Support for Professional and Institutional Capacity Enhancement Quarterly Report (SPICE) October – December 2015

Submitted to USAID/Sri Lanka

Grantee: Counterpart International

Associates:

Management Systems International (MSI)

International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL)

International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)

Associate Cooperative Agreement: AID 383-LA-13-00001

GCSS LWA Cooperative Agreement Number: DFD-A-00-09-00141-00

Belma Ejupovic, Vice President, Programs

[email protected]

Counterpart International 2345 Crystal Drive, Suite 301 Arlington, VA 22202Telephone: 703.236.1200

CONTENTS

ACRONYMS AND OTHER ABBREVIATIONS ...... 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... 4 POLITICAL CONTEXT ...... 6 ANALYSIS...... 8 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES ...... 9 PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING ...... 68 Sub Awards –Grants...... 71 ACHIEVEMENTS ...... 87 BEST PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES...... 89 EXPENDITURES...... 90 PROGRAMMING PRIORITIES FOR NEXT QUARTER ...... 91 Direct USAID Grantees ...... 91 ANNEX 1: Performance Monitoring Plan Update ...... 93

ACRONYMS AND OTHER ABBREVIATIONS

EHED Caritas – Eastern Human and Economic ACJU All Ceylon Jamiyyathulama Development ACL Assistant Commissioner of Labor EPF Employees Provident Fund AGA Additional Government Agent EPPTA Eastern Province Preschool Teachers AGM Alliance General Body Meetings Association Development EPZ Export Processing Zone AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ETF Employees Trust Fund ASNN Ampara Social Needs Network EVSDOW Eastern Voluntary Social Development ASP Assistant Superintendent of Police Organization for Women ATM Active Theater Movement FGD Focus Group Discussions AWA Akkaraipattu Women’s Association FHH Female Head of Household AWF Affected Women’s Forum FOG Fixed Obligation Grant BDS Berendina Development Services (Gte) Ltd. FOSDOO Federation of Social Development CAMID Center for Accessibility, Monitoring and Organizations Information on Disability FPA Family Planning Association CBO Community-based Organizations FRC Family Rehabilitation Center CBPs Capacity Building Partners FTZ Free Trade Zone CDO Community Development Organization FY Fiscal Year CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all forms of GBV Gender-Based Violence Discrimination against Women GMSL Green Movement of Sri Lanka CHR Center for Human Rights and Research GN Grama Niladhari Officer CHRD Center for Human Rights and Development GPS+ Generalized System of Preference Plus CID Criminal Investigation Department CMEV Center for Monitoring Election Violence H2H Heart to Heart CMT Community Monitoring Teams HHR Home for Human Rights HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus COC Code of Conduct HR Human Rights COP Chief of Party HRC Human Rights Council CPA Center for Policy Alternative HRC Human Rights Council CPBR Center for Peace Building Reconciliation HRD Human Rights Defenders CPPHR Center for the Protection and Promotion of HUDEC Human Development Center Human Rights ICES International Center for Ethnic Studies CRPC Community Resources Protection Center ICNL International Center for Not-for-Profit Law CSO Civil Society Organization ICS Institute for Constitutional Studies Guarantee DAC District Action Group Limited DCC District Coordinating Committee ID Identity Cards DCRMC Divisional Level Child Rights Monitoring IDAHO International Day Against Homophobia and Committee Transphobia DFDP District Fisheries Development Plan IDP Internally Displaced Persons DGP Development Grants Program IFGEJ Islamic Framework on Gender Equality and DIRC District Inter-Religious Reconciliation Justice Committees IGP Inspector General of Police DOs Delivery Orders IWARE Islamic Women’s Association for Research DPO Disabled persons Organizations JSAC Jaffna Social Action Center DPTC District Preschool Teachers Committee KV Kinniya Vision DRG Democracy Rights and Governance LAC Legal Aid Commission DS Divisional Secretaries LGBTIQ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex DSD Divisional Secretariat Divisions and Questioning EG Equal Ground LLRC Lessons Learnt Reconciliation Committee

LRFHR Lanka Rainwater Harvesting Forum SEED Social Economical and Environmental LRWHF Lanka Rain Water Harvesting Forum Developers LST Law and Society Trust SFM Secretariat for Muslims M&E Monitoring and Evaluation SGBV Sex- and Gender-Based Violence MARDAP Mannar Association for the Rehabilitation of SLBC Sri Lanka Broadcasting Cooperation Differently Abled Person SLFP Sri Lanka Freedom Party MCC Mannar Citizen Committee SLMC Sri Lanka Muslim Congress MOH Ministry of Health SOP Standard Operating Procedure MPL Muslim Personal Law SPICE Support for Professional and Institutional MSI Management Systems International Capacity Enhancement MWDRF Mullaitivu Women’s Development and STI Sexually Transmitted Infections Rehabilitation Federation TISL Transparency International, Sri Lanka MWDT Muslim Women’s Development Trust TJ Transitional Justice NAFSO National Fisheries Solidarity Movement TNA Tamil National Alliance NECASL National Evangelical Christian Association Sri TOT Training of Trainers Lanka UN United Nations NewAROW Network for Advocating Requirements UNCEF United Nation Children of Women UNHRC United Nations Human Rights Council NFA Northern Fisheries Alliance USAID United States Assistance for International NGO Nongovernmental Organization Development NIC National Identity Cards VAT Value Added Tax NIRC National Inter-Religious Committees VAW Violence against women NNAF NGO National Action Front VCRMCs Village Child Rights Monitoring Committees NPC National Peace Council VGGT Voluntary Guideline of Governance of Tenure NPFPU Northern Province Fisher People’s Unity VGSSF Voluntary Guidelines to Secure Sustainable OCA Organizational Capacity Assessment Small-Scale Fisheries ODF Organizational Development Facilitators VOI Voice of Image OIP Organizational Improvement Plan WANT Women Action Network ORHAN Organization for Rehabilitation of the WARDS Women Rural Development Society Handicapped WC Women’s Center PHI Public Health Inspector WDO Women Development Officers PMC Preschool Teachers Association WIN Women in need PMP Performance Management Plan WRDS Women’s Rural Development Societies PO Probation Officer PPCC Professional Psychological Counselling Center PTA Prevention of Terrorism Act PTF Presidential Task Force PWD People with Disabilities R2L Right to Life RDHS Regional Director of Health Services RDS Rural Development Society RFA Request for Application RIG Regional Inspector General RIID Reconciling Inter-Religious and Inter-Ethnic Differences RPK Rajarata Praja Kendaraya RPR Resources for Peace and Reconciliation SACLS South Asian Center for Legal Studies SACLS South Asia Center for Legal Studies SDJF Sri Lanka Development Journalist Forum

iii

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Operational Context

There were three major political developments in the period under review. First was the co- sponsoring of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution by the Sri Lankan government during the September session of the UNHRC in Geneva. The second was the declaration by the government that it would seek to put in place a new constitution within six months and take steps to ensure public participation in the process. The third was the decision to extend the term of the local government authorities for a further six months instead of proceeding with elections in March or April 2016. However, there is rising discontent within the Tamil polity regarding the slow pace of change on contentious issues such as the release of detainees, land held in high security zones and ascertaining the whereabouts of missing persons. The formation of the Tamil People’s Council in the north, comprising both political and civic leaders, reflects concern about these issues and efforts to urge more power sharing in the constitutional reforms billed to take place. The postponement of local government elections by six months will prevent political divisions within the government alliance from surfacing to undermine the constitutional reforms. Civil society is actively involved in ensuring greater participation by the people in both the constitutional and transitional justice processes. Achievements This quarter, the SPICE team either directly or through its sub-awardees achieved:

- Discussed and put in place the organizational structure required to deliver the program and a staff restructuring plan in keeping with Sri Lankan laws and best practices in the sector. - Designed and released the national request for application (RFA) in consultation with USAID. The technical evaluation committee reviewed 40 applications. - Designed the regional RFA in consultation with USAID for release on Dec. 31, 2015. - Continued monitoring ongoing grants and facilitated completion and close out. - Continued facilitation of capacity building initiatives. - Conducted benchmark reviews for FOSDOO, MWDRF, NPC, KOINONIA and CPPHR. - Provided legal aid or victim assistance to 444 people. This includes gender-based violence (GBV) assistance, support to obtain legal documents and other legal aid / victim assistance. - Reached 2,110 people through human rights awareness-raising activities, including awareness on GBV issues. Reached out both through direct awareness trainings and indirectly through publications. - Followed up on 22 new cases. - Since the beginning of the project, completed 193 events, trainings and other interventions promoting awareness and citizen participation in governance and democracy. - Supported 29 forums to address GBV together with dutybearers and rights holders. Supported capacity building across 67 organizations since the beginning of the project. - Provided skill development training to 44 people during the reporting period. Trained 454 people since the beginning of the project. Challenges

The space for interventions continues to be unrestricted, and the government’s engagement with civil society groups is positive. However, civil society activists in the North and East report that they are

4 under constant surveillance and that the intelligence gathering system developed during prior periods continues to function. Programming Priorities in the Next Quarter - Close Batticaloa office in line with contractual obligations and in keeping with Sri Lankan labor laws. - Complete restructure of the Vavuniya and Colombo offices to deliver on the rest of the project. - Conduct a program review and planning meeting of all staff to orient them for the extension period on program priorities, documentation and administration. - Close out completed grants, and monitor and close out ongoing grants. - Shape and submit for USAID approval selected applications from the national RFA and the regional RFA. - Complete the review of benchmarks, the sixth and final step in the SPICE capacity building cycle. - Identify and select grantees for capacity building support for next year.

POLITICAL CONTEXT

The government has been responsive to pressures emanating from both the international community and national stakeholders. It has been particularly successful in repairing relations with the Western-led international community. It also amended the national budget at least 16 times due to protests by the general public and various pressure groups. The government was also responsive to the concerns expressed within civil society about the absence of participation in the constitutional reform and transitional justice processes and has set up mechanisms to ensure such participation. In October of this quarter, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva passed its resolution on Sri Lanka, titled “Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights in Sri Lanka.” Sri Lanka co-sponsored the resolution, which passed unanimously, in contrast to the previous resolutions of the UNHRC on Sri Lanka since 2012. The resolution included many of the key demands of human rights defenders and Tamil political leaders from Sri Lanka. The operative paragraphs affirmed the importance of “Commonwealth and other foreign” judges, lawyers, prosecutors and investigators participating in a Sri Lankan judicial mechanism. However, the government subsequently asserted that the international component in the resolution only involves technical advice and assistance and not participation in trials. If the government is eventually forced to deliver on its unequivocal promises, it risks allegations of betrayal from within its core constituency. If, however, it reneges on its commitments, it risks international censure and will inflame Tamil opinion which is expecting some level of active international participation in the judicial mechanism. The government is aware of the rising discontent within the Tamil polity regarding the slow pace of change on contentious issues such as the release of detainees, return of land held as high security zones and ascertaining the whereabouts of missing persons. It also must tackle issues of accountability for war crimes and serious human rights violations. Due to entrenched resistance from within the government bureaucracy and armed forces, it faces logistical problems in hastening the pace of change. This has led it to focus on fast-tracking the constitutional reform process, which could assuage Tamil sentiment with regard to a political settlement. In a bid to accelerate the constitutional reform process and prevent the opposition from mobilizing the people, Parliament is set to convene as a constitutional assembly on January 9. In a bid to accelerate the constitutional reform process and prevent the opposition from mobilizing the people, the Prime Minister is due to present a motion to Parliament on January 9 that would convert it to a constitutional assembly. The Sri Lankan government postponed the local government elections originally scheduled for next quarter. It was not keen to rush into an election cycle that would impact the spirit of mutual accommodation and compromise necessary for the constitutional reform process to be successful. The main concern is a split within the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) headed by President Sirisena. A longer period of waiting prior to elections, it is presumed, is likely to strengthen President Sirisena’s hand in relation to former president Rajapaksa, who still commands the support of a substantial section of parliamentarians, local level party cadres and voters of the SLFP. The split within the SLFP was evident at the recent vote on the budget, when about half of the SLFP parliamentarians cast their votes against the budget proposed by the National Unity Government. There have been indications that the disgruntled faction of the SLFP under the leadership of the former president might contest the forthcoming local government elections. The local elections also offer a platform for Tamil nationalists in the North and East to contest the moderate Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which has been supportive of the National Unity Government. Several of these parties and individuals formed a new organization called the Tamil People’s Council, which observers see as the first step towards opposing the TNA. Like the pro-Rajapaksa faction of the SLFP, the Tamil People’s Council could use the local government elections as a platform to oppose the mutual accommodations and compromises necessary to arrive at a political solution to the ethnic conflict. The prevailing situation in the North and East is complex and multi-faceted. There is a positive sense of freedom from fear and widespread acceptance of the freedom to travel and to speak. The economic infrastructure has visibly improved, particularly in the urban areas, where shops and

6 commercial enterprises are multiplying. On the other hand, many Sri Lankans feel that the pace of change is too slow and are frustrated that the government and TNA are not striving as hard as they can to alleviate the problems of the people, in particular the issues of detainees, missing persons, and displacement and continued militarization of the North. Political and civil society activists also express concern that they are not being included in the decisions made by the government and TNA. This is leading to increasing public support for alternative political groups. The Sri Lankan government and the TNA made some progress on the contentious issues of detainees, missing persons and return of land. On a visit to Sri Lanka, the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances noted the commitments expressed by various authorities they met, including to establish a dedicated Office for Missing Persons and to carry out broad consultations on future measures. They urged the authorities to give clear instructions at all levels of the military, security and law-enforcement forces that any type of threats, harassment or intimidation towards families of the missing was unacceptable. They also called for the creation of an adequate legal and institutional framework to prevent the recurrence of enforced disappearances and to ensure its adequate implementation. The government is continuing to take steps to resettle Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The Resettlement Ministry pledged to build 65,000 houses for those who lost their homes during the war. On December 29, 2015, the government released 700 acres of land in the Jaffna district. In the absence of a formal commitment to the devolution process, government ministries continue to make decisions centrally. For example, the government proposed to appoint a district coordinator for the District Coordinating Committee (DCC) to carry out development activities in the north. The Northern provincial council opposed this move. The national government changed the governors of the Northern and Eastern provinces and also appointed a provincial council staff more acceptable to the Chief Minister of the North. The provincial council continues to feel hemmed in by the requirements of the 13th Amendment, which requires the governor’s approval for decisions to be implemented. As a result, a more hardline Tamil nationalist position is finding increasing favor from Tamil media and civil society. The slow process of change in the north is leading to frustration with the TNA, which is being blamed for not pushing hard enough and not being transparent in its dealings with the government. Civil Society Space At the public level, there is unprecedented cooperation between the government and civil society. Government leaders, including the president and prime minister, routinely attend civil society functions as chief guests and speakers. The government is also responsive to civil society complaints that it is not being included in the government decision-making processes. More recently, the government appointed civil society members to committees tasked with important mandates. For example, it appointed a24-member committee consisting of both political party members and civil society members to obtain people’s participation and assist in the constitution reform process. The Foreign Ministry appointed an 11-member task force to assist the government in addressing transitional justice issues, and the government tasked the national consultation process on transitional justice to civil society groups. On the other hand, civil society activists in the North and East reported that they are still under some form of surveillance. Their activities are monitored by government intelligence personnel, who explain that they have to submit regular reports to their senior officers. Therefore, it appears that the intelligence gathering system developed during prior periods continues to function. Intelligence personnel questioned women who have family members still missing and who visited Colombo for a civil society meeting on their return to the North. They also questioned the organization in the North that facilitated their visit. However, activists also believe that they are safer and more secure due to their confidence that the top leadership of the government will not condone human rights violations. They feel that they can travel freely and speak their minds more openly, although they are aware that they are being watched.

ANALYSIS

Most of the ongoing grants came to a close this quarter. The SPICE team selected, shaped and monitored them to deliver on the original SPICE outcome areas. With the extension period and additional funds, it became necessary to orient the program towards achieving its objectives in the new and more open operational context. This new orientation had to build on the achievements of the project to date. USAID therefore designed and released two RFAs that will define the future trajectory of the SPICE project. The first RFA aims to encourage civil society activism in consolidating the democratic gains and participation in critical governance and accountability processes. USAID released it at a time when the Sri Lankan government was rolling out two critical national processes: the constitutional reform and transitional justice mechanisms. The objective of this RFA is to support civil society initiatives in the above-described context that: (a) Improve protection of citizens’ rights through legal remedies, victims’ support, advocacy and access to credible, consultative, gender-sensitive and responsive transitional justice mechanisms for affected people; and (b) Enhances active citizen participation and inclusivity in reconciliation, constitutional reform, strengthening democratic processes and accountable governance mechanisms.

The second RFA resulted from the analysis of the changing context and the revised SPICE PMP targets and indicators. In order to achieve those targets in a manner that capitalizes on the changed context and environment, the USAID released the RFA with the following objectives:

(a) Improve accountability for and protection of rights of survivors and affected communities. The focus will be on initiatives that work with survivors and affected communities to address core human rights as well as broader civil and political rights concerns using available national and international instruments, forums and mechanisms. (b) Promote Active Citizenship, participation and inclusion of marginalized groups in key governance issues and process. The focus will be on inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized groups (including women headed households, differently abled) and youth into governance, social and economic systems at the local and national levels. Under this RFA this will also include initiatives that encourage citizen and civil society participation in the constitutional and electoral reform processes as well as engagement with independent commissions and other governance and accountability mechanisms. It will also focus on economic, social and cultural rights and include initiatives that foster critical analysis of and engagement with development and related economic governance issues for example from: labor rights, inequality and environmental perspective. (c) Promotion of inter-ethnic, inter-religious understanding and reconciliation. This will principally take a people-to-people approach to foster co-existence and reconciliation between diverse communities. It will also encourage honest and bold dialogues between communities on truth seeking and power sharing in the current context. (d) Empower marginalized women towards collective action and address gender-based violence and discrimination. The focus will both be on mainstreaming gender in the above mentioned objectives as well as support to stand-alone interventions that address GBV and rights of marginalized women and members of the lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning (LGBTIQ) community.

SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES

Program Administration and Management Grant Extension SPICE received a cost extension to fund project activities through March 2017. During the quarter, USAID agreed to and signed off on the modifications to the program description, revised monitoring plan and revised budget for this extension period. Staffing SPICE discussed the operational structure for the extension period, given the reduced funding, with all stakeholders and agreed on a staffing plan. The Batticaloa office will close in March 2016 and SPICE will continue implementation through its offices in Vavuniya and Colombo. All staff contracts in Batticaloa will end by March 2016; the revised budget also reflects reductions in Vavuniya and Colombo. The number and locations of program focal points will depend on the type and nature of grants that come through the RFA in the next quarter. The capacity-building team and the M&E team are also slated for restructuring in the next quarter. In keeping with best practice, the project will prioritize qualified internal candidates for any new recruitment for vacancies that arise in the future. During the quarter, the project recruited a full-time communications and knowledge management officer and filled vacancies that arose due to staff leaving. SPICE has advertised the capacity-building manager position externally and will recruit a suitable candidate next quarter. Office Lease Agreements and Disposal of Assets

The project extended expiring lease agreements on regional office space. The Batticaloa office lease was extended through March 2016 and the Vavuniya office through December 2016. SPICE began initial steps for a systematic closeout and disposal of assets in the Batticaloa office this quarter and will complete the process by next quarter. Interaction with the Mission SPICE supported the Mission in reaching out to civil society and youth groups during Sri Lanka visits by key U.S. Government officials, including Ambassador to the UN Samantha Powers and USAID’s regional gender adviser. The project provided inputs into the Mission’s assessments during the period, including those on development priorities and youth. The RFAs were developed in consultation with the Mission. Government Approval and Taxation SPICE is engaging with the Inland Revenue Department, which asked for further clarification on the project’s submission of a “nil” tax return. SPICE will respond through a professional consultant the project retained for this purpose. Once USAID and the Government of Sri Lanka achieve greater clarity around the counterpart ministry, SPICE will then obtain the necessary clearance for tax exemption. . Security No significant security incidents occurred during the quarter. The operational environment remained conducive to civil society work, although concerns of surveillance in the northern/eastern districts remained for some activist organizations. Component 1. Support National Targeted Indigenous Organizations By way of a modification to the cooperative agreement, Component 1 and Component 2 were amalgamated into one. This change came into effect this quarter, but this report separates the

9 grants under two different components. Starting with next quarter, reports will integrate them under one component. Requests for Application (RFAs) SPICE released an RFA for national grants during the quarter and received 44 applications, giving consideration to 40 that it received within the stipulated timeframe. The evaluation team is assessing the applications and the project will award new grants next quarter. Grantee Activities (Please note that the cut-off date for activity reports is Dec. 15, 2015, for the purpose of this quarterly report.)

Center for Human Rights and Development (CHRD) completed its second grant in November 2015, following a three-month no-cost extension. This grant built on the initiatives of Phase 1 to provide continued support for victims of human rights abuses and their families, as well as to further strengthen the network of human rights defenders and activists. The grant provided core support to the organization to carry out its activities. Activities completed during the full grant period include:

Support for ongoing legal cases: During the project period, SPICE supported 69 ongoing legal cases of 48 clients, of whom five were female. These included 47 High Court cases (two female clients), 13 Magistrate Court cases (two female clients), six Court of Appeal cases, two Supreme Court cases and one District Court case. Three cases (of two clients) concluded with sentencing; one client was released; three cases of one detainee discontinued; and six clients were released on bail. At the end of the project period (November 2015), 56 cases involving 39 clients (including five females) are continuing.

Filing new legal cases: CHRD filed 14 new cases during the grant period: one Court of Appeal case, two Magistrate Court cases and the rest High Court cases.

Legal aid clinics: CHRD offered two legal aid clinics during the grant period, drawing 117 complaints from the public. Two legal assistance team meetings took place after the clinics to explore legal options and other remedial approaches for the complaints, both short- and long-term.

Assistance to relatives to visit detained family members in prison and provide care packs: CHRD provided support to 14 families to visit a detained relative during the project period. The center pays families’ travel, food and accommodations costs and helps them purchase items like towels, soap and clothes to give to the detainee. The families also receive support for legal consultations on behalf of the detainee. The center also supported six prison visits during the project period.

Coalition network meetings: These meetings aim to strengthen a regional coalition network that supports rights issues of target communities. This grant focused on the Pattipalai and Vavunathivu divisional secretariats in the Batticaloa District, mainly due to the area’s vulnerability in seeking legal support on human rights issues. The support focused on empowering communities to independently engage on human rights issues affecting local constituencies and to build bridges between local authorities and local CSOs in lobbying for community issues. The effort further enhanced access to legal support, raised litigation awareness and helped develop a record of local human right violations. This work included 16 meetings with 340 participants (51 males, 69 youth males; 107 females, 133 youth females).

Human rights defenders training: CHRD conducted four trainings for both male and female human rights defenders, along with follow-up trainings for both groups. The training for women focused on gender-sensitive issues including domestic and social-level human rights violations. The trainings also included instruction on documenting rights violations. Afterward, participants developed and discussed action plans to redress identified rights violations the community faces. The initiative trained 95 people (nine males, 34 youth males; three females, 49 youth females). 10

Training on secure communication: This one-day training program was took place in February 2015 for 15 participants (six women; one male; five youth male; three youth females). Topics included safe Internet use and information storage software. Participants had attended human rights defender trainings and coalition meetings.

Filing new cases and continuing to support ongoing cases directly fueled program outcomes of free legal support for victims of violations and detainees. In addition, SPICE’s core support ensured that the center carried out its operations and provided vulnerable communities with free and effective access to legal support. CHRD also provided financial aid and care packs for families with relatives in prison. This activity took place throughout the grant period and directly contributed to the program outcome of enabling lower- and limited-income family members of people in prison to mitigate financial constraints to visit and meet the welfare needs of the detainee. Significant youth participation in coalition meetings and in the human rights defenders training program also contributed to the SPICE outcome area of increased youth participation in program activities. The principal impact of the CHRD effort was in providing both legal and morale sustenance to detainees and their families to continue to seek legal redress, and providing rights support in an environment that does not address rights as a priority.

The Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA) completed its second grant in December 2015, following a three-month no-cost extension. The grant assisted CPA in carrying out its core research, advocacy and coordination functions while preserving the organization’s management capacity. The grant identified the continuing and critical need to bridge the widening democratic deficit in the country by strengthening civil society’s contribution to public policy through a targeted program of research and advocacy on democratic governance. The program engaged key institutions and constituencies and helped set agendas through public interest litigation (PIL), opinion surveys and publications. Activities carried out during the full grant period include:

Public interest litigation: CPA filed two PIL cases. One was a fundamental rights case challenging the creation of a special zone for heavy industries and a subsequent stay order obtained by a private company in Sampur, Trincomalee. Representing the state, the Attorney General’s department argued that action cannot proceed in the Supreme Court as the state had revoked the relevant gazette, which had previously declared demarcated high-security zones (HSZs) as special zones for heavy industries. The case was consequently withdrawn with a reservation, without prejudice to the petitioners’ legal rights that “they remain and continue to remain the owners of the land.” A second PIL case, filed by way of a written submission, asked “why the president cannot contest a third term based on interpretation of the Constitution”; the Supreme Court sent its determination to the president.

Advocacy journal published: CPA printed and disseminated 3,000 copies in Tamil and 1,000 copies in English of a Peace Monitor journal issue titled “The Challenges of a New Political Culture.” This publication is intended to create and enrich public discourse and increase citizen awareness on peace and reconciliation issues. Using the remaining funds under this activity budget line, CPA developed and printed a simplified guide in Sinhala and Tamil on the independent commissions mandated in the 19th Amendment to the Sri Lanka Constitution.

Democracy survey: A survey on public expectations of democratic governance and government was conducted island-wide, with the English version of the report published online at http://www.cpalanka.org/democracy-in-post-war-sri-lanka/. CPA translated the report into Tamil and Sinhala and printed and disseminated 200 copies in each language, as well as developed and published infographics online and on social media.

Monitored proceedings of the Presidential Commission on Missing Persons: CPA monitored and recorded Commission proceedings in the districts of Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Trincomalee and Batticaloa during the grant period. The database was updated with the information gathered from

Commission proceedings. This activity enabled CPA to make recommendations to the government- appointed Commission to improve its conduct and be held accountable.

Policy brief: CPA developed, published and disseminated 175 copies (100 in English, 25 in Sinhala and 50 in Tamil) of a policy brief titled “The Presidential Commission to Investigate into Complaints Regarding Missing Persons: Trends, Practices and Implications.”

During the grant period, two public interest cases challenging human rights violations and constitutional /legislative development and one legal opinion (a written submission filed in the Supreme Court) contributed directly to the project outcome. Printing and dissemination of the Peace Monitor journal also contributed to the outcome areas of promoting awareness in peace and reconciliation. This outcome area also envisioned creating debate and proactive civil society participation in peace and reconciliation public policymaking in Sri Lanka’s current political climate. CPA organized several discussions, both public and closed-door, for civil society stakeholders and the general public to generate interest and awareness on this issue. (These interventions have not been part of direct activities under this grant.)

The democracy survey helped contribute to the outcome area of establishing what democracy means to Sri Lankans today, as well as citizens’ perceptions of and confidence in key public institutions and party politics. The policy brief contributed to the grant outcome of highlighting shortcomings and making recommendations to the government.

SPICE’s core support to CPA through the grant ensured that the organization could carry out activities on an as-needed basis in the changed political context. This also shows that the changed political landscape created increased space for organizations of this nature to work at the policy level and utilize the research and advocacy tools developed (some funded by SPICE) for effective policy lobbying.

The Center for Policy Alternatives/Center for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV) voter education grant ended following a 20-day no-cost extension in November. This four- month grant focused on streamlining the service delivery process of Grama Niladharis (GNs), who are dutybearers at grassroots level, by providing clear and accurate information with regard to the electoral process to minimize the percentage of rejected votes. The intervention also focused on voter education with a special focus on youth and the visually impaired.

Trainings for select youth contributed directly to one outcome area of the grant: youth trained on the electoral process and on reporting incidences of election violence. The center also provided awareness sessions for select groups of differently abled persons, contributing to the outcome area of educating and creating enthusiasm among citizens with special needs to exercise their right to vote. This area has gained greater focus since the initial intervention. But the key activity under this grant of working with the Grama Niladharis did not take place, due to reasons beyond the grantee’s control; this limited the achievement of intended outcomes.

Family Planning Association of Sri Lanka (FPA) commenced activities in April 2015 and its grant came ended this quarter. The grant focused on developing the capacities of private general practitioners (GPs) to effectively respond to gender-based violence (GBV). This occurred through the development of resource tools/materials and piloting them to build GPs’ capacity to address GBV, and expansion of GBV service providers through improved networking in the two districts and the inclusion of health service providers. Activities carried out by FPA during the full grant period include:

Developing and distributing GBV resource materials: FPA developed a number of resource materials on the fundamentals of GBV service provision during the grant period:

 Based on the analysis of a knowledge assessment/test shared among GPs in Anuradhapura and Puttlam districts, four GBV experts developed a training module; FPA printed 10 copies to share among the trainers.  The association developed and shared copies of the field handbook on GBV with GPs engaged in private practice from both districts.  FPA revised the existing GBV screening tool and customized it according to the requirements of the GPs. The screening tool has been designed to help GPs correctly identify GBV survivors. The association developed 65 copies of the screening tool and made it available to GPs in Anuradhapura and Puttlam districts.  FPA distributed 150 copies (50 each in Tamil, Sinhala and English) of posters for GPs at private clinics who attended the trainings from both districts to post in their workplaces. The posters conveyed critical information to GBV survivors in a user-friendly manner.  FPA updated, reprinted and distributed leaflets containing information on further support and available options for GBV survivors for GPs to hand out in their clinics in both districts.  FPA compiled contact information on existing service providers in Anuradhapura and Puttlam districts after mapping of all the GBV service providers in the districts. The association printed 500 copies and distributed them to trained GPs, service providers, hospitals and other government bodies (e.g., divisional secretariats). Service providers reached included district secretariat offices, police stations, the Women and Children’s Bureau desks and legal aid providers in Puttlam and Anuradhapura districts, as well as at national level. Training for GPs who run private clinics in the Puttlam and Anuradhapura districts: Two capacity-building workshops promoted awareness on GBV and its health consequences, as well as the various responses health care providers can give and resources they can refer victims to. A total of 54 GPs (13 women, 41 men) received training on the fundamentals of GBV and on using the updated screening tool.

Workshop for GBV service providers in Puttlam and Anuradhapura districts: Sixty-six GBV service providers and five GPs who took part in the GBV trainings attended half-day workshops in both districts. In total, 50 female and 21 male private practitioners and service providers from private, public and nongovernmental organizations received training, with the objective of improving multi- sectoral networking among health professionals and GBV service providers. Attendees also received the inventory that maps GBV service providers in both districts and resource materials such as the leaflets and posters.

It is difficult to quantify and qualitatively assess the impact of the grant, given its short duration, but FPA’s intervention in both Puttlam and Anuradhapura districts identifies two significant achievements:

 The post-training analysis reported by the grantee indicates an overall improvement in GPs’ knowledge and they have begun to demonstrate an increased commitment to respond to cases of GBV. Through the GPs’ use of the screening tool, the number of identified GBV survivors increased. (Gauging the actual increase in the number of GBV cases reported to GPs is difficult within this short duration and is beyond the scope of the project’s overall outcome).  Sharing the comprehensive inventory/directory among the 71 trained GBV service providers and GPs in the two districts has created the potential for a more comprehensive, coordinated approach to respond to GBV. For example, two GPs from Anuradhapura and Puttlam who attended the capacity-building workshops referred cases to Women in Need (WIN) and the Legal Aid Commission (LAC). FPA also distributed copies of the inventory to other private practitioners and organizations engaged in addressing GBV who did not attend the workshops.

Access to information improves GBV victims’ search medical assistance and more

As part of FPA’s intervention to improve the capacity of private GPs, a number of GPs from Puttalam and Anuradhapura received training in identifying, screening and treating GBV cases. The GPs also received resources such as posters and leaflets to place in their clinics and hand out to patients.

A part-time doctor in Anuradhapura reported to FPA that after the training, he displayed the GBV poster GBV in his clinic; in the following weeks, he noticed an increase in the number of women patients disclosing incidences of partner violence and seeking both medical attention and advice on how to cope or deal with situations of GBV.

The doctor said displaying the posters and distributing leaflets that highlight facts, myths and service provider contacts will enable women to regard GPs’ clinics/practices not only as institutions providing medical treatment, but also “a safe place to share their problems.” The GP’s role as a health care provider has transitioned and expanded to include that of adviser and point of referral for GBV survivors.

Heart to Heart Lanka (H2H) commenced activities in April 2015 and ended this quarter. The grant focused on training and educating members of the lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning (LGBTIQ) community on their rights. The grant focused on building the capacity of H2H through awareness-raising and outreach to better position them to advocate for the protection and promotion of human rights. H2H’s activities during the full grant period include: Developing a pool of trainers from the LGBTIQ community: Eight potential trainers received basic human rights training to build H2H’s capacity and reach. The participants (two women, including a transgendered woman, and six men) received training from select experts/activists from the LGBTIQ community on rights and laws, sexual and reproductive health and sexual orientation and gender identity. H2H and the experts developed and distributed a comprehensive training module for participants to use in their own trainings. The module is in Sinhala and covers training sessions on human rights, laws, sexual orientation and gender identity, mental and sexual health and various other topics relevant to the LGBTIQ community in Sri Lanka.

Promoting awareness on rights to a wider network of LGBTIQ community members: Participants of the training pool used the knowledge and awareness they gained to train and raise awareness of 73 peer educators (including 71 men, one woman and one transgendered woman) from Colombo, Kalutara and Gampaha. The training sessions covered rights, laws, sexual orientation and gender identity, sexual and reproductive health and mental health. H2H finalized and printed a leaflet outlining rights and essential laws affecting the LGBTIQ community and shared it with the peer educators. The trainings provided practical experience for the pool of new trainers and provided H2H with in-house human resources to promote awareness among its wider network of peer educators.

Promoting awareness on reproductive health, sexual health and hygiene among the LGBTIQ community in Jaffna district: H2H conducted a pilot two-day workshop for 25 LGBTIQ community members and allies from Jaffna on sexual health and hygiene. The training included 24 participants (10 male, 14 transgender women) who gained awareness on HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and other sexual health and protection issues. Four doctors, including one from Colombo and a public health inspector (PHI) from Jaffna, conducted the sessions. This gave participants an opportunity to openly talk to medical officers about their health issues and the challenges they face when seeking health services.

Development of audiovisual material to capture violations faced by community members: Videos showing interviews with 10 members of the LGBTIQ community captured their life experiences. The 10 clips created a short documentary on the rights violations and challenges of LGBTIQ people living in Sri Lanka. The production will be a tool to advocate for the rights of the community.

A key outcome of the project was to strengthen the capacity of H2H to advocate for LGBTIQ rights and, as a first step, to increase the membership of H2H’s network and its geographical outreach.

The International Center for Ethnic Studies (ICES) commenced activities in May 2015 and expected to conclude its activities by Nov. 14, 2015. However, SPICE extended the grant period with a no-cost extension through Dec. 30, 2015. This intervention, titled Truth and Justice in Sri Lanka, seeks to contribute to the generation of an organic and relevant transitional justice (TJ) process in the country. The grant seeks to provide space for decision-makers from different communities to discuss and debate options to forge a TJ process that is sensitive to the peculiarities of the Sri Lankan conflict.

Activities during the current reporting period include:

Discussions on TJ: Three discussions took place in Galle, Colombo and Nuwara Eliya for 106 participants, including 37 women and 12 youth. Two experts in international relations and transitional justice, Ms. Bina De Costa and Mr. Eduardo Gonzalez, facilitated the discussions and shared their personal experiences during the conflict and post-conflict stages.

Literature review of transitional justice commentary on Sri Lanka: ICES completed a literature review on TJ commentary about Sri Lanka and drafted a report based on notes from Trincomalee, Jaffna and Colombo dialogues. The center will finalize the report with the conversation outcomes from Nuwara Eliya during the next quarter.

Documentary on TJ: Interviewed community leaders from Nuwara Eliya, Galle and Colombo on transitional justice discourse in Sri Lanka for a documentary on TJ in Sri Lanka. A first cut of the documentary was produced.

National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) commenced the project “Protection and Promotion of Rights of Fishing and Agriculture Communities Through Regaining and Retaining Their Right to Land and Livelihoods” in January 2015 and ended it this quarter. The intervention focused on strengthening local, provincial and national efforts to assert the rights of fishing and agricultural communities. This is the organization’s second grant under SPICE. NAFSO supported fishing communities in the North to address post-war issues of intrusion by South Indian fishermen and unfair competition by migrant fishermen from the South of Sri Lanka. It also supported members of the Northern and Southern communities to address land rights issues, primarily through sustained networking, documentation of evidence, public awareness and engagement with policymakers. Activities for the grant period included:

NPFPU general body meetings: Northern Province Fisheries Peoples’ Unity (NPFPU), an alliance of fisheries societies (samasams) in Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Mannar districts in the Northern Province, convened regularly to discuss the Indian trawler intrusion and encroachment of Southern fishermen’s issues, strategize action and develop district fisheries development plans (DFDPs). Six alliance general body meetings (AGMs) took place. One AGM expanded to a stakeholder forum to present DFDPs to provincial political leadership and policymakers. Average participation in the five regular AGMs was about 30.

The stakeholder forum included 138 participants (58 females and 80 males). The participants, apart from the representatives of NPFPU, included national and provincial politicians, officials from decision-making

15 authorities, representatives from farmer and other civil society organizations and media personnel. In addition to submitting fisheries development plans, the event was a format to lobby political and administrative institutions to seek solutions to long-standing difficulties of fishermen in the North.

DFDPs: Four meetings were planned to prepare DFDPs, mainly addressing the issues of Indian trawler intrusion into the Sri Lankan coastal waters and encroachment by Southern fishermen, and the use of destructive fishing gear. These plans also focus on addressing other grievances of the Northern fishing communities (e.g., land issues and persisting surveillance by security forces and imposed restrictions). The meetings included 124 participants (11 females and 113 males, including five male youth). After drafting DFDPs, four follow-up meetings consulted leaders of fisher communities at the village level and validated the issues captured and solutions suggested in the plans. These follow-up meetings were membership drives for the NPFPU. Participants included 126 people (one female and 125 males, including 12 male youth). After the follow-up meetings, participants at a provincial-level meeting finalized one plan per district and submitted them to administrators and policymakers.

