NPC’s Plural Action for Inclusion, Reconciliation, and Social Justice (PAIRS) project, funded by Misereor and co-funded by CAFOD, implemented in collaboration with its partner organizations, marked a transition from community dialogue to tangible action.
Under the project NPC together with the Kurunegala District Inter Religious Committee (DIRC), the Kurunegala Human Rights Organization, the Road Passenger Transport Authority and the Kurunegala District Secretariat office launched an initiative to promote equality and respect for all faiths on public buses.
Stickers with the major religious symbols were placed inside buses, reserving seats for clergy and persons with disabilities with messages in Sinhala, Tamil and English. Earlier, priority seat stickers only displayed a Buddhist symbol, granting seating exclusively to Buddhist clergy. The new stickers represent all major religions to ensure equal recognition and respect for every faith.
The initiative was a result of a meeting between civil society leaders in the Kurunegala District and the project team to address concerns about inclusivity in public transport, which involved coordinating with authorities and designing the new stickers.
The event was attended by government officials, religious leaders, civil society members and the public. It not only promoted inclusivity but also gave civil society leaders valuable hands on experience in advocacy, coordination and public engagement. They emerged more confident in working collaboratively with government institutions and leading initiatives that reflect equality and respect.
“More than just stickers, this reflects the fairness, unity and respect we are trying to build in the district,” said D.M.K. Chandana Dissanayaka, Kurunegala District Secretary.
Actualisation activities were conducted by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and DIRCs in Colombo, Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Monaragala and Kandy for about 600 participants, demonstrating how grassroots efforts can affect social views and governance.
In Colombo the activity brought together religious leaders and participants from CSOs, Community Based Organizations (CBOs), NGOs and government departments. The discussions addressed issues such as foreign nationals conducting business and establishing religious institutions on tourist visas, concerns over educational reforms, wild elephant killings, the urgent need for a state institution to promote national and religious coexistence and strengthening action against the underworld and illegal drugs.
“The issues we are discussing are challenges faced across the country. As religious leaders, we are closely observing the commitments made by the government and it is clear that these problems are well known at the national level. What is needed now is a united effort to address them for the sake of our country, our people and our society without divisions of caste, religion or party politics. We hope to present these concerns directly to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and work towards real and lasting solutions,” said Galle Piyananda Himi of the Darmashakthi Foundation.
In Dimbulagala NPC organized an event to build a bridge between state officials and the community to collaboratively address local issues. Representing two Divisional Secretariats, more than 75 community members participated in the event, highlighting strong grassroots engagement and a shared commitment to dialogue and problem solving. Issues raised included the lack of civil documentation, school dropouts due to poor transport, the human-elephant conflict, drug abuse, flooding and land disputes.
The Polonnaruwa actualisation activity showcased how community voices and government action can come together to bring immediate results. Urgent issues raised by local people received direct responses from senior officials, resulting in practical solutions such as the introduction of a new bus route starting from the following day to ensure schoolchildren’s access to education, the rehabilitation of irrigation tanks to prevent flooding, the deployment of a special police team to tackle drugs and theft and the initiation of investigations into long standing missing persons cases. What made this initiative remarkable was its bottom up approach where top level officers, including the Polonnaruwa District Secretary and divisional authorities, stepped into the community to listen and respond on the spot. This collaborative model demonstrated the true power of partnership between government officials, civil society organizations and religious leaders in resolving issues faced by communities in Polonnaruwa.
“We all recognise the importance of building both religious and ethnic reconciliation in our district. Through the Polonnaruwa DIRC, many programmes have already been implemented they have all been successful. Today’s programme marks another meaningful step in that ongoing journey. Of course challenges still remain. But if we can identify the root causes of these problems, finding solutions will become much easier. What makes today’s activity special is that it brings all our officials together in one place, creating a real opportunity to share ideas, listen to one another and work collectively as a team,” said Sujantha Ekanayake, Polonnaruwa District Secretary.
NPC, in collaboration with the Anuradhapura District Civil Society Forum, the DIRC and the Anuradhapura District Citizens’ Committee organized a programme on civil society collective for a sustainable society, bringing together about 100 participants including civil society leaders and media representatives. During the event civil society leaders engaged in open discussions on pressing local issues and handed over a statement of concerns to the relevant authorities including difficulties faced by women and children in accessing services at the Women and Children’s Bureau offices under the police, reserved priority seating in public transport being allocated almost exclusively to Buddhist monks without equal recognition for leaders of other religions, Tamil speaking citizens often having their complaints recorded in Sinhala at police stations and being asked to sign statements they cannot fully understand and limited accessibility for persons with disabilities in public spaces and services.
