Mother Sri Lanka partnered with the Ministry of Education to bring together 200 children from the Kilinochchi and Homagama areas in a five-day camp that will foster reconciliation and peaceful coexistence among the different ethnic and religious groups in Sri Lanka. Denuwara Mithuro, or Friends of Two Cities, was the first of a series of camps that will create the ideal setting for children from the north and south of the country to meet, exchange their cultural values, rituals and lifestyles, and forge lasting friendships. This interaction between the different ethnicities was enriched by the various activities and lectures conducted at the camp.

Held at the Meepe Management Training Centre from September 30, 2011 to October 4, 2011, one of the initial programmes at the camp was a series of speeches by leaders of the various religious groups in the country. The Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Muslim sermons gave the children the opportunity to understand and respect each other’s religions and to see what’s common among religions. The interactive nature of the programme also ensured that children were able to raise any questions they had. A brief introduction to the Sinhala and Tamil languages was also given, to assist children to converse with each other. In order to build this tri-lingual communication skill further, Mother Sri Lanka gifted each child an English/Sinhala/Tamil dictionary at the end of the camp. The experience of the Ministry of Education with camps it has organized in the past however is that children have been imaginative in devising methods to communicate and bond with each other despite language barriers, and this camp held in partnership with Mother Sri Lanka was no exception.

A not for profit organization aiming to build patriotism and positive thinking in Sri Lankans towards their country, Mother Sri Lanka is keen that the ideals of peaceful co-existence are inculcated in the children. With this in mind one of the movement’s trustees, Mr. Renton De Alwis, spoke on the importance of being a good citizen. Mr. Deepal Sooriyaarachchi, member of Mother Sri Lanka, guided the children on how to develop confidence, think positively and succeed in life. Capt. Elmo Jayawardene, Founder and President of Candle Aid Lanka and member of Mother Sri Lanka, highlighted the importance of each individual changing attitudes for the better in order to bring about improvement for the whole country. The children also learned the benefits of healthy living when Dr. Kalyani Guruge (member of Mother Sri Lanka) underscored the health values of local foods and good lifestyle habits.

In addition to the speeches by these volunteers, the camp conducted several activities for the children, like yoga and meditation, singing, dancing, playing games, dressing up, drawing and sporting events, which enabled them to further enhance team spirit and bonds of friendship. The children were able to express their own views of their experience at the camp on the last day, providing an important insight into the effectiveness of the camp. Moreover, a visit to Temple Trees, and perhaps even a meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arranged to take place on the last day of the camp before the children began their journey back home.

The experience has been that the children will continue to stay in touch by writing to and visiting each other, thereby cementing the friendships formed at the camp. The children will be able to introduce their new friends to their families, extending the inter-communal alliances among the adult population too. As a result, Mother Sri Lanka expects that families in the north of the country will form close relationships with those in the rest of the country. Furthermore, the second phase of the camp will see the children of  Homagama travelling to Kilinochchi for a similar camp in the future, which will ensure that the friendships made at the first camp will continue.

Mother Sri Lanka has joined hands with the Social Cohesion and Peace Education Unit of the Ministry of Education which has been conducting similar camps in the past to take this programme to newer heights. This camp was sponsored by Save the Children and GTZ.

Mother Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Education, has planned to hold similar camps in the future. The next camp that has been planned will include children from the Mullaithivu, Akkaraipattu and Polonnaruwa areas. The consequent camp will bring together children from the Vavuniya, Paddirippuwa and Gampaha areas. Another camp will see children from the Matara and Pottuvil areas attending. Volunteers and sponsors are welcome to participate in the projects.

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Sri Lanka’s top business leaders and professionals were initiated, at a special event, as ambassadors of Mother Sri Lanka, a not for profit organization aiming to build patriotism and positive thinking in Sri Lankans towards their country. The cream of the business sector of Sri Lanka attended the event. The expectation is that these professionals, corporate and academic leaders will then use their vantage point as front-runners to spread Mother Sri Lanka’s message of appreciation of the motherland and call to action towards giving back to the country. As many of these leaders make frequent visits to foreign countries and have built enduring international relationships, it is also anticipated that the new members will circulate the true story of Sri Lanka overseas, whether it is to bring in new investment or negate false impressions. Membership into the movement will continue to be open even after the event.

Funded entirely by the private sector, the event saw a previously enrolled ambassador of Mother Sri Lanka, Justice Christopher G. Weeramantry, address the new ambassadors regarding their pivotal new role. Senior Minister for International Monetary Cooperation, Dr. Sarath Amunugama, who delivered the keynote address, outlined the methods in which the ambassadors could build up the country’s image, change perceptions and give back to Sri Lanka. Lalith Weeratunge, who is a trustee of Mother Sri Lanka, and Parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa were also present.

Chairperson of the Mother Sri Lanka Trust, Janaki Kuruppu, spoke about the initial stages of the movement, how it has since evolved and what is expected from the ambassadors. School children, judged winners of competitions carried out by Mother Sri Lanka to instill patriotism and appreciation of the motherland, performed a play and gave speeches.

A coffee table book, detailing the journey of Mother Sri Lanka from its inception in 2008 to the present, was also launched at the event. The book includes information on the organization’s activities and tells the story of how the resilience of the Sri Lankan people did not allow 30 long years of terrorism to drown the hopes and dreams of their motherland. The first copy of the book was presented to His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The book will be sold at bookshops to raise funds for the activities of the organization.

Mother Sri Lanka is a movement, which was initiated in 2008 during a time when Sri Lanka was struggling with the challenges of war and economic crisis. Its main aim was to change the perceptions and attitudes of Sri Lankans so that they learned to value their motherland and think of ways to help advance development in what little way they could.

To this end, Mother Sri Lanka organized a competition for 2600 national and international schools. The schools were given the theme, magen ratata rata negumata meaning, “What can I give back for the betterment of my country?” In addition, Mother Sri Lanka clubs have been formed in about 1000 schools, island wide, with the same aim. The organization has now expanded their reach to pre-schools too, by launching a programme to teach children to respect their national flag and anthem, to keep their country clean, to appreciate local produce and to be aware of the various cultural groups in the country. In the future, Mother Sri Lanka hopes to arrange seven-day camps for children above grade 6 from the North and East and the rest of the country to meet and form bonds. This programme is called the Friendship Bridge.

Mother Sri Lanka operates through a network of volunteers across the country. These volunteers have formed clubs at geographic level and coordinate various projects to help benefit the communities they live in. They source the funds for these projects themselves. In addition, Mother Sri Lanka is always open to new volunteers joining the organization to sustain ongoing and new programmes.

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