Survey on the encroachment of Southern fishermen: A survey conducted in all areas of the Northern Province, excluding Vavuniya District, assessed the scale of intrusion by fishermen from the South. The survey revealed a significant level of disturbance to the local fisher community by Southern fishermen. The findings were shared and validated at a dialogue forum attended by fisher community representatives from the North and South. The total number of participants at the discussion was 31 (two females and 29 males). Fishermen from the North and South made joint visits to places with pronounced migration issues.

Media briefings: Three media briefings addressed Indian trawlers and common fisheries. The first focused on an official visit by India’s prime minister (to exert pressure) and the second focused on the pending collective governing plan for Palk Bay Resource Management and the World Fisheries Day program. The third briefing focused on national budget decisions for 2016. The 49 participants (three females and 46 males) in these events included 26 media personnel representing regional and national print and electronic media. The wide media coverage raised the profile of the issue and the president of NPFPU was invited for a public debate on Northern fisher issues on national television.

Voluntary Guideline for Governance of Tenure (VGGT) and Voluntary Guidelines on Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries (VGSSF): Organized and conducted four district-level workshops (two per district) focusing on the “land-grabbing” issue in Panama, Ampara District, and Irudeniyaya, Kurunegala District. The workshops’ objective was to raise awareness and motivate community leaders and activists to form action groups on lobbying and advocate for customary rights. Average participation at these workshops was 45 people, and 11 follow-up meetings guided targeted communities in developing campaigns against their eviction (particularly on preparing lobby/ briefing papers, petitions, preparing for negotiations with/ lobbying to authorities/ politicians, etc.). Average participation at these meetings was 14 people.

VGGT and VGSSF awareness workshops took place in seven districts: Galle, Matara, Gampaha, Puttlam, Batticaloa, Polonnaruwa and Monaragala. Their purpose was to raise awareness among communities with no prior knowledge of customary rights and stimulate community action against eviction and involuntary resettlement. In total, 224 people participated (167 females and 57 males, including 31 female and three male youth).

National seminar on land-grabbing and land rights issues: NAFSO held a seminar in Colombo to build awareness on illegal land appropriation (land-grabbing), land issues faced by female heads of households in the North and East of the country and land rights issues of internal displaced people (IDPs) in the North and East, as well as advocacy for their immediate resettlement. Participants included 180 (60 females, 116 males, three female youth and one male youth) political representatives, journalists, civil

16 society organization members and victims of land-grabbing participated. A survey-based report on the issues was also released.

Documentary on land-grabbing: Produced an audiovisual (AV) account of affected community concerns on land-grabbing (capturing cases in Trincomalee, Puttlam, Jaffna and Monragala districts). The documentary aired for 350 citizens, seven journalists, representatives of 10 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and two hoteliers during the grant period. It was also uploaded on YouTube (https://youtu.be/JEP0OQsHvdo).

Celebration of World Fisheries Day: A November 2015 event to commemorate World Fisheries Day in Jaffna focused on land-grabbing and other issues faced by the Northern fisher community. Publications on key issues (with Tamil and Sinhala translations) and VGSSF also launched at the event, which included 703 participants (491 females and 212 males, including 63 female and 27 male youths). Participants at the event included the fisheries minister for the Northern Province and the deputy high commissioner of India to Sri Lanka.

The intervention (particularly the invigoration of NPFPU) prompted a collective fisher community voice to amplify the call to redress issues faced by them. The most significant issue was the illegal encroachment of Northern coastal waters by Indian fishermen and fishing by migratory fishermen from the South. The strengthening of Northern fisher solidarity, as well as the expansion of civil society space, enabled the community to gain the attention of policymakers and the Indian diplomatic corps. This brought into focus the issues and continuing discrimination and violations faced by the fisher community, especially within the framework of national security concerns. The district fisheries development plans evolved under the grant to provide a framework for necessary action, also acting as a rallying tool for the Northern fisher communities. Although nascent, the dialogue with Southern counterparts on encroachment by Southern fishermen is necessary to find a workable solution.

On the issue of land rights, the most focused intervention was the mobilization of groups in Panama and Irudeniyaya to campaign against their eviction and win back their land. A significant aspect of this action was the empowerment of affected communities to demand their customary rights, even though concrete solutions have yet to be realized.

Uniting Voices to Change Lives

NPFPU’s president addresses a gathering at the stakeholder forum on Oct. 15, 2015, in Vavuniya.

“The Northern Province Fisher Peoples’ Unity gave us a voice that could not be heard before. With their help, our voices are heard even at the highest levels of government,” said Mr. Alam, president of the Northern Province Fisher Peoples’ Unity (NPFPU – also known as “The Unity”).

With the support of the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO), the NPFPU formed in 2011 as a collective movement representing the District Fisheries Cooperative Societies in Jaffna, Mannar, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu. As the district-based societies lacked the capacity to fully address the large- scale problems faced by fisher communities, the NPFPU exists as a united consortium to represent all Northern district fisher societies. This empowered the movement to collectively represent and advocate for the rights of communities whose main livelihood is fishing. The highlight of the current intervention is the strengthening of this formation to concretely articulate its demands and voice its opinions. At stakeholder meeting attended by national and provincial level politicians, the NPFPU submitted its plans for development of fisheries in the Northern districts, representing a key moment for the Unity.

National Peace Council (NPC) commenced the grant titled Reconciling Inter-Religious and Inter- Ethnic Differences (RIID) under the second round of grant activities in November 2014. In the second phase of the project supported by SPICE, RIID built on the achievements of the previous project with District Inter-Religious Committees (DIRCs) to improve linkages with provincial religious leaders. The DIRCs were strengthened to identify emerging local-level conflicts and take steps to mitigate or resolve them. The DIRC network expanded from eight districts to nine (Ampara, Batticaloa, Galle, Jaffna, Kandy, Matara, Mannar, Nuwara Eliya and Puttlam) under the new grant. The project also revitalized the National Inter-Religious Committee (NIRC) to represent 33 inter-religious leaders from DIRCs (two females, 31 males) at a nationally convened symposium in November 2015. This event preceded the publication of success stories about DIRCs’ interventions in the regions. The grant ended this quarter and activities are reported for the entirety of the grant period. They include:

Linking DIRCs with provincial and national media: Four one-day workshops (clustering DIRCs) built better linkages between DIRCs and media personnel for reaching out to the public on inter-religious issues. Ninety-nine people participated (24 females and 75 males, including nine female youths and two male youths). Coverage of DIRC activities by media has improved somewhat. In Matara, Nuwara Eliya and Batticaloa, national media covered important activities including the issue of marriage certificates for unmarried couples in Matara, peaceful demonstration by estate communities in Hatton and media workshop in Batticaloa. Furthermore, the activities also received coverage in local media and online.

From words to deeds: Tangible change through collective action

The District Inter-Religious Committees established by NPC provide examples of collective problem- solving, where religious and ethnic diversity becomes a source of strength rather than division. The DIRCs give emphasis to local-level conflict mitigation.

Ampara: The Sri Lanka Army temporarily took land belonging to 46 farmers in 2012 for a car park during the construction work for the seventh “Deyata Kirula” (War Victory) Exhibition; the army did not return it to the owners for reasons of “security.” Intervention by the Ampara District Inter-Religious Committee with representatives of the Army, divisional secretaries, district secretary and the assistant commissioner of lands led to the return of the land after three years.

Nuwara Eliya: Mahaweli Development Authority took over lands for the construction of Kotmale Reservoir in 1987, leaving 34 families of Tamil estate workers landless. The Nuwara Eliya District Inter- Religious Committee staged public demonstrations to influence government institutions and other authorities through awareness-raising. About 200 people attended the demonstration and 120 18 participants signed a statement with 15 demands that they issued to the media and sent to the authorities, including president and prime minister. After the DIRC met with P. Digambaram, minister for estate infrastructure and community development, the government agreed to provide alternative land to the displaced people.

Matara: Muslims in Isadeen, Matara, wanted to set up a mosque, but the Sinhalese in the area said the municipal council had not granted permission to build it. The Muslims said they had permission from the Matara Municipal Council. As a result of this misunderstanding, tensions mounted between the communities. The Matara District Inter-Religious Committee organized an Iftar ceremony (Breaking Fast for Ramadan) with the participation of Muslims, Sinhalese and Tamils to open a space for communities to engage and mend damaged relationships.

Residents pose in front of dilapidated line rooms, which have been “home” for this community for the past 30 years.

Mitigatory interventions: Fifty-four district-level meetings engaged and involved district-level decision- makers and built relationships with provincial- and national-level religious clergy. In all, 1,200 participants included 429 females and 771 males (105 of them male and female youth). The meetings focused on identifying causes of tension and finding workable solutions, including engagement with relevant authorities where necessary.

Pre-election community-level voter education meetings on democracy and good governance: DIRCs, recognizing their role and the time-sensitive need before the general elections to advocate for democracy and good governance, held 10 meetings to mobilize community leaders and educate them to guide their constituencies to vote for parties and candidates who advocate for and reflect values of good governance and reconciliation to Parliament. The meetings took place in Jaffna, Batticaloa, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, Mannar, Anuradhapura, Puttlam, Galle and Matara within a two-week period. The 637 participants included 333 females (46 youth) and 304 males (73 youth). The British High Commission to Sri Lanka and USAID funded this activity through a direct grant. RIID’s contribution was facilitating religious leaders and mobilizing other community leaders to share their views with the public.

DIRC members distributed voter education materials in their localities. The materials included wristbands, handbills and posters that were developed in consultation with them. Using funding from The British High Commission (BHC) and USAID, NPC also broadcast 12 dialogues on “Inter-religious and Inter-ethnic Harmony Through Good Governance” over national radio, coinciding with the recent general election. Eleven inter-religious leaders and four civil society leaders/ DIRC members attended the program, along with recognized national-level resource persons.

Publication of success stories: NPC published 15 success stories about DIRCs.

National symposium and reconstituting of NIRC: The national symposium took place in November 2015. In total, 166 participated, including representatives from different organizations/sectors; 141 were from

DIRCs (82 religious leaders and 59 community-based organization leaders). The symposium included sharing of success stories and experiences of DIRCs, as well as revamping and reconstituting the National Inter-religious Committee with new members appointed from DIRCs.

The RIID project FB page is www.facebook.com/nationalpeacecouncilofsrilanka.

In summary, DIRCs are actively engaged in inter-religious/ ethnic issues in the selected districts. This is evidenced by initiatives and activities these committees have taken on incidents and issues, which have the potential to harm or disturb inter-religious harmony and coexistence. However, the aspired positive change is in pockets limited to those areas in which focused interventions take place. A larger span of influence covering a wider population has yet to occur, but would be a positive aspiration in light of recent political change in the country. DIRCs and the NIRC have a niche in the national process of transitional justice for effective reconciliation, as they have built trust within the communities through their interventions and they represent organic institutions, which have a natural moral authority. The DIRCs have the scope for collective national engagement on issues of reconciliation and rights.

Plaudits for consistent NPC efforts for ethnic reconciliation

In his speech as guest of honor at the DIRC national symposium, Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya commended the NPC for its efforts.

“I was born in Sri Lanka before independence. In 1940s we were a nation that lived peacefully. However, due to various reasons, some conflicts occurred among us. We unfortunately lost our mutual trust, which resulted in a serious bloodshed. I still can remember my school days. I studied at Ananda College, which consisted of around 30 percent to 40 percent of non-Sinhala students while many Sinhala students studied in Jaffna. Even one of the former speakers of Parliament, Mr. K. B. Rathnayake, studied in Jaffna. At that time, we did not have any ethnic divisions. We played together, studied together, fought with each other and lived as united Sri Lankans. So, our dream is to work peacefully, united as a nation again. We should appreciate the efforts taken by the National Peace Council towards achieving that dream. However, the National Peace Council also had to confront different obstacles put forward by the extremists while attempting to work towards their goal.”

The Right to Life Human Rights Center (R2L) grant to “Sensitize and Strengthen Communities to Reform Mechanisms for the Protection of Civic Rights” commenced in November 2014 and ended in October 2015. This was R2L’s second grant under SPICE. Capitalizing on networks built through the first grant, R2L broadened the discourse on rights and prevention of torture. The intervention focused on training human rights defenders (HRDs) for improved documentation and reporting of violations and strengthening community groups advocating against torture to build solidarity among organizations advocating for rights. It also ran campaigns to engage the public and build support. Trainings for HRDs: Ten trainings took place in Hambantota, Matara, Gampaha, Mannar and Anuradhapura Districts (two per district), targeting 125 HRDs. Their purpose was to develop HRDs’ knowledge on issues relating to extrajudicial killings and the police requirement to use minimum force in handling suspects. Of the 124 trained, 37 were females (10 youth) and 87 were males (11 youth). Following these preliminary trainings, two two-day advanced trainings for senior HRDs on the use of local and international redress mechanisms took place. Overall, 55 participated (17 females, including two youth, and 38 males).

Two coordination meetings facilitated networking among HRDs in selected districts. Overall, 58 participated (14 females, including one youth, and 44 males, including five youth). Public advocacy on preventing torture: R2L held three people’s tribunals against torture to highlight the weaknesses and gaps in the legal system and the role of the attorney general (AG) and judges. The 357 participants included 137 females (23 youth) and 220 males (20 youth). Two street campaigns on torture related issues took place in Gampaha and Galle districts. The 101 people who attended the campaigns included 31 females (13 youth) and 70 males (17 youth). The organization published 2,000 copies in Sinhala and Tamil languages of two booklets on recent reported cases of torture and extra judicial killings, reforms in remedial mechanisms for human rights protection and abuse of power by police in performing duties. R2L distributed the booklets at various events to civil society organizations and several police stations. Two short documentaries on high-profile cases of torture and extra judicial killings were produced and uploaded on YouTube and R2L websites Aythiya (www.aithiya.lk) and right2lifelanka.org (http://www.right2lifelanka.org) for wider dissemination. Also, these websites were periodically updated with information on torture incidents and events related to political reform. R2L published 6,000 copies of six bimonthly newsletters in Sinhala and Tamil for dissemination among network members, other civil society groups, torture survivors and HRDs. The grantee also organized and hosted three collective meetings for lawyers and journalists to build consensus for providing wider coverage on torture issues through media for publicity. The 81 participants included 27 females (11 youth) and 54 males (16 youth). Civil society against torture: Two network and five district meetings strengthened civic activism for the reform of domestic torture remedial mechanisms and democratic change in the country’s political context. The network meetings enabled the civil society organizations and activists to collate information and contribute toward drafting a shadow report on torture. The 76 participants included 19 females (five youth) and 57 males (all youth) participated in network meetings. Five meetings took place in selected districts with 402 participants who included 160 females (22 youth) and 242 males (42 youth). Reform campaign: R2L ran campaigns on Human Rights Day (Dec. 10, 2015) and UN International Day against Torture (June 26, 2015) to intensify the campaign for domestic legal reforms and the inclusion of international recommendations in local redress mechanisms against torture. At the Human Rights Day commemoration, the 149 participants included 55 females (12 youth) and 94 males (12 youth). A special feature of this event was the 112-member civil society network for democratic change in the country presenting its common manifesto to the common candidate for the presidential election 2015, now- President Maithreepala Sirisena. At the commemoration of the UN International Day against Torture, 100 participants included 29females and 71 males. A campaign against the attorney general was a main activity in R2L’s reform campaign this year. This took place in October and November 2015 and included four activities: 1) a public protest with the participation of 100 people, 2) a petition signing, 3) a press conference/ media briefing that 40 people attended and 4) giving the public petition to the secretary of the Ministry of Justice on Nov. 30, 2015.The other main activity of the reform campaign was filing two legal writs against the attorney general and members of Police Commission’/ inspector general of police (IGP) for negligence and failing to act in relation to two torture cases. The cases are ongoing. Supporting torture victims/ survivors: Four meetings supported torture survivors to help each other pursue justice and remedial measures. An average of 29 people (10 females and 19 males) participated. Community monitoring pilot project: A 10-member community group monitors incidents of torture in a select police division. This pilot initiative continued from the previous year. The group facilitated six meetings to discuss and plan actions. Nine people (three females and six males) participated regularly at these meetings. 21

The grant facilitated the networking of 124 HRDs in five districts, laying the foundation for effective action against and reporting about torture. The grant also supported R2L to highlight and continue to advocate for rights-related issues to pressure the government to adopt reforms. It also enabled continued support for victim survivors and victim families to pursue justice within the legal system, and to sustain their efforts over the required period of time. Overall, R2L’s interventions focus on justice at individual level and advocacy to reform state structures. A pivotal case for individual justice was that of Gerard Mervyn Perera who was murdered by members of the Police for pursuing legal redress for custodial torture. The perpetrators were brought to justice as the case ended earlier this year. R2L supported the family through part of the process, which lasted over a decade. In pursuit of action in another of custodial death – 17 year-old Peruma Hewa Sandun Malinga of Badulla, R2L filed a writ of Mandamus urging legal action by the Attorney General against the officers responsible. R2L added pressure through a protest campaign and public petition urging action by the Attorney General against those responsible.

Persistent in the search for justice…

Public petition for an Efficient, Impartial and Just Attorney General’s Department. Victim: Peruma Hewa Sandun Malinga

Peruma Hewa Sandun Malinga a 17-year-old resident of Kosmo Farm, Akurukaduwa, Meegahakiwula was arrested by the Kandeketiya Police on 07th May 2014. On 9th May 2014 he died in Badulla prison succumbing to injuries due to the alleged torture by some members of the Kandeketiya Police. R2L notes that no medical treatment was provided to the victim, despite repeated requests by his parents.

R2L has sought legal redress through many avenues, a fundamental rights petition, complaints to the National Human Rights Commission, the Inspector General of Police and the Police Commission in 2014 shortly after the incident, with no effective response. Most recently R2L filed a writ of Mandamus urging the AG to file action against the perpetrators and followed up (October, 2015) with a public petition for an Efficient, Impartial and Just Attorney General’s Department which was scheduled to be handed over to the Prime Minister and President end of quarter.

This is a clear example of the sustained efforts needed to find redress for custodial deaths.

Relevant Links: http://www.aithiya.lk/pictures.php?id=8 http://www.aithiya.lk/news_view.php?id=108 http://www.aithiya.lk/news_view.php?id=100 http://www.aithiya.lk/news_view.php?id=33 http://www.humanrights.asia/news/urgent-appeals/UP-67- 2004?searchterm=urgent++appeals+for+sandun+ma https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FOjCmw6EOM https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/police-killings-continues-17-year-old-boy-died-in-his- brothers-arms/ http://www.hirunews.lk/82937/relatives-allege-youth-died-in-badulla-after-been-assaulted-by-police-video

Sarvodaya (Lanka Jathika Sarvodaya Shramadana Sangamaya) commenced activities under its second grant in November 2014 and completed activities in November 2015. This grant built on work from the previous grant to enhance citizen engagement in local governance and decision-making processes. The community-monitoring exercise conceived through the grant allowed citizens to engage with local governance through demands for space and change. More participatory decision-making at the local level was targeted through the collaborative efforts of trained and organized rights-based citizens’ pressure groups and community monitoring teams (CMTs) supported by the grant. The grant was implemented in 10 areas: Pollonaruwa, Monaragala, Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Padaviya, Kandy, Kegalle, Ratnapura, Matara and Galle. The accomplishments of the grant during the grant period are as follows:

Outcome 1: Increased capacity of community monitoring teams (CMTs) to engage with stakeholders to advocate for participatory democracy at local levels. The following activities contributed to achieving this outcome.