The District Secretary acknowledged the importance of such initiatives, noting that these forums are vital in bringing issues to light and creating greater awareness among authorities. The event demonstrated how civil society, religious leaders and government officials can come together to address real challenges faced by citizens. By raising issues collectively and securing a commitment from authorities, CSO leaders strengthened their role as advocates for inclusive governance and sustainable development in Anuradhapura.
"I see this initiative as a practical step for equality and respect among all communities. The participation of multiple stakeholders helped make the programme effective," said Ranjith Wimalasooriya, District Secretary of Anuradhapura.
A number of urgent issues confront communities in the Monaragala district including financial difficulties, water scarcity, drug related problems, barriers to children's education and land disputes.
Although there are many civil organizations in the Monaragala District, little is known about their real operations because the majority are not officially affiliated with NGOs. To address this, an event was held to identify CSOs and CBOs in the Monaragala Divisional Secretariat Division and get information about their functions. This helped to strengthen these organizations, increase their visibility and promote social development by empowering them to provide services of higher quality to the local community. NPC was successful in creating a new consortium that consists of 100 civil society organizations, bringing together nearly 100 community-based groups, NGOs and civil organizations. The initiative provided a strong platform for networking, sharing information and coordinating activities while also increasing public awareness of the services offered by these organizations. As a result, the consortium has strengthened partnerships between civil society and government institutions, improved service delivery and created a foundation for long term positive impact on communities across the district. By uniting CSOs under a common platform, Monaragala has taken an important step toward more inclusive and effective community development. NPC is the pioneer in creating this consortium with a diverse thematic expertise and resources.
“As Sarvodaya, we are a grassroots organization working across various areas of the Monaragala district. We provide services to society and it is meaningful that so many of us were able to gather together that day. We truly value this opportunity. I believed that the Monaragala district has gained an important space to unite as civil society organizations and better serve the people. I express my appreciation to NPC, which took the initiative for this effort and did an excellent job in making it possible," said R.M Amara Shanthi Kumari, District Deputy Manager of Sarvodaya.
Also in Monaragala, a mobile clinic opened its doors to many in need. Among those who attended in large numbers was the Rathugala Vedda community. Their leader, Danigala Mahabandalage Sudawannila Aththo, spoke about the struggles his people endure. For the community, every attempt to seek government services meant further financial strain and worsening living conditions because people had to travel long distances to access the services, spending Rs 2,000 to 3,000 for every journey. The discussion that followed created tension. Government officials defended their services, insisting they treated all communities equally while the Vedda community felt their lived reality was dismissed. The atmosphere grew heavy, deepening the divide between the people and those meant to serve them. At that critical moment, NPC stepped forward. With patience and compassion, NPC mediated between the two sides, encouraging dialogue instead of division. NPC’s team paid multiple visits to the area, held constructive discussions and continuously followed up until both parties could finally sit together in a spirit of understanding. NPC became the bridge of trust, ensuring the voices of the Rathugala Vedda were not lost. As a result, government officials eventually agreed to travel to Rathugala, meeting the community face to face to better understand their challenges and seek solutions. Twenty government officers attended the meeting, representing both the Monaragala District Secretariat and the Medulla Divisional Secretariat.
This moment was more than problem solving - it was about restoring dignity, rebuilding relationships and proving that dialogue can heal divides. NPC’s commitment has opened a path of hope for the Rathugala Vedda community, showing that even the most forgotten voices can be heard when compassion meets action.
In Kandy, the use of the term minority race in open spaces and in mainstream media has caused resentment among minority communities and created a sense of being treated as second class citizens. To address this, an actualisation activity was held that focused on changing the term minority to fraternal communities. Steps taken included creating social discourse through social media and distributing voice clips of well-known personalities, organizing press conferences and peaceful protests, holding discussions with religious leaders, publishing newspaper advertisements with signatures and messages from scholars and submitting formal requests with necessary information to the Minister of Mass Media, ministers in charge of national integration and other government leaders.