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Presently Sri Lanka is undergoing multiple challenges due to the economic and political crises in the country. The improper governance reforms and obtaining of foreign loans during the past years, the Sri Lankan government is in its inability to repay the external debt, whose interest and repayment must be paid in foreign exchange. In the…

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

A capacity Building excursion on the Village Knowledge Centers(VKCs) and Village Resource centers of MS Swaminathan Foundation (MSSRF), India was organized on June 16-21, 2023, from the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security unit, under the Project “Addressing Causes for Poverty and Ensuring Food Security for Farming Communities” of Caritas Sri Lanka – SEDEC. There were…

Rev. Fr. Oswald B Firth, OMI, was a formator, academic, administrator, peacebuilder, and activist and had been the former director of Caritas Sri Lanka SEDEC (1990-1995) during a period of major political and economic upheaval in the country with pressing social issues, particularly of development gap across regions and breeding inequality at the face of…

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

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

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

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

Our Caritas family (Caritas Sri Lanka – SEDEC) is honored to offer Archbishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi our sincere congratulations on becoming the new head of Caritas Internationalis. It’s a fantastic accomplishment and a real credit to his commitment, effort, and leadership. Archbishop of Tokyo, Rev. Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi SVD, is the President of the Catholic Bishops’…

In a touching and emotional event that celebrated the spirit of resilience and unity, the National Center Caritas Sri Lanka commemorated the International Thalassemia Day on the 08th of May 2023. This event served as a platform for raising awareness about Thalassemia, an inherited blood disorder, while also highlighting the importance of community support for…

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

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

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

On the request made to Caritas Sri Lanka – SEDEC by His Eminence Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, CSL-SEDEC donated dental material to be used in Colombo school dental services, and the Oral Health Units, through the Health Services in Colombo. Due to the scarcity of medicines in the country, this donation will help in the screening…

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

Caritas Sri Lanka – SEDEC organized a study session on the 13th amendment to the constitution on, which was conducted by Mr. Suren Gnanaraj, Counsel – Attorney-at-Law with the participation of Rev. Fathers and Catholic Nuns representing different congregations. The program was facilitated by Rev. Fr. Bennette Mellawa, Director- Caritas Anuradhapura who highlighted during the…

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

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

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

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