Staff orientation workshop and 10 CMT orientation workshops on a rights-based approach for 403 Sarvodaya staff and Deshodaya forum members: The project began with a two-day staff orientation workshop with 35 Sarvodaya district staff members (21 women and 14 men) from10 districts. They were trained on the need for a rights-based approach, as opposed to a service-delivery approach. Workshops also addressed 368 community monitoring team members (209 women and 159 men). Training focus areas included conducting community needs assessments, identifying and prioritizing issues and understanding the rights framework in the country. They also discussed concepts of human rights, good governance and citizens’ role in ensuring good governance.

Participants at 38 CMT forum meetings identified, discussed and planned action on local issues that hinder good governance: The meetings took place in 10 districts with 683 CMT members (368 women and 315 men) identifying, discussing, planning and designing interventions for community issues affecting citizens and human rights violations.

Twenty skills trainings improved the technical knowledge of 714 CMT members to find solutions and acting on identified issues: Participants included 714 members (429 women and 285 men). The trainings focused on environment law and responsibility of local authorities; the effective use of media for public action; laws related to the conservation of wetlands; basic human rights and legal action against rights-related violence; effective action to highlight redress for community issues; roles and responsibilities of government officers and how to communicate with them; the law relating to coastal conservation; the law relating to state lands and taxes therein; and how to organize public campaigns.

Stakeholder meetings: At 29 stakeholder meetings, 315 CMT members and 32 stakeholders participated. CMT members discussed how the stakeholders could address identified issues for effective solutions. The meetings resulted in the resolution of four prioritized community issues: cancellation of a proposed poultry farm in Amithirigala, Kegalle; reduction of high rates charged for resurveying land in Polonnaruwa; clearing doubts on the geographic boundaries of the local government authority for Nuwara-Elliya; and staffing issues at the Bakamuna rural hospital in Pollonnaruwa.

Troubleshooting workshops: Participants of 10 workshops included 496 CMT members (312 females and 184 males). Those attending discussed many legal and technical issues relating to community interventions.

Educational material on a rights-based approach to community action and monitoring: Developed a publication with the support of experts, and printed 1,000 copies each in Sinhala and Tamil to distribute among Sarvodaya’s Deshodaya forums.

Central communication hub: Social media platforms expanded with the Sarvodaya Facebook page reaching 2,500 followers, the Deshodaya Facebook page reaching 200 likes and Sarvodaya’s Twitter having more than 600 followers, with a slow increase of comments around the posts.

Outcome 2: The community monitoring teams (CMTs) effectively engage with local authorities (LAs) and other state and non-state actors to resolve local issues. The following activities contributed to achieving this outcome.

Key community engagement activities: These included three public protests, seven citizen juries and roundtable discussions, two public day events, nine public campaigns, two petitions signed and delivered to authorities and preparatory action to file two public interest cases.

Transition to rights-based approach: Deshodaya forums and their members moved from a needs-based approach to a rights-based approach in finding solutions to problems in their localities. The grant intervention exposed members to resolving issues on the ground and upholding citizens’ rights through community action. Sarvodaya believes that this project intervention has been the most significant for the Deshodaya people’s action so far, and the experience gained through it has improved the profile of the Deshodaya forum and its mission.

From service delivery to non-violent advocacy…

The CMT for the district of Moneragala explored the encroachment of vital tank reservations that act as catchment areas. The Divisional Secretariat (DS) divisions of Thanamalwila, Bibile and Kataragama were selected for the community action where 18, 48 and 22 village tanks respectively were at risk. This activity included displaying 1,500 posters in the three main cities to raise awareness among the public and among government officials on the issue. Deshodaya also organized a peace march to raise awareness on the importance of reservations. Having held stakeholder meetings with various government bodies, the Divisional Secretariat is now willing to extend its fullest support to demarcate village tank reservations. Before, a pressing issue among the farmer organizations and the community was the lack of government support to survey the tank reservations, which is too costly for individual farmers to undertake on their own. Following continuous community action, the Government Survey Department was mobilized to survey the reservations, free of charge.

Many estate sector workers live in line-houses of dismal condition and are still denied the right to their own postal address. In Badulla District, CMT members organized roundtable discussions with estate owners, postal authorities and community leaders to address this issue. As a result, 75 families now own postal addresses in GlenAlpin Estate in Badulla. Community action also encouraged naming streets and houses with their new postal names – an initiative that can be fostered throughout Sri Lanka’s estate sector.

Padaviya in the North Central Province is home to very poor farmers. Many are exploited by middlemen who purchase their paddy for low prices. Having identified the issue, the CMTs took the matter to the street by holding a peaceful protest to promote awareness on the plight of the farming community. Further, Sarvodaya is exploring the possibilities of filling a public interest litigation case demanding that the government establish proper paddy purchasing procedures.

The Women’s Center (WC) grant commenced activities in June 2015 and ended in November 2015. The grant focused on empowering young female workers in Biyagama and Wathupitiwala free trade zones to claim and enjoy their rights to live with respect and dignity. The proposed intervention supported improving worker awareness on labor rights, their sexual reproductive health rights and the proposed General System of Preferences Plus concessions and its implications for workers. It also sought to create space for interaction, dialogue and partnership between female workers from the North, East and South, enabling solidarity among workers of different ethnicities. The Women's Center will also advocate on sector-wide issues identified through its engagement with women workers. The organization will function as a referral point for young women workers (particularly migrant workers) who need guidance/support on labor issues. The activities through the grant include:

Increased awareness on labor rights: WC conducted a series of trainings in Biyagama and Wathupitiwala to raise awareness among workers on labor rights and laws relevant to workers in the apparel sector. Four trainings were conducted in Sinhala and in Tamil, with 92 workers from the apparel sector (79 women and 13 men) participating. The trainings sought to create awareness and understanding of core labor rights including collective bargaining and Sri Lanka’s compulsory payment schemes and gratuity processes. The trainings also covered specific laws and regulations related to women workers. The WC developed two key resources for the trainings: a comprehensive module on labor rights (in Sinhala and in Tamil) and leaflets on labor rights and laws in both languages that the center distributed among the workers.

Increased awareness on sexual reproductive health rights, women’s right to be free from violence and available mechanisms for redress: Four trainings served 83 Tamil-speaking and Sinhala-speaking workers (76 women and 7 men) from the apparel sector to promote awareness on reproductive health and women's right to be free from violence. Representatives from the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Women and Children’s Bureau of the Police facilitated the trainings. WC designed and developed leaflets on reproductive health, women’s rights and available support and redress mechanisms in both languages and distributed them to all participants during the trainings.

Increased space for Sinhala and Tamil women workers to build trust and confidence with each other: During the grant period, Women’s Center hosted 10 film screening events followed by discussions on the central themes of the films. The WC chose the films for their focus on labor rights issues as well as other human rights challenges women workers face. The objective of the event was to encourage Sinhala and Tamil garment workers to interact and engage with each other to gain a better understanding of common labor issues and rights specific to women. The 392 Sinhala and Tamil workers included 364 women who engaged in joint dialogues on issues that affect female workers, a first step toward building trust and confidence among workers of different ethnic backgrounds. (Some individuals included in the 392 participants attended more than one film screening event.)

Panel discussion on the impact of GSP Plus: A panel in Colombo that consisted of trade union representatives, women’s organization members, academics, human rights activists and apparel sector workers discussed the impact of the GSP Plus on workers in Sri Lanka. The discussion also focused on steps to collectively advocate for the restoration of the concession while ensuring that its benefits reach the workers. Participants included 44 people (eight males and 36 females), 22 of whom were apparel sector workers.

The grant focused on empowering young women workers in the FTZs of Biyagama and Wathupitiwala, where a few organizations are working on protecting workers’ rights. Through its activities, the Women’s Center reached more workers in Wathupitiwala – especially Tamil-speaking workers, who are new to the area. Through the intervention, the organization expanded its network in both Wathupitiwala and Biyagama, with 23 Tamil-speaking workers and 30 Sinhala-speaking workers joining

26 the Women’s Center network following the grant activities. The trainings reached 178 workers (155 women and 23 men) from Biyagama and Wathupitiwala, creating awareness and understanding of core labor rights that include collective bargaining, sexual and reproductive health rights and intimate partner violence among the young female workers. The film screenings that the WC hosted encouraged Sinhala and Tamil garment workers to interact and engage with each other, giving them a better understanding of issues that affect female workers. The informal setting allowed 258 Sinhala-speaking and 134 Tamil- speaking men and women to interact and share common problems and challenges. Component 2. Support Regional Indigenous Organizations to Promote Responsive Citizenship and Inclusive Participation Request for Applications (RFA) Following an RFA to support national-level organizations, another RFA is being designed for release on Dec. 31 to focus on and support regional CSOs. This RFA aims to promote active and inclusive citizenship through support for civil society action on human rights, governance, accountability, reconciliation and gender empowerment. More specifically, it aims to: (a) Improve accountability for and protection of rights of survivors and affected communities; (b) Promote active citizenship, participation and inclusion of marginalized groups in key governance issues and processes; (c) Promote people-to-people approaches, inter-ethnic and inter-religious understanding and reconciliation; and (d) Empower marginalized women toward collective action and address gender-based violence and discrimination. This will be released and widely circulated among CSOs in the country, and submitted proposals will be evaluated for award. Grantee Activities (Please note that the cut-off date for activity reports is Dec. 15, 2015, for the purpose of this quarterly report)

Grantee activities are reported under the categories of multi-region, Eastern and Northern. Multi-region grants include those implemented in more than one province or region, and those that fall outside the North, East and adjoining border areas. Multi-Region Grants Berendina Development Services (Gte) Ltd. (BDS) commenced the project “Citizens’ action for the protection of plantation sector workers’ rights” in January 2015. The intervention aimed to address issues faced by plantation sector workers when applying for and receiving their statutory social security dues, including Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees Trust Fund (ETF) payments and pensions. The intervention aimed to address the underlying causes of these issues, which include lack of knowledge about civil, political, economic and social rights of workers. While the grant attempted to enhance citizen activism through awareness-raising and capacity-building activities, it also initiated multi- stakeholder action by creating or strengthening networks and relationships between the authorities and the estate workers. The grant ended this quarter and key activities are reported for the entirety of the grant period. They include:

Stakeholder Consultations: The project was launched at a stakeholder workshop. Participants included estate managers, assistant managers/chief clerks, deputy general managers and general managers of

27 select plantation companies, the assistant commissioner of labor (ACL) and labor officers. The issue of duly obtaining statutory dues of retired workers in the plantation sector was discussed. The 91 participants included 14 females (three of them youth) and 77 males (11 youth). Focus group discussions sought to understand the issue from multiple perspectives. Six union leaders (all men), 12 chief clerks (eight females and four males), 12 retired female workers, 22 elders’ club members (15 males and seven females) and 27 estate management staff (26 males and one female) participated in nine discussions.

Validation study: To collect information for deeper analysis and to validate the core issue of the project, BDS conducted a survey of 777 retired workers and 56 estate management staff. The organization compiled a validation report based on survey findings and published 300 copies of it to disseminate to the office of the assistant commissioner of labor in Hatton, divisional secretariats of Ambagamuwe and Nuwera Eliya and 23 estates during the early part of the project.

Guidelines, best practices and training of trainers for estate management officers: A sample of 23 estates was selected for collecting data (through four FGDs) to assess gaps in the existing management system in providing statutory dues to workers. Seven estates in the sample helped their workers claim their statutory dues. BDS developed a model standard operating procedure (SOP) with the participation of 54 estate staff (26 females and 28 males) from the targeted 23 estates representing five plantation companies (Watawala Plantations, Kelani-Valley Plantations, Bogawanthalawa Plantations, Kotagala Plantations, and Agarapatana Plantations).

The SOP book was developed, printed and disseminated during the training of trainers (ToT) among estate management staff. Five ToTs were conducted for 89 staff (46 males and 43 females). The ToT for estate officials aimed to build their capacity on the SOP and enable them to disseminate knowledge to other staff at their level.

Publication and dissemination of a guidebook on obtaining EPF and ETF funds: A consultant revised the existing guidelines. Ten FGDs (seven trade unions and three elders’ clubs) took place to validate the contents of the revised guidelines, which were then published (3,400 copies) and distributed among 40 estates. The dissemination of guidebooks took place at EPF and ETF awareness workshops and ToTs for change agents (select members of elders’ clubs).

Awareness-raising workshops: Eighty-six awareness-raising workshops reached 3,047 workers (1,789 females and 1,258 males) to be retired between 2015 and 2017. The main objective of these workshops was to create awareness on rights and the correct process and procedure to claim statutory dues.

Roundtable consultation meeting with stakeholders: Two multi-stakeholder meetings took place with the objective of establishing an action forum consisting of estate mangers, Labor Department representatives, religious leaders, officers of the divisional secretariat and elders club leaders to work toward upholding retired plantation workers’ rights to their statutory dues.

EPF mobile program with Central Bank: The mobile unit was a one-stop point for resolving issues relating to statutory dues, with 199 workers (76 females and 43 males) attending. The effort led to the resolution of 52 cases, while Central Bank staff agreed to look at pending cases at an agreed date in Colombo when BDS delivers the files.

Awareness-raising workshops on procedures and processes for claiming EPF/ ETF show a visible impact on retirement-pending and retired workers, especially considering that more than 3,000 participated in these programs. However, due to the poor literacy rate of the participant population, the EPF/ ETF handbook will be of limited use. The book will be useful to their younger family members, who have better literacy rates.

ToTs for change agents: Members of elders’ club acting as guides in claiming statutory dues has mixed impact, while ToTs and the handbook for estate management staffs is showing positive results in terms of clarifying practical and procedural issues. The handbook will be a useful reference to the new management cadre of estates.

Significant change was observed in the relationship between estate management staffs and Assistant Commission of Labor personnel in carrying out their official duties. The multi-stakeholder roundtable forum paved a way for BDS to bring sensitive issues of malpractice and oversight in the system in providing services to the workers in claiming their statutory dues. This was also a useful platform to disseminate findings of the weakness in the system and share policy recommendations in addressing social and economic vulnerabilities of plantation workers.

EPF Mobile Program to solve the claim issues

BDS organized an EPF mobile program in Hatton with the support of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to solve plantation workers’ existing issues related to EPF claims. There were many pending issues in EPF claims in the Hatton ACL area due to a lack of proper documentation. Any change to name, EPF number or other changes in the system should be made at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. This is a big problem for retired workers, as they need to go to Colombo for this purpose. This situation leads to the involvement of middlemen and the poor workers have to pay a large sum of money as commission. The story of a woman named Pushparani highlights the impact of the EPF mobile program.

Pushparani, age 53, lives in the Binnoya Division of Wigton estate. She is an estate worker with four family members. She had a balance of over LKR 600,000 in her EPF as of December 2014. When Berendina organized an awareness program on EPF/ ETF in the estate, Pushparani participated in it. Afterward, she checked her EPF statement from Central Bank and discovered a problem: Initials were not included in front of her name. At the same time, the “B” card — a document required to claim EPF — was also not registered in the labor office.

Pushparani brought all required documents to the EPF mobile program organized by Berendina with the participation of Central Bank officials on Oct. 5, 2015, in Hatton. There, she found a solution to her problem with the support and guidance of Berendina, which made her happy. She said the EPF/ETF awareness and EPF mobile programs helped her understand the problem and find a solution in a day.

The Central Bank and Labor Department’s mobile service helped plantation workers address problems claiming EPF/ ETF.

The Center for Peace Building and Reconciliation (CPBR) grant was approved by USAID last quarter and commenced activities. This six-month grant is largely youth-focused and seeks to empower youth and enhance inter- and intra-community engagement in post-war Sri Lanka. The grant is based on the organization’s previous experience in peace-building and reconciliation through artistic expression, and it contributes to ongoing work. The grant, “Voice of Image (VOI): Represent Your Presence” focuses on youth empowerment by providing them with the space and opportunity to acquire skills in photography to help them release creative energies. The project uses creativity, visual literacy and peace-building tools as a medium for young women and men to express their views to be heard and understood. CPBR believes that engagement with each other will enable youth to recognize diversity as an asset rather than a liability. The following activities were carried out during the reporting period:

Community organizers groups setup: Training addressed the social role of photography, diversity, community mapping, community mobilizing and facilitation for community organizer groups in Kolombuthurai, Nayanmarkaddu, Nawanthurai, Kahatagasdigiliya and Pollonnaruwa established under the grant. Disaggregated data has not been verified by SPICE, so it will be shared in the next quarter.

Dabindu Collective commenced the grant “Empowerment of Female Garment Workers in Katunayake to Live with Rights and Dignity” in May 2015. The intervention aimed to empower and enable young women workers of free trade zones (FTZs, also called export processing zones, or EPZs) to enjoy their rights and be treated with respect and dignity. Activities included creating awareness on sexual reproductive health rights for 450 female workers, enhancing awareness on workers’ rights through the publication of 2,000 copies of the “Dabindu” newsletter and working with civil society organizations to commemorate an activist who died while fighting for FTZ workers’ rights. The grant ended this quarter and activities are reported for the entirety of the grant period. They include:

Create awareness on sexual reproductive health (SRH) rights and available services among 450 female workers from Katunayake EPZ: Dabidu organized and held three half-day and two two-hour awareness-raising sessions. Although the sessions targeted 450 workers, only 270 (172 females, including 100 youth, and 98 males, including 72 youth) participated. The low turnout for trainings is reflective of the persistent obstacles faced by civil society and labor groups in mobilizing workers to seek their rights in the FTZs.

Print and distribute booklets on sexual reproduction health (SRH) among the workers: A consultant was assigned to prepare a booklet on SRH rights in Sinhala, which was translated into Tamil. The booklet was printed (2,000 copies) and distributed among the workers through 27 boarding houses in Katunayake area and several other civil society organizations, as well as at the SRH rights awareness- raising events (more than 250 copies distributed).

Distribution of 2,000 monthly newsletters on labor rights and issues in export processing zones: Dabidu printed and distributed five issues of monthly newsletters to individuals and workers at 83 organizations. An informal opinion survey by Dabidu conducted just after the distribution of the fifth issue showed that more than 50 percent of the readers were satisfied with the newsletter’s focus on labor rights and space provided to workers to share their issues.

Commemoration of Roshen Chanka and strengthening workers’ solidarity: A commemoration of the death of worker rights activist Roshen Chanaka drew 75 participants (30 females and 45 males), mainly representing 17 civil society organizations that work in FTZs. The limited turnout of FTZ workers stemmed from their fears of being victimized by management.

