have finally received a rare and valuable opportunity. It is not easy for officials from government institutions to reach such remote areas. This initiative is a remarkable first step that can transform lives and contribute to a more prosperous nation,” said K. Udayakumar, Plantation Community Officer, Divisional Secretariat, Ratnapura.
In an intervention to save a declining traditional industry NPC, in collaboration with the Community Development Centre and Matara DIRC, convened a dialogue to address the challenges faced by reed industry entrepreneurs - a community marginalised by caste and now struggling with limited innovation, generational disinterest and a distrust of government support systems. The forum bridged this gap, bringing together over 60 artisans with officials from the National Crafts Council, Vocational Training Authority, Industrial Development Board and National Youth Services Council. While immediate production issues were addressed and officials pledged ongoing support, the key outcome was a formal agreement for Matara DIRC to consolidate these concerns into a concrete proposal for state and political authorities.
NPC, in partnership with the Community Development Centre and Matara DIRC, held a dialogue on enhancing the participation of persons with disabilities, convening 50 participants with disabilities from across five divisions with officials tasked with serving them. The initiative marked a shift from passive receipt of services to active civic engagement as the community advocated for their rights and accessed crucial information on legal entitlements and opportunities. The dialogue revealed a willingness from both sides to bridge existing gaps; government officials demonstrated notable enthusiasm, using the platform to establish direct connections and commit to immediate solutions.
M.A.M. Yeise of the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, said, “The government has also provided various opportunities for the disabled community and I am truly happy to have participated in this programme, which helped us learn more. If we continue to work together without discrimination, we can move forward in unity and strength.”
Anuradhapura
Anuradhapura DIRC, in collaboration with NPC and a coalition of government bodies, held a dialogue between the district state mechanism and the community to address the marginalisation of the Telugu community. The discussion unveiled a spectrum of critical issues from systemic discrimination in public services and schools to drug abuse, lack of land rights and serious child safety concerns related to fortune telling practices. District Secretary Ranjith Wimalasooriya pledged immediate action against discrimination and announced the development of a model mechanism to solve these issues while the Senior Superintendent of Police committed to involving mothers in school committees to monitor child safety and substance use.
Polonnaruwa
An actualisation activity to address the lack of services in the Dimbulagala area was held, bringing documentation and governmental support directly to 180 beneficiaries across 56 Grama Niladhari divisions. The event marked a significant step toward administrative inclusion, particularly for indigenous communities, as experienced by tribal leader Amarasinghe Priyantha Attho and his wife S. Malkanthi who, after years of legal invisibility, finally began the process of obtaining identity cards and birth certificates for their children. The mobile clinic facilitated the issuance of numerous crucial documents including birth, marriage and death certificates while providing a platform for direct community engagement with officials. The Dimbulagala Divisional Secretary said that Polonnaruwa DIRC has built a sustainable bridge between the government and the people - a testament to NPC's strategic approach to inclusion.
Kegalle
NPC, in collaboration with the People Development Foundation and the Dehiovita Divisional Secretariat, launched the actualisation activity to confront a critical gap in local governance: the systemic under representation of key communities in formal reconciliation processes. The programme empowered participants from the plantation sector and Muslim backgrounds with mediation skills, transforming them from passive subjects of conflict into active architects of peace within their own communities.
Puttalam
In a move to address decades of systemic neglect, NPC, in partnership with the Wanathawilluwa Divisional Secretariat and DIRC Puttalam, launched an intervention in the marginalised village of Malwila. Home to 67 families from Buddhist, Hindu and Christian backgrounds, this community has endured water scarcity, treacherous roads and a lack of basic religious and educational facilities. An action plan was formulated after a discussion with villagers that included the presentation of a Village Development Report to authorities, the construction of a community water well to end the hardship faced by women and children who currently travel long distances for water and the establishment of an inter religious Sunday school to sow the seeds of harmony in the next generation.