by

Michele. J Sison, U.S. Ambassador

Ambassador Michele. J. Sison in Batticaloa-October 25, 2012

In my second week in Sri Lanka I visited a workshop to see American development aid in action. Our office at the United States Agency for International Development was helping sponsor a three day Peace Camp.

Toward the conclusion of this camp, a young Sinhalese girl from Gampaha approached our embassy officials and told us that her mother had not wanted her to attend an event in the North. She said that after breaking her shoe, another girl attending the Camp, a Tamil girl from Puttalam, gave the Sinhalese girl a pair of her shoes, moving the young visitor to call her mother and explain the good deed.

It was a simple act, but represented so much about why we are doing what we do in Sri Lanka – helping bring communities together to break down the decades of fear and suspicion. This work, like much of the assistance the Embassy provides, came from the collaboration of the United States Government with a local non-governmental organization (NGO).

The United States is proud to support civil society here in Sri Lanka as well as around the world. A strong civil society can catalyze the energies of individual citizens into groups that lead to a better community. The phrase “non-governmental organization” simply means an organization independent of both the government and business sector and working to serve the public rather than make a profit. NGOs are founded by people passionate about their community, and their staffs work to make people’s lives better by addressing challenges and solving problems. They are your neighbors, your friends, your co-workers, members of your temple, church, kovil, or mosque. In short, they are all of us.

For the United States and every country, civil society is essential to political and economic progress. In the American context, civil society played an essential role in identifying and solving problems from the earliest days of our republic. Today American citizens join together to address any number of issues, from helping the homeless, to advocating for literacy, to promoting the protection of the environment. The diversity of American civil society brings different perspectives to these issues and contributes to a positive end result.

The American Center hosted Youth Empowerment Grantees from the University of Jaffna on February 28. These students are part of a ‘North-South University Bridge,’joining Jaffna students with those from the Sri Palee Campus of Colombo University. The project not only provides exposure for these two groups of young people, but will also involve a publication in which the participating students will write on themes relating to peace and reconciliation, interweaving their experiences and learning in this program-pic via: facebook.com/usembassycolombosl

Here in Sri Lanka, as in every country where the United States assistance is present, we transparently support a broad range of actors in civil society, including NGOs. I am a big believer in the power of civil society. I have been impressed by the work the U. S. has undertaken to help to strengthen civic institutions and promote harmony among key communities here. In the past the United States has partnered with civil society to provide nutrition to over half a million pregnant mothers and pre-school children, to develop the Mahaveli Valley, and rebuild after the tsunami. Today we are working with NGOs large and small in all parts of Sri Lanka.

In the Central Province we are working to improve English teaching and empowering youth to take leadership roles in community decision-making. In the North, we support the disabled and assist with de-mining. In the Southern Province, we are helping women start their own businesses and in the Western Province we just helped build a women’s shelter for victims of trafficking and abuse. Our future grants will continue to support vulnerable populations and basic rights of all Sri Lankans.

We have supported civil society in Sri Lanka for over 60 years, and will continue to do so. Civic activism is one of the hallmarks of a robust democracy and Sri Lanka’s civil society has been essential to the progress of this country. We do not do this work alone, however, and want to support Sri Lankans in strengthening their local community based organizations. As President Kennedy famously encouraged Americans over two generations ago – “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

So we want to lend a hand and make a difference – to help Sri Lankan civil society build a better Sri Lankan future for you and your children. COURTESY:SUNDAY ISLAND