Awareness-raising workshops and distribution of the booklet on SRH rights reportedly has improved the knowledge of workers who attended events or received the booklet (based on post-intervention

30 group discussions). These events also helped the workers build relations with regional medical services, which would be useful in seeking consultations or advice in the future. Workers welcomed the newsletter as “a space for workers to raise their voices.” They also called for a continuous focus on labor rights, making the document an effective tool to strengthen worker awareness on the issue. However, attempts to mobilize workers on labor rights issues did not meet with expected success. EPZ employees mainly avoided events focused on advancing labor rights and enhancing the solidarity among organizations committed to the cause. This may have been due to the fear of reprimand by employers. However, the diverse interests and agendas (or priorities) of civil society organizations focused on the EPZs was also identified as a possible reason for the low participation of workers in advocacy events (remarks shared by several workers).

Appreciation for the Dabidu Newsletter

“Space for workers to raise voice” – Sugath Rajapakse, a trade union activist.

“Let us see what Dabidu [the newsletter] has said about our factory; or see what they have on other factories” – A few factory workers in FTZs.

The Dabidu newsletter was redesigned to meet the requirements of contemporary workers in FTZs and to fill the widening gap in understanding and taking action on workers’ rights. With its new focus, the newsletter was able to highlight two important contemporary issues: the right to statutory dues — the Employment Provident Fund (EPF)/ Employment Trust Fund (ETF) — and women’s rights to dignity and equal status in society.

Based on these remarks, Dabidu asserts that the newsletter is creating rights awareness among a wider population of workers in FTZs.

The Institute for Constitutional Studies (ICS) grant came to a close in October following a six- month, no-cost extension. The grant’s objective was to improve governance structures at the provincial level through greater understanding of constitutional provisions and by building their capacity and skills to draft statutes in exercising devolved powers. Activities carried out during the full grant period include:

Workshop on statue drafting for provincial councilors/officials of Eastern Province: These workshops took place in three phases for a group of senior provincial council officials. It aimed to provide basic knowledge on constitutional provisions relating to the drafting of statutes and legal aspects related to the process. Workshop participants discussed draft statutes prepared by the council and gave feedback on their conformity to constitutional provisions and other legal requirements. A total of 107 officials (84 males and 23 females) participated in all three workshops.

Workshop on provincial administration and finance for provincial councilors/officials of Northern Province: These workshops occurred in two phases for a group of senior provincial council officials. The workshops aimed to improve participants’ understanding of the provincial council’s powers and functions with a special focus on administration and financial management. Participants also discussed principles underpinning the devolution of power. A total of 87 officials (62 males and 25 females) participated in the two workshops.

Expert assessment of draft statutes of provincial councils and related advisory service: An expert panel reviewed and gave feedback on five draft statutes from the Eastern Provincial Council and five from the Northern Provincial Council. The draft statues for the Eastern Province are: Business Names, Eastern Printing Corporation, Agricultural Research, Solid Waste Management and Indigenous Medicine. The

31 draft statutes for the Northern Province are: Animal Husbandry, Indigenous Medicine, Environment and, specifically, the establishment of a Northern Province environmental authority, health services and provincial agriculture.

Paper on the independence of the judiciary: ICS finalized a paper on judiciary independence during the reporting period, as well as a summary of the paper and a pamphlet.

The statutes drafted by the Northern and Eastern provincial councils represent a significant indicator, especially taking into consideration the limited number of statutes passed by these two provincial councils in past years. This contributed to the project outcome of more provincial statutes (which enable provincial councils to exercise their powers), enhanced quality of provincial statutes and better trained provincial officials who can draft statutes.

The paper on the independence of the judiciary fed into the debates and discourse prior to the presidential election in January 2015, which directly contributed to the outcome area of catalyzing public discourse.

The Law and Society Trust (LST) grant focusing on media freedom came to a close in September following a one-month, no-cost extension. The grant was developed at a time of frequent incidences of crimes against media and journalists, including murders and forced disappearances, harassment and threats, bombing and attacking newspaper offices and destroying their property, disrupting journalists’ training sessions and workshops and banning websites. This grant sought to empower journalists and bloggers with increased understanding of their rights and to improve networking among them. The grant focused on the Northern, Eastern, Southern and Northwestern provinces. A select group of journalists from these areas participated in a series of workshops, trainings and meetings. Activities during the full grant period include:

Raising legal awareness of provincial correspondents: Five trainings were conducted in Galle, Matara, Ampara, Jaffna and Puttlam districts. The trainings aimed to legally empower provincial correspondents from the districts from both mainstream and social media to ensure better-informed coverage on a wide range of issues from a rights-based approach. The training covered topics on fundamental and professional rights, available domestic and international legal mechanisms, media ethics, new and social media, digital media and gender-sensitive reporting for state and private sector electronic and print media journalists. Additionally, the training introduced journalists to lawyers through the provincial bar associations to strengthen journalist linkages with the legal profession in their districts. The 72 journalists who participated included 68 males (six youth) and four females (one youth), as well as and 12 lawyers — nine males (one youth) and two females.

District-level journalist follow-up meetings: Two district-level follow-up meetings took place in Galle, Matara, Jaffna, Puttlam and Ampara. The meetings enabled networking and future collaboration between journalists and lawyer groups. The 34 journalists who participated were all male; the 32 lawyers included 20 males (one youth) and 12 females (seven youth).

Training in economic, social, cultural and religious rights: Five trainings took place in Galle, Matara, Ampara, Jaffna and Puttlam districts. The trainings focused on the importance of highlighting provincial issues from a rights-based perspective. A panel discussion with social activists from the province was also part of the two-day training program; it sought to give journalists an opportunity to network with those actively involved in advocating for local rights and issues and to give a better understanding of the importance of protecting local rights and focusing on conflict issues. The 67 journalists who participated included 62 males (one youth) and five females (one youth); the 21 activists who attended included nine males and 12 females (three youth).

Five half-day meetings in each district to consolidate relations: The district meeting was a follow-up to the training workshops on rights-sensitive reporting and aimed to consolidate relations between journalist associations, civil society organizations (CSOs) and human rights activists working at the local level. The half-day meetings took place in Ampara, Batticaloa, Matara, Galle and Chilaw districts. The 79 participants included 25 females and 54 males.

During the review meetings, it was revealed that journalists from Matara attended an event with their bar association. They meet often and the bar association has agreed to find or provide resource personnel for legal empowerment topics as well as any other topic they need. Journalists from Puttlam District met on several occasions outside of LST activities. The Chilaw bar association has agreed to provide free legal representation to the journalists and has done so on two subsequent occasions. Two journalists from Ampara successfully reached out to the bar association for advice on obtaining case records and have reported on the information they obtained.

In addition, following the training programs, LST asked journalists to send in articles reported from a rights-based angle. The trust received more than 40 articles on a wide range of issues, including child rights violations, corruption, female representation in Parliament, land issues, health issues, rights of fisher community, elections and other matters.

This shows realization, to an extent, of two grant outcomes: provincial journalists and bloggers having increased knowledge of their fundamental and professional rights, and enhanced access to legal support and improved reportage of local-level community issues through an informed human rights perspective.

The two combined trainings with lawyers and activists gave journalists who attended an opportunity to widen their networks, directly contributing to the project outcome of enhanced professional capacity of provincial journalists through inter-district organization-building and linkages with local action groups. The linkages built with CSOs will provide better sources and increase coverage on a wide range of issues, strengthening the role of journalists as community watchdogs and at the same time providing CSOs and activists an avenue to bring community issues to the public.

A rare view Daya Nettasinghe is a provincial journalist from Matara for the Sath-Handa newspaper. He was a keen participant at both the training workshops and other meetings and stressed that every aspect was a new experience, opening new vistas in journalism for him. Motivated by the training workshops that covered topics like fundamental rights, laws relating to journalists and reportage, human rights, international treaties and conventions, digital security, professional ethics and social responsibility, he decided to run a weekly column titled “pathikannadi” (side or rear-view mirror) that focused on media ethics and ethical reporting. Since the training, he has covered topics such as media ethics, social responsibility toward religious co- existence, impartial reporting, etc. He enlightens the reader by quoting examples of incidents of faulty reporting, why it’s wrong, its impact on the larger public, etc. He also focuses on peace-building and the journalist’s role in promoting co-existence within communities.

National Evangelical Christian Association of Sri Lanka (NECASL) commenced work in January 2015 on a grant focused on protecting constitutionally provisioned religious freedom in Sri Lanka, particularly of minority religious faiths, and supported awareness training for members of the media, legal

33 professionals, academics and young human rights defenders on religious freedom in the country. The grant ended in September 2015. Following are its key activities: Lawyers’ network to protect the right to belief: Inter-religious Victims who were expelled from the lawyers formed “FORB,” a lawyers’ network of 42 lawyers village funeral and death endowment (15 females and one youth) to support victims of religious societies have received support for violence. This national network consists of six provincial their cases. Also a pastor who was networks from the Western, North-Central, Southern, the target of a false allegation of noise North-Western, Northern and Eastern provinces. It brings pollution was represented in court. together lawyers from different faiths. In 2015, NCEASL Another pastor who faced a violent provided legal support (not SPICE funded) for 20 cases of attack against his place of religious religiously motivated violence, was an increase from the 14 worship received representation in they handled in 2014. The network lawyers handled some of Eravur Courts. these cases.

Lawyers’ training on Freedom of Belief and Religion: The training instructed 56 lawyers (26 females and four youth) from the North, East, South and North Central networks on various legal strategies that they can use in religious cases relating to the breach of religious freedom. Training sessions included awareness on constitutionally guaranteed rights to belief, administrative and legal challenges to the constitutionally guaranteed right to religion, how to combat police victimization of minority faith groups, and provisions of a 2008 circular from the Ministry of Budda Saana (Buddhist Affairs) requiring ministry permission to build non-Buddhist places of worship.

Camp for youth civil society leaders: An Inter-religious Youth Camp organized by NCEASL brought together 63 youth participants from seven provinces: Northern (22 participants), North Central (eight), Eastern (15), Western (two), North-Western (two), Central (four) and Southern (10). The youth received training in advocacy, peace-building and religious freedom. At the end of the camp, a few participants composed a song on religious harmony that reflected on the themes of harmony and understanding conveyed through training. NCEASL is working to record the song.

FORB training for journalists: In a bid to sensitize media personnel in reporting religiously motivated violence, the grantee conducted two training sessions for journalists from traditional and alternate media. The 18 journalists who participated included five females and 13 males representing print and electronic media. The two-day training taught them about the basic precepts of FORB, related local and international legal mechanisms, ethics, best practices and responsible reporting. Another training session served 13 journalists representing “nontraditional” media.

A participant from Sri Lanka Topics included international and local laws that influenced Broadcasting Cooperation (SLBC) reporting on religious and communal tension, panel discussion said that following the first day of the on perspectives of media coverage on religious and communal consultation, he informed his staff to tensions and managing religious and communal tensions in the never needlessly indicate the digital age. ethnicity/religion of an individual in their reporting. He said they agreed Handbook on good practices: A group of 33 people (11 women to refrain from unnecessary and 22 men) including journalists, resource persons and references to race, religion and participants of the media workshop developed a series of other group characteristics (racial recommendations for self-regulation of journalists when profiling). reporting on ethnic and religiously motivated violence. They completed the first draft over email, saving time and resources.

The handouts and material used during the consultation were translated for the benefit of participants who were more comfortable speaking in either Sinhala or Tamil. NCEASL staff translated these documents, with no added cost to the project.

After incorporating comments from media practitioners, NCEASL released the final version of the guidelines to the press and its other stakeholders.

NCEASL hopes to meet with a range of stakeholders on the recommendations that have emerged and considers having it publicly endorsed by the owners of media houses, managers and senior media professionals (editors, news directors, etc.) at media institutions to ensure greater impact.

Research on religiously motivated violence: During the grant period, the grantee finalized three research papers on religiously motivated violence in Sri Lanka. Among them was an analysis of Sri Lanka’s judicial framework on religious freedom, trend analysis of violence against minority religious groups over the last 20 years and a case study of rural areas of the Southern province, where the pastor of an evangelical church was attacked and the church property was damaged.

“In Judicial Response to Religious Freedom,” the paper analyzing the judicial framework, says that Sri Lanka’s case law has displayed a conservative trend in the protection and promotion of religious rights of minority religious communities. “Lower courts have demonstrated a reluctance to mediate in community-level tension to protect minority religious communities. And the approaches adopted by the Supreme Court have not enabled it to expand its jurisprudence through reference to case laws and verdicts from other countries.”

Lawyers’ network: NCEASL successfully established a multi-faith lawyer network that will handle cases on religion-motivated violence. Members of the network took up 20 cases during the grant period.

Journalist training: Following two journalist trainings/sensitizations, participating journalists developed a set of self-regulated guidelines for reporting religiously/ethnically motivated violence. NCEASL is now exploring the possibility of including the guidelines in various journalism curricula at different journalist training institutions, and as part of guidelines issued by the Press Complaints Commission, a self- regulating body for journalists.

Research publication: The research papers were finalized this quarter but the grantee has not been able to use them for large-scale advocacy work. However, research findings were presented at a UN side event where NCEASL participated in November.

NGO National Action Front (NNAF) commenced work under its grant in October 2015. The grant supports the NNAF, made up of voluntary services organizations in Sri Lanka, to establish a code of conduct (CoC) for local NGOs and grassroots organizations to help govern their activities. The existing CoC was developed after consulting Southern-based NGOs; it largely reflects their interests and therefore is not fully accepted by NGOs in the North and East. Through the grant, the NNAF will be restructured and improved as a secretariat, with five district groups being set up in the North, East and Central provinces to strengthen its coordinating role. The second phase of activities will be dedicated to developing the CoC and building the capacity of member NGOs to adhere to the CoC. The CoC should improve organizational ethics and quality of work. NNAF was granted a one-and-a-half- month, no-cost extension to finalize two activities that could not be finished: finalizing the Code of Conduct for NGOs and developing a CoC compliance measurement tool. NNAF’s activities during the reporting period include:

Developing a code of conduct and compliance manual: NNAF is in the process of finalizing the code of conduct and developing the compliance manual. The manual sets out six guiding principles, including

35 non-discrimination; respect for diversity and pluralism; commitment to human rights and dignity; neutrality and impartiality; responsibility to protect and develop society; and promotion of volunteerism.

A series of recommendations addressed adherence to four operational principles and standards, including national laws regarding registration and operation; good governance practices; strengthening partnerships, collaboration and networking; and setting up a whistleblower policy.

The grantee is in the process of finalizing the CoC and developing a tool to evaluate member organization adherence to the code.

The Savisthri Women’s Movement grant closed in November 2015 at the end of a one-month, no- cost extension. The grant focused on fostering active participation of women in lobbying and advocating for issues faced by them. It also attempted to address conflicting views some dutybearers have on women actively taking on these roles. The project supported women to develop their knowledge and confidence in interacting with dutybearers of local authorities and local government entities through a series of workshops in Matale and Matara districts. Savisthiri is a national women’s network comprising 2,860 women and men in eight districts, including Batticaloa in the Eastern Province. Activities during the full grant period include:

Workshops to understand the roles and responsibilities of dutybearers and the right to associated services: These one-day workshops aimed to educate women leaders on the roles and responsibilities of dutybearers (Grama Seweka, Divisional Secretariat, Pradeshiya Sabhas, etc.) in addressing women’s issues at community level. The 92 participants at the workshops included 91 females (15 youth) and one male from the two districts.

A booklet on women’s mission in securing citizens’ rights: Savisthri developed and printed2,500 copies of the booklet in Sinhala and distributed it through the organization’s national women’s network.

Workshop identifying women’s issues at community level and the role for women’s groups in finding solutions: The trainings focused on the role of community leaders in identifying issues and facilitating suitable responses. Community appraisal instruments to help identify and prioritize these issues were also introduced during the workshops. The 96 participants included 95 females (24 youth) and one male.

Workshop to develop village-level action plans and advocacy tools to address issues faced by women at the community level: The 95 participants included 94 females (16 youth) and one male.

District-level dialogue forums: These forums helped identify and prioritize issues and decide on the required action prior to delivering petitions to local government offices and representatives. During the dialogue sessions, participants discussed issues identified at previous workshops, which were also attended by local government level dutybearers. The 96 participants at these sessions in the two districts were all females (eight youth), joined by six duty-bearers from the local government.

Handing over petitions: Petitions highlighting community-level issues were delivered to Pradeshiya Sabhas and other local government authorities. The petitions were given to the Rattota, Yatawatte, Devinuwara Pradeshiya Sabhas, the Matara Municipal Council and the Devinuwara Divisional Secretariat. The petitions highlighted local issues ranging from unemployment to water shortages.

The trainings contributed to strengthening rural women’s capacity to identify and address women’s issues at the local level. The consequent drafting of petitions capturing key issues in their localities bolstered the women’s confidence and ability to deal with local issues. The series of workshops has directly contributed to the outcome of increased and improved knowledge, understanding and skills of the rural women leaders in identifying and addressing women’s issues at community. Prioritizing issues in

36 the community and drafting petitions and delivering them to local government authorities also contributed to identifying and trying to address issues women face at the community level.

Secretariat for Muslims (SFM) commenced activities under the grant “Promote Religious Tolerance and Dialogue Among Different Religious Communities and within the Muslim Community” in September 2014, and ended its intervention this quarter. The grant “aims to create awareness among policymakers at different levels on incidents and attacks motivated by ethnicity and religion, against members of the Muslim community, and to create awareness among the Muslim community on the need for inter- and intra-communal coexistence and harmony.” The grant was designed in the backdrop of attacks against Muslims by extremist Sinhala-Buddhist groups. The grantee received a one-and-a-half month, no-cost extension to complete some of its planned activities. Key activities under the grant include:

Tracking violence motivated by religion: During the grant period, SFM monitored Tamil, English and Sinhala newspapers and more than 50 websites to identify and report incidents of religiously motivated violence against Muslims. Based on this monitoring, the grantee published quarterly reports on anti-Islamic hate incidents. Some 138 religiously motivated incidents were recorded during the grant period. The reports were disseminated among 200 individuals and 49 institutions, including human rights activists, parliamentarians, government officials, researchers, diplomats, academics and CSO members.

Curriculum for Madrasa and Arabic Colleges finalized: As a result of continued advocacy by SFM with All Ceylon Jamiyyathulama (ACJU), the Federation of Sri Lanka Arabic Colleges and the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs, the curriculum will be adopted by religious institutions shortly. Once adopted, nearly 11,000 students are expected to be reached. The curriculum helps to teach the younger generation about co-existence and human rights from an Islamic perspective, and the need to respect other cultures and religions.

A five-day ToT and a three-day day follow-up workshop were conducted for Madrasa and Arabic College teachers on the curriculum, with 25 teachers participating. The trained teachers are expected to train other teachers to follow the newly developed curriculum.

The South Asia Center for Legal Studies (SACLS) grant focuses on promoting informed participation in transitional justice and reconciliation through awareness raising and capacity building. Commenced in October 2014, the grant focused its activities on three major outcome areas: dispelling public misconception on the transitional justice (TJ) process, increasing public awareness of different countries’ experiences in TJ and training social activists and community leaders from the North and East to dispel misconceptions and increase public awareness on the TJ process. The grant ended this quarter. Key activities included:

Increased public awareness of the varied experiences of countries that underwent TJ processes, challenging widely held misconceptions among the public: SACLS published a series of newspaper articles in Sinhala and Tamil newspapers and developed a documentary film comparing experiences that different countries have undergone during a transitional period. The articles were published in mainstream Tamil newspapers and alternative Sinhala newspapers, which are more receptive to the idea of transitional justice. The Sinhala newspapers are reported to have an average readership/circulation of 10,000-12,000 and Tamil newspapers reach more than 100,000 readers. Tamil websites that published the articles have an average of 300 visitors a day and Sinhala websites have 500 daily visitors.

Public exposed to TJ narratives of experiences in other countries, challenging misconceptions over a sustained period: SACLS developed a documentary film, “Erumboora” (“As the Ant Crawls”). The documentary received enthusiastic reviews from the audience, and SACLS has received many invitations to conduct screenings in the North and East. However, due to time constraints, the grantee was not able to hold theses screenings during the grant period. A partner organization of SACLS has told SPICE that it will 37 hold screenings and discussions for women with whom they work. More screenings are planned after the closure of the program.

“Erumboora” was also released on DVD and on the Internet to increase public awareness on lessons learned from other countries that went through transitional justice processes. The film was also featured on tamilwin.com, which is one of the most popular Sri Lanka-related Tamil websites. SACLS distributed 200 DVDs among individuals and organizations from different parts of the country, including North and the East.

Community leaders from the Tamil community dispel misconceptions on transitional justice through public engagement: As a result of SACLS engagement with Tamil-speaking community leaders, a number of strategies are available to support a proper transitional justice process in Sri Lanka. The strategies include: demands Sudar Oli and Virakesari Weekend for a hybrid court; characterization of this court as an newspapers report on the 30th “internationalized” court with international judges, UNHRC Sessions without bias. prosecutors, investigators and lawyers; and an agreement This success followed directly from a that politicians would regularly brief editors present at seminar for community leaders on TJ, discussions. where both editors were present and participated in discussions. Thereafter, Training social activists to dispel misconceptions on TJ: With the editorial lines of the newspapers other CSO partners, SACLS conducted a day-long during the 30th Session were largely free discussion for CSO members and victims in Vavuniya. More of the most prevalent misconceptions in than 30 individuals (11 women) participated in these other newspapers. discussions, which dealt with common misconceptions within the Tamil discourse on TJ. The discussion took place Moreover, the two editors were in constant contact with SACLS staff immediately prior to the 30th session of the UN Human throughout the session, and the analysis Rights Council (UNHRC), where Sri Lanka featured and insights shared with these editors prominently. Discussions focused on the TJ options were reflected in the headlines and available, particularly with respect to justice mechanisms and editorial stance of the newspapers. mechanisms to trace disappeared persons. All participants — and other leading civil society members — received a Coverage of UNHRC Resolution in handbook on TJ by email. Thinakkural Newspaper: Headlines read “Sri Lanka will have no problems in Seminar for community leaders: SACLS convened a breakfast Geneva because it co-sponsored seminar on TJ issues with Tamil community leaders and resolution” and a cartoon below it opinion makers (including politicians, CSO activists, TJ and suggests India, China, Russia and Cuba had managed to whitewash crimes in Sri international law specialists and journalists) to discuss policy Lanka. This reflected the type of options for TJ in Sri Lanka, particularly in light of the HRC misinformation prevailing in typical Tamil session. The participants identified and discussed strategies press coverage. to dispel myths and misconceptions; included 11 community leaders (three of them parliamentarians) participated.

Sri Lanka Development Journalists’ Forum (SDJF) grant, which commenced in the last quarter, focuses on engaging key stakeholders in advocating for gender equality in the Muslim community by using the Islamic Framework on Gender Equality and Justice (IFGEJ) developed through a consultative process under a previous grant. The grant supported the organization to share the framework through a public launch and the distribution of 2,000 copies of the IFGEJ in Tamil. The document will also be available online.

The document is in two volumes: 1) General Principles and Gender Equality Concepts in the Islamic Framework and 2) Muslim Personal Marriage Law (MPL). The grant also supports a wider discussion on the framework among stakeholders in Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Puttlam, Kandy and Colombo. It 38 supports training on the IFGEJ for 60 women community leaders to act as local-level advocates of Muslim women’s rights. SDJF will publish eight articles on the concepts explained in the IFGEJ in two national Tamil newspapers and broadcast five radio programs in Tamil on an Islamic channel to reach a wider audience at the national level. Activities for the quarter include:

Six panel discussions: The 200 participants (112 males and 88 females) included 20 male religious leaders, 30 civil society members (16 men and 14 women) from Puttlam, 32 civil society members (25 women and seven men) from Kathankudy, 21 individuals and members of the organizations working on inter religious issues (13 females and eight males) in Colombo, 67 members (50 men and 17 women) of Muslim civil society organizations/ institutions in Muttur and 30 Muslim students (19 females and 11 males) of the University of Peradeniya.

Breaking new ground Discussions in different areas focused on various aspects of the framework, particularly the equality principle from several perspectives. Some sought clarification, while others articulated new points in support of the principle. Some disagreed with certain principles, such as women’s ability to give testimony and consent for marriage.

Participant comments in general were positive:

“The discussion has really changed my mindset. All these years, I believed that a husband has a right to beat his wife. Even Quazis and Maulavis say [to] accept wife beating and they ask the woman to adjust her life with the man who is beating her. Challenging this concept is very new for me.”

– Fareedha Musthafa

“Normally as Muslims, we talk and question about equality in general, but we were scared to talk and criticize equality in the religion. Since this book has been written with contribution from Muslim Religious leaders, it’s a great leap forward. This is encouraging us too relook at some of the religious practices.”

– M. Mufizal, Senior Lecturer at the University of Peradeniya

Participants at panel discussions in Kattankudy and Puttlam.

Advocating change: Four articles were published in the Tamil newspaper Vidivelli on Muslim marriage, Muslim divorce, polygamy and its impact, and women’s testimony. Five radio programs were also produced.

The Young Christian Workers Movement – Sri Lanka (YCWM) grant commenced activities in July 2015 to continue through December 2015. The grant aims to connect workers across ethnic divides to advocate on common issues and their rights as workers. In war-affected areas, youth leaders will receive training to educate community youth on employment rights. Targeted groups include existing and potential worker populations, with special focus on female workers in export processing zones (EPZs) in Negombo, Puttlam and Mannar. Activities conducted by YCWM this quarter include:

Training on labor rights for job seekers and workers in Mannar District: This training taught 39 individuals from Mannar and surrounding areas about Sri Lankan labor laws and rights of employees, including the rights of collective bargaining, forming trade unions and health and safety regulations and rights. Participants (19 females and 20 males) were employees in various sectors, including farming, apparel and manpower, as well as those seeking employment.

Training on labor laws and workers’ rights in the Katunayake EPZ: Five one-day workshops promoted awareness among men and women garment workers. Two trainings were in Tamil and three in Sinhala. In total, 187 workers were reached through these trainings; 103 were women workers from the apparel sector.

Developing a calendar with key information on rights in Sinhala and Tamil: With the support of volunteer photographers, YCWM compiled 12 images reflective of the lives of apparel workers, Together with key messages and important contact details, a calendar was designed and will be distributed to YCWM's base network, trade unions, women’s organizations and other networks to disseminate among workers in the apparel sector to raise awareness on issues and the organization.

The ‘Right(s)’ Calendar With the support of USAID/SPICE, YCWM developed, designed and will distribute a calendar for 2016 – an activity the organization and its coordinators had never done. Realizing that the calendar can play a crucial role in promoting awareness about workers’ rights, YCWM consulted employees to identify resonant images. Many working in the apparel sector suggested including not just images of their work, but other aspects of their lives – such as travel, children, boarding houses, etc. They also suggested the nature of information and useful contact details they would like to see in the calendar. These suggestions were all incorporated in designing the calendar. YCWM received support from other women’s organizations such as SPICE grantees Dabindu and the Women’s Center in this effort. The Women’s Center, for example, accompanied YCWM’s coordinators and the photographer to boarding houses and daycare centers – locations that YWCM, as a small organization with limited capacity, had difficulty accessing alone. YCWM was able to network with and foster stronger relationships with these organizations that also work to promote women’s and workers’ rights. The calendar will depict 12 images of the lives of apparel-sector workers and will include key messages and contact details that would prove useful to Tamil and Sinhala-speaking women and employees in all labor- intensive FTZ sectors in Sri Lanka.

Members of YCW’s base group distribute the calendar to apparel-sector workers leaving their factory in the FTZ in Biyagama

Eastern Grants Affected Women’s Forum (AWF) completed work on its first grant in July 2014 and commenced work on a second grant in November 2014. This grant supports efforts to reduce violence against women (VAW) in the Ampara District. Through the follow-up grant, AWF aims to establish a division- level multi-stakeholder task force on preventing GBV in seven divisional secretariat divisions (DSDs), empower a group of youth to promote gender equality in villages, continue to support GBV victims and raise awareness at the village level. Activities this quarter include: Division-level GBV prevention forums in seven DSDs: AWF provided support in conducting forum meetings in Kalmunai (Tamil) and Addalaichenai DS divisions with the participation of 16 stakeholders (three males and 13 females) in Kalmunai and 31 stakeholders (15 males and 16 females) in Addalaichenai. Another five forum meetings continued in 04DS divisions without financial support but with coordination support from AWF. The principal change observed after the forums was the effort toward greater cohesiveness in GBV response prevention.

 In Kalmunai Tamil DS Division, a discussion among religious leaders sought to gain their support in mobilizing the community for GBV prevention. The clergy agreed to create awareness on the issue through temple, mosque and religious gatherings.  The DSDs decided to maintain a stock of emergency items in the DS office to improve efficiency in responding to emergency cases of GBV. Women development officers (WDOs) in the divisions organized events to mark 16 days of activism against VAW with the support of forum members.  The WDO & Relief Sisters in the AddalaIchenai DS Division improved the documentation of GBV cases. They started to maintain files for reported GBV/ DV cases to improve follow-up activities.  During the reporting period, forum meetings addressed eight GBV cases.  In the Addalaichenai DS Division, the social service officer is jointly working with WDOs to Initiations to Prevent GBV support GBV victims from their end. in Ampara District AWF guided and facilitated divisional level Preparatory work to establish a district-level GBV prevention GBV prevention taskforce – a forum: AWF facilitated a working group meeting for this government-CSO joint mechanism for purpose. The meeting focused on expanding stakeholder response and intervention, in 11 DS participation in the proposed district forum to more divisions. During the 12 month grant effectively deal with GBV. AWF facilitated another period, the taskforce handled more than discussion under the chairmanship of the Additional 45 reported domestic violence and abuse Government Agent (AGA), also as part of the process cases identifying appropriate responses. to establish a district-level forum. Participants included The taskforces was also involved in 12 district-level government stakeholders (10 females organizing protests against VAW in and two males): the Additional Government Agent, Uhana and new liquor shops in District Women’s Development Officer, DSDs from Karaithivu. Members were also involved 03DS Divisions, WDOs from five DSDs and the in monitoring micro credit activities probation officer and child rights protection officer. carried-out by private finance companies as they have a social leading to abuse and Support to GBV victims: AWF facilitated six case suicide attempts. management meetings to address domestic violence and child abuse cases with the participation of the District The Child and Women Desk of the Police Secretary (DS), WDO, Probation Officer and Child conducted awareness sessions to prevent Rights Protection officer. During the period, 20 GBV child abuse. victims (15 adults and five youth) received emergency support.

Organizing survivors’ group: AWF continued the survivor group quarterly meetings with the participation of 17 female survivors. Future activities include continuing to find self-employment opportunities, attending GBV taskforce meetings and improving networking with stakeholders/dutybearers.

Organizing youth group for preventing GBV: AWF organized an experience-sharing session for members of its youth group. An independent consultant working in women’s rights was a guest speaker to share the history of change in social powers structures, the evolution of patriarchy and the use of international instruments – the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) to protect women’s rights.

Center for Accessibility, Monitoring and Information on Disability (CAMID) commenced grant activities in November 2014 to enhance the capacity of disabled persons’ organizations (DPOs) to engage in rights-based advocacy for social inclusion. The grant focuses on enhancing operational capacity of DPOs in five divisional secretariat divisions in the Batticaloa District. It seeks to increase the involvement of dutybearers in guiding and monitoring DPOs and supporting them to advocate on issues affecting persons with disabilities (PWDs) at the district level. CAMID’s activities during the reporting period include: Members in Sumaga Ruhunu Circle of the Deaf, Matara, explain their success in linking their Facilitating the participation of DPOs in District Action members with garment factories for Committee (DAC) meetings/ discussions: CAMID employment. continued to facilitate the participation of DPO members at monthly DAC meetings. During this quarter, nine key members of target DPOs (five females and four males, including seven PWDs) participated in two meetings. The DPOs raised concerns on several issues: livelihood activities, vocational training, education and rehabilitation activities.

Exposure visit: CAMID conducted an exposure visit to Matara and Hambantota districts with 28 key DPO members (15 males and 13 females, including 23 persons with disabilities). During the exposure visits, The beneficiary of ‘Navageevana’, Hambantota, collective concerns addressed included community- explains his livelihood activity and marketing based rehabilitation for PWDs, improved livelihood strategy for his products. support through trainings, a capital fund and collective marketing and working with government stakeholders.

Advocacy activities: CAMID supported DPOs to conduct three advocacy events in Kaluwanchikudy (Manmunai South and Eruvil Pattu DPOs) and Kattankudy (Kattankudy DPO). These advocacy events, supported by social service officers in the areas, helped identify key concerns for PWDs and ways to address them. The events highlighted PWDs’ difficulties in public transport and livelihood opportunities.

Enabling advocacy

The DPO in Kattankudy delivered a request letter to the DS officer there to emphasize the importance of livelihood support for the disabled from a rights perspective. A handbill on “Rights of PWDs to Mainstream Employment” was distributed among business persons in the Kattankudy UC area the same day. Eight DPO members (three males and five females, including four persons with disabilities) participated.

The DPO in Manmunai South & Eruvil Pattu DSDs conducted an advocacy activity to address preferential service in public transportation with 15 DPO members (11 males and four females, including three PWDs) participating. They delivered a request letter to the divisional secretary and director of the Kaluwanchikudy SLTB and pasted stickers marking preference seats.

Community Resources Protection Center (CRPC) commenced activities under its grant in December 2014. The grant helps young people become agents of change and work toward social transformation within their respective communities. CRPC is working in 13 border villages in the Buttala and Moneragala divisional secretariat areas. The grant is supporting capacity development of identified youth through leadership training, gender equality, good governance and sharing of recommendations of the Lessons Learnt Reconsolidation Commission (LLRC) report. It also supports the development of a youth network. The grant seeks to bridge ethnic/religious divides by building partnerships between youth from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds. CRPC’s activities during the reporting period include:

Facilitating monthly meetings for youth leaders: CRPC continued its facilitation of monthly meetings with 46 youths (28 females and 18 males) from 13 villages participating. The meeting focused on the review of

44 grant activities in the last 11 months and the continuity of youth groups formed through the intervention after the end of the grant.

Youth involved in collective actions/community activities: To improve interaction with the community and to promote collective action bringing together different ethnic groups, youth groups in Maligawila and Buttala GN divisions organized a shramadana campaign (voluntary cleanup), with the facilitation of CRPC in Pilisarana Elder’s home and surrounding areas. A group of 165 youths (69 females and 96 males) participated.

Kinniya Vision (KV) commenced activities on its grant in April 2015. This grant supports KV to strengthen civil society institutions representing preschool teachers (predominantly young teachers from impoverished backgrounds) to better plan, manage, network and engage with government stakeholders. KV support will help increase planning and management capacity of CSOs, communities and education authorities, improve coordination and collaboration among and between early childhood care and development (ECCD) stakeholders, including the Eastern Province Preschool Teachers Association (EPPTA), the District Preschool Teachers Committee (DPTC) and preschool management committees (PMCs). It will also improve lobbying/ advocacy abilities of these collectives to reorganize the early childhood care and development sector and ensure the impactful implementation of education policies related to ECCD through a national study on policies and their effectiveness. KV’s activities during this reporting period include:

Improve coordination and collaboration among key stakeholders in “The SPICE support helped us to ECCD: KV facilitated four provincial-level meetings with increase our recognition at the ECCD stakeholders. The meeting between EPPTA members provincial level. Now we are and the chief minister of the Eastern Province focused on interacting with the Eastern sharing activities of EPPTA and exploring the possibility of Provincial Council, which invited working with the provincial council for the welfare of us for several discussions on early preschool teachers. EPPTA members met Provincial Council childhood development” members and discussed ways to find/ fulfill needs of preschool teachers, especially the payment of a monthly allowance. – President, Eastern Province Preschool Teachers Association KV also provided support for a host of other meetings (EPPTA) related to preschool education. It supported the conduct of provincial-level Preschool Education Bureau meetings, which were chaired by the CM’s secretary and in which zonal education officials participated. To address preschool teachers’ issues, KV facilitated a discussion between EPPTA members and UNICEF regional officers in Batticaloa.

With the facilitation of KV, four district-level preschool management committee meetings took place during the reporting period in Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee and PMC and EPPTA members met district-level ECCD sector higher authorities and GAs.

Celebration of World Teacher’s Day

With support from KV, EPPT organized a provincial-level World Teachers’ Day celebration for preschool teachers with more than 400 teachers in the Eastern Province participating. The chairperson of Eastern Province Preschool Education Bureau was the chief guest and six CSOs working nationally and provincially for ECCD development jointly made an appeal for ECCD development at the event. The appeal highlights the need for greater recognition of preschool teachers in the education sector, the need for a payment policy at the provincial level, government support for preschool teachers’ skills development and increasing public funding for preschool sector development.

The event celebrated preschool teachers who have been active in their field for a long time.

Network for Advocating Requirements of Women (NewAROW) completed work on its grant in September 2014 and work on a second grant commenced in December 2014. The grant supports the improvement of women’s lives in Manmunai West and Manmunai Southwest DS divisions. The grant aims to strengthen village-level women’s organizations to incorporate women’s concerns into divisional development initiatives and support improvement of division-level sex- and gender-based violence (SGBV) response mechanisms in the target DSDs. NewAROW’s activities during the reporting period include:

Local government (Pradeshiya Sabha) discussions with women’s rural development societies (WRDS): NewAROW continued to facilitate discussions in Manmunai South West DS Division with 18 WRDS members participating. Three WRDS members were selected to be part of the Pradeshiya Sabha planning committee. Recommendations made during discussions were included in the local authority’s 46 annual development plan and construction/ establishment of a library at Kadukkaimunai, public hall construction in Mahiladitheevu and drainage facilities in Ambalanthurai.

Village-level women’s organization meetings: NewAROW continued to provide technical support for village-level WRDS meetings. During the reporting period, 24 discussions took place with 946 women participating. They highlighted prevention of domestic violence, difficulties in getting maintenance payments and an increase in the number of sex workers; five cases of domestic violence were reported to division-level stakeholders. The division-level GBV Prevention Taskforce provided an immediate response to three reported issues.

Provision of emergency support/ victim’s assistance: NewAROW provided emergency assistance to eight youth affected by GBV during the reporting period.

Women's Development Foundation (WDF) commenced work on a second grant in December 2014. The grant focuses on creating an enabling environment to address children’s and women’s rights issues in the Pottuvil Divisional Secretariat Division. WDF aims to improve civil society participation in protecting and promoting the rights of women and children by establishing government–CSO interaction/response mechanisms. Village-level WRDSs and village child rights monitoring committees (VCRMCs), which were established or re-established during the previous grant, are being facilitated to participate at divisional-level forums to address their concerns and issues. WDF’s activities during the reporting period include:

Division-level Child Rights Monitoring Committee meetings: WDF facilitated a meeting with the participation of 34 representatives comprising 10 females and 24 males (nine youth) from the state sector and CSOs. They included the social service officer, child protection officer, Samurdhi officer, Grama Niladharies, police and VCRMC members. Discussion included progress of previous interventions with special attention to the issue of school dropouts due to gambling and transportation issues of students in Pakkiyawatta. Participants made plans to continue meetings after WDF funding ends.

WRDS meetings and WRDS members’ joint discussions: WDF facilitated two village-level WRDS meetings. The 37 participants were 36 females and one male (seven youth).

Advocacy activities: WDF facilitated an advocacy event in Pottuvil DS Division, bringing together relevant dutybearers, The Advocacy Event including the Quazi court judge, mosque trustees, teachers and representatives of NGOs and VCRMC. The 38 participants included 22 females and 16 males (nine youth). Priority issues included the lack of birth certificates, children involved in gambling (especially in costal tourist areas) and the lack of child care by parents.

Discussions with government authorities: WDF facilitated two meetings between representatives from 10 WRDSs and relevant government authorities. The first meeting with the Pottuvil Pradeshiya Sabha focused on drinking water and missing street lights; the second discussion at the Quazi court with the Legal Aid Commission focused on issues related to maintenance payments. The Legal Aid Commission will follow up on nine cases.

Awareness on microfinance issues: WDF conducted two awareness-raising sessions for 54 female members (including10 youth) of WRDS on the rights of microfinance customers and the positive and negative impact of micro-finance. Post-war micro-finance schemes have led to the exploitation of female clients 47 and even suicides as those entering into transactions/ agreements have little knowledge of the stringent requirements for repayment.

Establishing a divisional-level task force for preventing GBV: WDF supported a divisional-level Prevention of GBV Task Force meeting in the Pottuvil DS Division. The 23 participants included six females and 17 males, with the child probation officer, child development officer, social services officer, medical officer, public health inspector, development officer, Samurdhi manager, police, Quazi court judge, zonal director of education and representatives from NGOs and WRDSs attending. The discussion centered on the identification and effective response to GBV at the village level through the network of WRDSs.

Provision of emergency support: WDF provided emergency support to 30 females (17 women and 13 children).

Division-Level Joint Mechanism to Protect and Promote Child Rights “A common joint structure which brings together government dutybearers and civil society is necessary to promote child rights in the Pottuvil Division. Civil society organizations must use this platform to bring up issues of children and to promote their rights,” said the divisional secretary for Pottuvil at the Division-Level Child Rights Monitoring Committee (DCRMC) meeting. WDF was involved in the establishment of the divisional forum.

The DCRMC provides space for division-level dutybearers, VCRMCs and WRDSs working on the protection and promotion of child rights to act collectively to achieve common goals. Dutybearers, including the child rights protection officer, police Child and Women Desk officer and division-level officers, use this forum to discuss key issues in the division. Student dropouts, procurement of legal documents for two children, drug abuse and smoking among children and transport to schools are common child rights related issues that received attention at the forum. Participants identified solutions/mitigating measures including providing legal documents to the two children through the Legal Aid Commission and sending 60 percent of dropouts back to school with the support of the police and the child probation officer.

Northern Grants Active Theater Movement (ATM) commenced activities on its grant titled “Building Youth Confidence by Stimulating Civic Engagement through Theater” in April 2015 and ended it this quarter. ATM is a theater performance organization in Jaffna established in 2003. It seeks social engagement through drama and performances. Its goal is “richer theater culture for national development” and the organization is deeply committed to addressing social issues through theater. It also has a well- established network of theater groups in Jaffna. The grant supported ATM to stimulate public dialogue

48 on social concerns and their peaceful resolution. Under the grant, ATM worked with youth to build their confidence in engaging on social issues and reintegrating with society. ATM aimed for two broader outcomes through this grant: socially sensitized professional theater performers encouraged and create space for freedom of expression and interaction; increased space for public dialogue, articulating critical social issues and working toward social integration through theater. Activities for the entire grant period include: Youth performers identified and trained through structured process: The 24 youth participants included 10 males and 14 females who received training in drama, acting, scripting and social issues and human rights, encouraging them to develop plays related to social issues that they encounter. Drama festival: A 12-day drama festival that ATM organized coincided with the Nallur temple festival season, a key religious event in Jaffna. This was successful. New plays and popular historical plays were staged during the event. Most of the performances were modern, while some were traditional. The festival targeted multiple audiences and focused on varied themes. Many performances addressed serious social issues, like violence against women and rights violations during war. Some of the performances focused on children’s issues. Following positive feedback and requests to restage plays, ATM took its performances to other locations in Jaffna. The organization facilitated discussions on social themes enacted through the skits with audiences. There were repeated calls for children’s plays both as a medium for instruction as well as a means to transcend the trauma that they live with. Workshop at Swami Vipulananda Fine Arts College Batticaloa: ATM facilitated a visit for its trainees to this aesthetic studies institute. The trainees engaged through drama with the Vipulananda College students. Skits were devised in partnership and discussion centered on the themes raised through the performances. The 64 youths who participated included 24 males and 40 females.

Catalyzing change…

The theater festival in Jaffna staged by ATM brought both entertainment and provided space for discussion of critical issues and traumatic experiences. ATM actively encouraged discussion through performances of social issues and trauma relating to people’s experience during the war. The performances themselves enabled youth actors trained through the grant to immerse themselves in the character and his/her environment. A catalyst for discussion… “It was a different experience for me from the theory which I have learned as a drama and theater student in university. While I was engaged in a role, I felt that I was transformed into to the character that I played,” said Kanthasamy Parathan (male, age 24) from Achchuveli. He added, “My friends appreciated my performance and we had a deep discussion on the theme of my play Vedathaarikal.” (This drama focused on unemployment issues faced by youth, the diabolical nature of politicians and the importance of land rights.) The performances also fueled discussion on social issues in newspaper columns. ATM feels that in many ways the performances resonated with audience and encouraged its members to come out with their own social problems and traumas. A catalyst for healing … The performances were cathartic to some of the youth. “The girl who acted in Thali (a “thali” is an ornament around neck worn by married Tamil women, and the play focused on related social issues) was very high-strung and became emotionally overwrought during her rehearsals. But she was able to overcome her emotions through repeated discussions before the performances,” said Thevananth, a founding member of ATM, noting that the performance was a healing process for the young performer. Murugiah Kumarasivam, a performer and volunteer teacher at Thellipalai School, spoke of how the performances helped him deal with emotions that were submerged. “At the age of 14 in 1998 when I was schooling, my elder brother was shot dead by an unknown gang. But I couldn’t tell this to my family for about a year, because I wanted to protect my other brothers. During this period I went through a very difficult time – I could not concentrate on anything. I think that this trauma remained submerged and I only found release and relief after I joined this theater group. I feel that following the training, I am comfortable and feel able to express myself to others.” A catalyst for positive energy … Trained youth also used their skills for better engagement in other spheres. Selvam Sukirtha (Female, 27) a preschool teacher in Urumpirai Kids Park shared her experiences: “The techniques I learned during the theater training programs changed me a lot in how I approach my day-to-day activities. Our school principal also appreciated the change. Now I use these techniques to help my students (kids) to interact better, building confidence and trust. I could see the difference and feel the positive energy in my students. They are very expressive and happy”.

The ATM intervention was successful at multiple levels. For the population of Jaffna it was a reintroduction to theater, and the endorsement of dramatic expression as an effective medium for social commentary and introspection. For some of the youth trained through the grant, it was a healing process enabling their reintegration with society. Following its successful theater production, ATM was contracted to stage a drama, Marana Sanrithal (“The Death Certificate”), reflecting on the trauma of families of missing persons as they search for closure. ATM, receiving recognition for its social vision, was invited by the governor for the Northern Province to be part of a steering committee for a national sports event scheduled for 2016. CHANGE Humanitarian Organization grant to “Strengthen the ability of voters to exercise their franchise” commenced activities in July 2015 and ended in October 2015. It contributes to the overall SPICE objective “to preserve and expand democratic space, reconciliation, and the exercise of free citizenship” through strengthening the ability of voters to exercise the franchise. The main purpose of 50 this grant was to increase the total vote and reduce the proportion of rejected votes at the General Election in two polling divisions - Puttlam and Anamaduwa. Key grant activities during the entire period include: Voter education: 30 voter education sessions were conducted on the importance of voter registration, appeals procedure in the event of non-registration. 912 individuals (256 males and 656 females) participated. 92 Voter education campaigns focusing on the current election system, procedures for voting and marking of ballot papers were held in targeted areas through small community gatherings. 4083 individuals (1526 males and 2557 females) participated. National Identity Card (NIC) mobile clinics in remote areas:26 NIC mobile clinics were conducted to facilitate applications Puttalam Polling Division for NICs, exceeding the grant target of 25. 1047individuals 70 66.59 (449 males and 598 females) were facilitated to apply for 60 63.32 50 53.49 National Identity cards through these clinics. Total 40 Polled Impact: The impact of the intervention is reflected in the 30 Rejected polling results for the two targeted voting divisions. The 20 votes percentage of total votes polled at the general election in 10 8.12 8.96 7.9 Puttlam shows a rise from 53.49 percent in 2010 to 63.32 0 percent in 2015. The rejected decreased from 8.96 percent 2004 2010 2015 in 2010 to 7.90 percent in 2015. Anamaduwa recorded a significant rise in the total voted polled from 55.34 percent in 2010 to 70.18 percent in 2015. There is also a considerable drop in the percentage of rejected votes from 6.68 percent in 2010 to 4.98 in 2015. It can be concluded that the grant contributed to this change achieving the expected outcome “Increased awareness of Anamaduwa Polling Division voters of selected areas in Puttlam District on proper procedure for voting and marking of ballot papers, exercise 80 68.63 70.18 franchise and turnout to vote”. 60 55.34 Total Community Development Organization (CDO) 40 Polled focused its work on youth empowerment and peace-building, Rejected under the grant ‘Empowering youth as social change agents in 20 Votes 9.07 6.68 4.98 war affected Mullaitivu District’. CDO proposed to create a 0 conducive environment for youth empowerment by 2004 2010 2015 promoting youth participation in community work. Grant activities commenced in July 2014, and ended in October, 2015 at the end of a three month no-cost extension. Activities during the entire grant period include: Assessment of Youth Clubs in Mullaitivu district: CDO assessed sports clubs in the district in terms of functionality, governance, vision, etc. This assessment is considered to be one of the achievements of the grant as it gives an overview of the sports clubs and their level activity and interests. Skills training for female members of sports clubs: To promote female youth participation in sports club activities, CDO designed a special skills training. 114 female youth also received basic knowledge and training in entrepreneurship. The skill development training enhanced female member engagement in sports club activities.

District Youth Federation: Six divisional level clusters were formed with existing sports clubs and members were capacitated through skill development training programs. Trainings were conducted on the following thematic areas to capacitate youth to become future community leaders of the district.

- Awareness session on fundamental rights - 111 youth (74 males & 37 females) - Leadership skills - 112 youth (76 males & 36 females) - Skills in problem solving - 157 youth (118 males & 39 females) - Nonviolent communication skills - 156 youth (116 males & 40 females) CDO also developed a constitution for the Youth Federation through a consultative process, to formalize the network. However, the activity was abandoned with the change in the ground situation, and frequent disruptions to the mobilizing process. Impact: CDO found it difficult to mobilize targeted youth toward the formation of a Youth Development Federation. The initial engagement was successful, but most notably since the change in presidency in January 2015 CDO found it difficult to bring youth together. Most of youth in the district are engaged in livelihood activities, mainly temporary employment and daily paid jobs. With the political change in the country and resultant opening up of space, youth have become more mobile in the search for jobs, moving out of the district. So CDO was unable to complete activities despite the extension of the project period. The grant was concluded with activities completed to date.

Human Development Center (HUDEC) – Jaffna carried out a limited initiative on voter education targeting the general election in August 2015. The grant- Making Votes Count: Strengthening the Ability of Voters to Exercise their Franchise sought to reduce the total number of rejected votes and increase the percentage of people casting votes at the general elections. The grant covered two electoral districts: Jaffna (both Jaffna and Kilinochchi administrative districts) and Wanni (Mullaitivu administrative district). The grant also sought to increase awareness on the need for a peaceful (violence free) election and the attributes of good candidates. The grant commenced in July 2015 and ended in September 2015. HUDEC targeted three administrative districts in the North, but was only able to complete voter’ awareness activities in Jaffna. It failed to get necessary local approval from the relevant government authorities to conduct voter education sessions in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts. HUDEC completed the following key activities: Conducted Training of Trainers (TOT) for volunteers: Two TOT sessions were conducted for identified volunteers in Jaffna and Kilinochchi. Volunteers were trained in voter education along with communication skills during these sessions. They were also trained in Do’s and Don’ts relating to voter education and the need to be ethical in their awareness work for the public. 59 (30 males and 29 females) were trained. Conducted voter education programs: Trained volunteers conducted 60 voter education programs in Jaffna district under the supervision of HUDEC staff. Participants were educated on the importance of taking part in voting and their right to vote, the current election system and procedures for voting and marking of ballot papers. 2119 individuals (600 males and 1519 females) were reached through awareness sessions. Mass media campaigns: HUDEC conducted a mass media campaign using local print and electronic media (both radio and television) in the northern region. There were 61 mass media campaign activities (30 newspaper advertisements and 31 electronic announcements) completed under this grant. Train selected volunteers on monitoring election violence: Two trainings were organized by HUDEC on “Election Violence Monitoring” for identified volunteers in Jaffna and Kilinochchi. Volunteers were

52 trained on types of election violence, identification of election violence and monitoring and reporting mechanisms. 29 (18 males and 11 females) were trained.

Impact:

Voter awareness sessions conducted by HUDEC volunteers in selected locations in Jaffna District Voter turnout increased at the 2015 general election to 56.95% from 22.5% in 2010. Rejected votes reduced from 11% at the general election in 2010 to 8% in 2015. While attribution is not as straight forward we could say that the grant intervention may have contributed to this notable change. ZOA commenced a second grant under SPICE in the last quarter focused on ‘Integrating the most vulnerable communities in the North into civil society structures through targeted livelihood interventions’. The aim of the follow on grant is to consolidate the achievements of the previous grant. It has two outcomes: Excluded groups within the wider vulnerable conflict affected community, particularly female heads of households (FHH) and persons with disabilities (PwDs) experience food security and /or a stable income, opportunities for expanding their economic activities; Excluded and isolated individuals, including women who are the primary breadwinners of their families, persons with disabilities and excluded communities are beginning to participate in community level governance and sustainable development as a result of improved income generation activity. The intervention focuses on Kilinochchi and Vavuniya Districts. Grant activities for the quarter include: Selection of 200 beneficiaries: Beneficiaries were identified and 30 from the last intervention under SPICE were selected for additional support. Trainings: 214 (189 females and 25 males) were trained in business planning and 40 (37 females and three males) were trained in livelihood related skills. The ‘Gender roles and Responsibilities’ workshop is expected to cover all new livelihood beneficiaries. The workshop is conducted at field level with a follow up. 119 (110 females and 9 males) have been trained so far. An advanced gender training for selected individuals is also carried out – eight females were trained so far. Mannar Association for the Rehabilitation of Differently Abled People (MARDAP) commenced grant activities in May 2015. Through this grant, MARDAP focused on to enhancing the status of persons with disabilities (PWDs) so they receive better care and services for a better quality of life. It also hopes to advance the economic status of selected PWDs and their families through appropriate livelihood interventions. The grant also focused on rights advocacy to promote the inclusion

53 of PWDs in community activities. The grant ended in November 2015, following a three-week extension. Grant activities include: Awareness on disability rights:155 individuals (66 males and 89 females) were trained on disability rights, documentation and entitlements to rights holders (PWDs). Participants included representatives of CBOs, village leaders and other stakeholders. Livelihood support: Two seminars for 108 youths (27 males and 81 females) with disability were conducted on skills development for permanent job opportunity. Ten of the participants were selected for advanced skills training. These are initial steps taken by MARDAP to enhance the economic status of selected PWDs and their families. Training in self-care: MARDAP in its overall achievement through the SPICE grant created awareness among 161 individuals (74 males and 87 females) who are PwDs and their family members on identifying the type of disability, treatment and self-care and trained 102 persons (36 males 66 females) comprising PwDs, their family members and staff of MARDAP on basic therapeutic activities. This will support people with disability (PwDs) to receive better care and services for an improved mental and physical life.

Impact: MARDAP‘s progress through this grant has been to empower PwDs and their families on their rights and well-being, and to draw in the larger community to support PwD’s to gain their entitlements. This intervention contributes to the SPICE outcome of improving the protection of citizens’ rights.

Mannar Citizens’ Committee (MCC) is on its second grant which Commenced in November 2014. The second grant seeks to consolidate the achievements of the first one: to encourage citizens of Mannar District to participate in human rights issues and initiatives; to launch initiatives to resolve prioritized human rights issues in the district and to improve the service outreach of the Mullaitivu District Citizens Committee. The grant period was extended till 30 January 2016 as there is a delay in preparing the report on human rights violations in Mannar district. Activities for this quarter include: Awareness raising on basic human rights: Awareness raising sessions were conducted in three Grama Niladhari divisions where a total of 132 individuals (13 males and 119 females) participated. One human rights awareness session was conducted at the divisional level, 20 males and seven females. Two district level human rights awareness sessions were also conducted by MCC during this period. 32 males and 18 females participated.

New Divisional Citizens’ Committees: Two new divisional citizens’ committees in Madhu and Nannatan were resuscitated and are functional. 34 (23 males and 11 females) participated in these meetings. These divisional committees are collecting information on issues relating to HR violations, specially enforced disappearance and land issues in their respective divisions and bringing it to the Mannar Citizen’s Committee for further action and solutions.26 members (17 males and nine females) of divisional committees were trained on the importance of networking as part of efforts to build the capacity of the reinvigorated committees.

Society for Citizens’ Rights of Mullaitivu: Initial steps and documentation for the registration of a citizen’s committee for Mullaitivu was completed. A three-day training to enhance the capacity of the members of the Society for citizens’ rights of Mullaitivu was conducted by MCC. A total of 15 members (nine males and six females) participated in this training. Assistance to families of long term detainees: 40 families of long term detainees were provided with one time assistance of essential goods worth LKR 5000 to be taken to the detainees during the family visit.

Upholding citizen’ rights: Achievements this quarter

10 persons (six males and four females) were assisted to understand their cases and referred to the Land Officer for further action. A total of 87 males and 179 females participated in six land rights awareness sessions conducted during this quarter. Through these awareness programs, individuals/ groups who were struggling with land rights issues were helped to identify the issue in relation to their rights and were guided to find solutions through appropriate service providers. 30 individuals (11 males and 19 females) who were identified as suffering from mental trauma due to GBV and HR violations were linked with psychosocial service providers for further treatment.

Mullaitivu Women’s Development and Rehabilitation Federation (MWDRF) grant ‘Reducing violence and empowering women in Mullaitivu District- Phase II’ commenced in January 2015, with the overall aim of “Strengthening institutions and stakeholders on issues of violence against women and providing holistic support for survivors of violence.” The grant concluded in November2015 at the end of a no cost extension that extended the grant period by a month. Activities are reported for the entire grant period under the two outcomes envisaged through the intervention. Outcome 1: Increased awareness on violence against women and redress mechanisms at community and service provider levels. Women Rural Development Societies and school teachers received awareness on VAW and its impact and available redress mechanism: Six workshops for Women Rural development society (WRDS) members, including one workshop for a rural development society (RDS) were conducted. 145 participated (126 females and 19 males) from target villages. It was a challenge for the organization to gather RDS members for the workshop, due to their occupation and lack of interest. However the workshops for WRDS members were successfully conducted. WRDS members who participated in the workshops said that the training enhanced their understanding of gender and related social stigma. The workshops challenged participant perspectives on gender and helped women understand their own role in perpetuating stigma. 30 women participants volunteered to continue their engagement with the grantee and requested the grantee to extend its services to their villages as well.

29 teachers (seven males and 22 females) providing counseling on sexual education from various schools around Mullaitivu participated in the training. Some teachers were in contact with the MWDRF office and the counseling officer for further case by case support. A continuous request from schools is to provide basic sexual education training for students.

Strengthening collective civil society voices to positively influence existing GBV structures to address VAW in the Mullaitivu district: Five civil society meetings were conducted during the grant period. Even though the divisional SGBV meetings were irregular, civil society gatherings were utilized as a substitute to strategize on SGBV issues, particularly on critical cases and common issues like how to achieve regular SGBV function, which requires collective action.

Analysis of notes on 20 cases of gender based violence: 20 selected, critical cases of gender based violence were analyzed to identify trends and underlying common factors relating to domestic violence in the Mullaitivu district. Problems were analyzed from many perspectives, for holistic understanding of GBV in the region.

Outcome 2: Survivors of gender based violence in the district received support services to combat violence Legal and emergency support for SGBV victims: 82 SGBV victims were supported: 54 instances of legal assistance were provided, whilst 53 emergency assistance and 28 instances of counseling support were given. 122 GBV survivors were supported, among whom 34 victims were identified through the first grant.

Ten (10) most vulnerable victims given livelihood support: All the victims receiving support initiated livelihood activities, such as small scale agriculture, poultry rearing and grocery shop. There were reports of an increase in household income but needs to be verified through proper assessment. In addition to the increased income, the support strengthened the confidence and resolve of victims to move on. This was significant in the case of some victims.

Three case review meeting were held: An average of 10 women participated in each meeting. Critical cases were reviewed and legal support provided where necessary. Beneficiaries gained knowledge and understanding on filing and appealing for maintenance through available structures. The final case review meeting was a significant one. Police officials openly accepted their delays in taking perpetrators to custody, attributing it to the heavy workload that they bear. After listening to the harrowing accounts of victims the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) for area asserted that priority would be given to warrants of arrest issued by court under the Domestic Violence Act. As a result of this case review meeting police arrested four long pending perpetrators (husbands of four MWDRF clients) within the space of a week.

Support system for victims: MWDRF has a support system to address emergency needs of victims and to help them find legal redress. However, the sustainability of the system needs to be improved.

Impact: MWDRF’s key attribute is its longstanding presence in the GBV support sector. The grantee is well-respected for its support to the cause. Through the first phase the organization strengthened its network/link with the community and relevant stake holders. It engaged with influential sectors – i.e. Muslim religious leaders to make them part of efforts to deal with GBV. A second MWDRF strategy is to conduct joint meetings with victims and service providers to improve response to GBV issues. This was evidenced at a joint case conference where the Police agreed to give priority to action against perpetrators of GBV. However, the drawback is that this is a non-formalized arrangement dependent on the outlook of a particular Police officer, as opposed to a change in attitude within the system toward GBV issues. The challenge will be to embed the individual change in the larger system.

MWDRF’s credentials as key institution supporting victims is evidenced by the willingness of women to be part of the support network working as volunteers, members or directors.

Muslim Women’s Development Trust (MWDT) commenced activities under a second grant in December 2014 which was completed this quarter. Under the new grant, MWDT raised issues relating to Muslim Personal Law (MPL) in Sri Lanka, while supporting Muslim women’s access to Quazi courts, common law courts and other redress mechanisms. The grant focused on building support among men to change MPL and in guiding women to protect themselves. The grant focused on 25 villages in four divisions in the Puttlam District. Villages were selected on the basis of higher incidence of violence against women and other social issues.

Key grant activities for the entire grant period include:

Active Community Council: MWDT facilitated four meetings of the formalized community collective, the Community Council which has as its core task building support to reform Muslim personal law. MWDT

56 conducted trainings on Muslim personal law for Mosque committee members and villagers, a total of 69 males and 50 females participated. This was part of efforts to build community support for change. The formalized group – the Community Council organized a public meeting in Puttlam to lobby for reforms. 62 individuals of whom 53 were Muslim men participated.

Training in counseling: A three day training of trainers on family counseling was conducted to strengthen MWDT’s pool of counselors. Four males and 10 females participated in this training. All participants gained foundational knowledge on counseling and supported MWDT efforts throughout the grant period. 140 individuals (42 males &98 females) were given support through counseling during the grant period. Victim support: MWDT conducted six action team visits on emergency calls from clients in Puttlam district. 161 instances of emergency assistance were provided to survivors. 131 women in the community were supported in preparing affidavits and were also provided with legal counselling. 18 women were provided court representation by MWDT. 29 members (10 males & 19 females) of the SGBV district forum were capacitated during the period and now this forum has its own action plan and functions accordingly. Five SGBV meetings were facilitated by MWDT during the grant period. Quazi Court visits Change makers: MWDT volunteers trained through the previous grant to act as observers of court proceedings made 52 court visits during the grant. They also met four times during this period. The change makers were also trained in community mobilization to enhance their capacity to build support within the larger community. 15 knowledge sharing sessions on community issues were conducted by the change makers. A total of 271 members from the Women Rural Development Societies participated in these sessions. The presence of change-makers in villages gives confidence to women to pursue their rights as they are seen as rights protectors in the community. Impact: Overall MWDT through its grant has moved forward in improving the protection of women’s rights and thereby contributed to the SPICE outcome of improving the protection of citizens’ rights. The most notable feature of MWDT engagements is that often either victims supported by the organization or others given general trainings become part of the organization’s volunteer pool. MWDT already has a depth of acceptance in Puttlam for the support it has given to victims over time. It is building on this foundation to bring about change at a higher level through the reformation of Muslim Personal Law.

Broad basing support for change to Muslim Personal Law: Muslim men meet to discuss reforms WWW.puttalammuslims.com is now accessible

MWDT facilitated and formed a Community Council bringing together relevant stakeholders to advocate for change in Muslim Personal Law to reflect the rights of women. The council represents members of all villages, including mosque committee members, who will advocate for an end to violence against women and stand for their rights lobbying for reforms to Muslim Personal Law. MWDT also facilitated meetings of the Council to sustain the engagement of men in the call for reform to MPL. The organization hopes to support the Council as a key lobby group for change. Reforms proposed in 2005 are still pending without consensus and MWDT hopes to encourage the Council to review reforms and make revisions where necessary. MWDT collected information on organizations working on Muslim Personal Law and created the website WWW.puttalammuslims.com, as part of broader efforts to build support.

Rajarata Praja Kendaraya (RPK) grant commenced in January 2015 and ended in October 2015. The grant sought to address violence against women in the Anuradhapura District, which was a garrison town during the war. The proposed grant adopted a two-pronged approach: 1) Establish effective multi- sectoral divisional-level mechanisms to address violence against women through prevention and intervention strategies and 2) Build community capacity to confront violence through recognition and acceptance of gender equality and equity in social and economic spheres. Achievements through the grant include:

Three divisional level SGBV forums functioning regularly: Three divisional level SGBV forums were set up and function regularly. It is notable that the SGBV Forums continue to meet regularly after the end of the grant. The SGBV forums are formalized with specific terms of reference in relation to their role and function.

Divisional committees organized field trips to villages where GBV issues were identified. Relevant government officers and women leaders of the area have visited victims and effected solutions. The grantee reports that continuous follow up is being carried out by relevant dutybearers.

Key stakeholders trained in GBV: 33 NGO consortium members, 28 Government staff and 160 women leaders were trained to effectively address GBV issues. It is noteworthy that 60 cases were handled by them and 21 victims assisted.

Women leaders conduct village level community awareness on GBV: Following these sessions a significant rise is recorded in reported GBV issues – 80 were identified.

Awareness for youth and married family members: Awareness sessions were conducted for altogether 195 persons (female 132 and male 63) on Gender Based Violence and the social responsibility of youth and family members to work toward its prevention. The figure is for two programmes, targeting youths and couples. Youths: female 81 and male 16. Married family members: female 51 and male 47.

It is anticipated that greater awareness around the issue will contribute to less GBV in the targeted area. The attempt is to build larger community support to prevent the incidence of violence.

Impact: The SPICE grant supported RPK to set up a networked support structure where none existed before. The SGBV Forums have demonstrated their commitment continuing with meetings in the few months since the end of the grant. This bodes well for sustainability in the longer term, although it remains a key challenge for any voluntary structure once donor support ends. RPK through the intervention laid the foundation for a GBV support system which is a critical need for the area, and thereby contributed to the protection of citizens’ rights, SGBV victims in this case.

ZOA commenced a second grant under SPICE in the last quarter focused on ‘Integrating the most vulnerable communities in the North into civil society structures through targeted livelihood interventions’. The aim of the follow on grant is to consolidate the achievements of the previous grant. It has two outcomes: Excluded groups within the wider vulnerable conflict affected community, particularly female heads of households (FHH) and persons with disabilities (PwDs) experience food security and /or a stable income, opportunities for expanding their economic activities; Excluded and isolated individuals, including women who are the primary breadwinners of their families, persons with disabilities and excluded communities are beginning to participate in community level governance and sustainable development as a result of improved income generation activity. The intervention focuses on Kilinochchi and Vavuniya Districts. Grant activities for the quarter include: Selection of 200 beneficiaries: Beneficiaries were identified and 30 from the last intervention under SPICE were selected for additional support. Trainings: 214 (189 females and 25 males) were trained in business planning and 40 (37 females and three males) were trained in livelihood related skills. The ‘Gender roles and Responsibilities’ workshop is expected to cover all new livelihood beneficiaries. The workshop is conducted at field level with a follow up. 119 (110 females and 9 males) have been trained so far. An advanced gender training for selected individuals is also carried out – eight females were trained so far. Component 3. Strengthen Internal Management Capacity of Indigenous Organizations Capacity-Building Process for SPICE Grantees Twenty six (26) SPICE grantees are receiving capacity building support under this component. The range of interventions includes training for staff, manuals and systems to improve management of areas like finance, administration, human resources, and support for effective program designing. 11out of 26 grantees (42%) receiving capacity building support completed all the OIP activities. The review of benchmarks, the last step in the SPICE capacity building cycle was completed with five grantees.14 grantees completed all of the OIP activities excepting one, and with a majority of grantees it is the financial systems development that is ongoing due to the gradual process of introduction and institutionalization.

1. Center for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (CPPHR) 2. Federation of Social Development Organizations (FOSDOO) 3. KOINONIA 4. Mullaitivu Women’s Development and Rehabilitation Federation (MWDRF) 5. National Peace Council (NPC)

1. Affected Women’s Forum (AWF) 2. Ampara Special Needs Network (ASNN) 3. Center for Accessibility Monitoring and Information on Disability (CAMID) 4. Center for Human Rights and Development (CHRD) 5. Center for Human Rights and Research (CHR) 6. Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA) 7. Community Development Organization (CDO)

8. Eastern Voluntary Social Development Organization for Women (EVSDOW) 9. Equal Ground (EG) 10. Mannar Citizen’s Committee (MCC) 11. Muslim Women’s Development Trust (MWDT) 12. National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) 13. Network for Advocating the Requirements of Women (NewAROW) 14. Organization for Rehabilitation of the Handicapped (ORHAN) 15. RajarataPrajaKendaraya (RPK)

16. Right to Life 17. Sarvodaya 18. Women Action Network for Transformation (WANT) 19. Women’s Development Foundation (WDF) 20. Surya Women’s Development Center (SWDC) 21. National NGO Action Forum (NNAF)

During the reporting period capacity building support was provided to 18 grantees through a range of identified capacity building initiatives and follow-up support for institutionalization of changes. Some of the activities facilitated during the quarter include; - ASNN – An evaluation of programmatic interventions during the past seven years, identification of the model that has evolved and how it could be adapted to incorporate a Rights Based Approach. The evaluation focused on relevance and effectiveness of program interventions, program performance, organizational capacity to deliver the programs, learning and way forward in relation to sustainability.

A two-day workshop was held as the first phase in a series of sessions to develop a strategic plan for ASNN. - CAMID – A two-day workshop to develop an income generation plan while imparting social entrepreneur skills to staff. - CPA – Conducting a skills audit to identify the skills gap of all staff and organizational requirements, and developing a training plan. - EVSDOW- One day discussion and feedback session to present the strategic plan to staff and volunteers. A one-day workshop on preparing an operational plan and monitoring plan for strategic priority areas. - MCC – A two-day workshop on basic governance functions. - MWDRF – A two-day workshop to orient staff toward new strategic directions, new ways of working, building trust within the team, and subsequent presentation of the strategic plan, new constitution and organization structure to stakeholders. - MWDT – Discussions with the database development Consultant and an initial visit to identify reporting requirements to design the database. - NNAF – Presentation of findings from District Consortium assessments to the NNAF Executive Committee. - NPC – Orientation to staff on the revised finance, administration and HR policy manuals. - Review and revision of the existing strategic plans – The strategic plans of CPA and R2L were reviewed in relation to the shifting socio political context. - Discussions on integrating gender within the organization and programs –of Discussions with staff of R2L, NAFSO and RPK continued. Whilst clarifying basic gender concepts, the sessions also focused on gathering practical suggestions from staff to integrate gender within organizational programs, systems and procedures. - Follow-up Support – Follow-up support on preparing monitoring frameworks for MWDRF, NewAROW, CPPHR, ORHAN and EVSDOW. Follow-up on capacity building interventions completed with CAMID, WANT and MWDT. - Benchmark reviews – A reflection of the capacity building process was jointly facilitated by the ODFs and SPICE upon completion of OIP activities of FOSDOO, MWDRF, NPC, KOINONIA and CPPHR.

Key Highlights and Outcomes Clarity on organizational directions Mullaitivu Women’s Development and Rehabilitation Federation (MWDRF)is full of energy after the final two day follow-up strategic planning workshop to orient their staff on the identified strategic directions, new constitution and organizational structure. Some of their remarks at the end of the workshop were: “I feel more empowered and able to carry out my tasks clearly.”; “I never thought that we would come up with clear directions as MWDRF's final strategic planning workshop, Vavuniya – 16th Oct 2015 we have now - we have gone through a systematic process and opened up ourselves, and we feel good now.” - A Central Committee member; “I could not understand the vision and mission during the self-assessment process, but now I am clear about them.”- A Central Committee member. Improved governance for Mannar Citizen’s Committee (MCC) Board members actively participated in a two-day workshop to improve their contribution toward governance within the organization. Board members discussed governance principles, changes to the constitution, and vision and mission of the organization. Discussions on governance roles stimulated them to redefine their roles and responsibilities. Some of the Board members remarks at the end of the workshop were: “A good platform and an encouraging atmosphere was created to have an intellectual and open discussion, come to certain conclusions and decisions.”; “Discussing and amending the constitution was a very good action because it was a long term need for MCC.”; “There was space to openly discuss and express the views and thoughts of Board members, and that helped to resolve conflicts between the Board members.”

When working on ‘good governance’ with MCC one of the critical challenges was the composition of the Board – it includes several key staff members. The training sessions consistently emphasized the difference between management and governance functions of the organization and facilitated members to recognize these issues and start considering alternatives. The organization is yet to consider alternatives. However, the suggestions to consider a new governance structure was not well-taken by some Board members. Developing an income generation plan for CAMID A workshop to initiate feasible income generation activities was held on 18-19 November. This was aimed at identifying and operationalizing strategies to partially meet basic operational costs of CAMID, so that it can continue even if there is a reduction in donor funds. There were five areas prioritized and action plans for implementing them were finalized. CAMID has started implementing these plans.

Strategic planning workshop for ASNN The initial two-day workshop to analyze the organizational external and internal contexts, refine the vision and mission, identify organization’s values, and realistic key strategic goals for the next three years was held during the reporting period. This process and workshop also ensured that all Board and staff members have clarity on the strategic directions of the organization. An organizational policy to mainstream gender In consultation with NAFSO it was agreed to complete the OIP activity to develop an organizational gender policy through a series of facilitated discussions with the staff by the SPICE gender Consultant. The process aimed at identifying existing capacity in gender policy and gaps that need to be addressed.

Following three rounds of interactive discussions an organizational policy on gender mainstreaming was developed. It outlines the specific areas and strategies for integrating gender within programs and campaigns in line with the six objectives of NAFSO’s strategic agenda. The organizational procedures take gender into account when addressing areas of recruitment, benefits, work place health & safety. Several new gender sensitive practices such as paternity leave were discussed and included. Staff familiarity with the revised finance, admin and HR policy manuals The orientation session for National Peace Council (NPC) staff on their revised finance, admin and HR policy manuals contributed to creating greater awareness and clarity among all staff about the procedures and benefits available. A staff member noted, “Now we know the provisions. Earlier these were what the ‘Board said, Finance Manager said’. Now we are clear about leave, labor laws, and know what to expect”. Presentation of findings from District Consortium assessments to NGO National Action Front (NNAF) Executive Committee The final analysis of findings and recommendations from the 17 District Consortium assessments of NNAF was presented to the Executive Committee, with the participation of 14 district representatives and donors supporting NNAF.

Some of the observations and recommendations include increasing membership, and making use of the available space for peace and reconciliation by focusing more on including different ethnic and religious groups, setting-up specific sub-committees to delegate responsibilities, enhancing coordination, improving external communication between DCs and their membership, organizing governance training for the DC leadership tailored to their specific requirements, developing strategic plans for DCs taking into consideration future scenarios and opportunities for such CSO collectives, identifying resource mobilization strategies for DCs. It was also recommended that NNAF should give leadership to peace and reconciliation work through the consortia.

Executive Committee members noted that it was useful to have an external party conduct the assessments. They are now extremely motivated, and intend working on the recommendations. Since then NNAF has used the findings to prepare a plan of action. A joint reflection of the capacity building process - Review of benchmarks The final step in the SPICE capacity building cycle, a reflection on the entire capacity building process was jointly facilitated by the ODFs and SPICE with grantees that completed OIP activities. This was to facilitate CSO awareness about the development of its capacity through a review of

64 benchmarks. During the reporting period five benchmark reviews were completed with FOSDOO, MWDRF, NPC, KOINONIA and CPPHR. Notable Changes With continuous facilitation and follow-up support by the ODFs over a period of approximately two years, the capacity-building interventions have contributed to enhanced organizational systems and processes. Some of the changes that were identified are;

MWDRF- The intervention helped resolve differences and rooted conflicts among key founder members, easing the function of the organization. This was possible due to the process adapted by well-experienced resource persons in the design of MWDRF’s constitution and in defining its strategic direction. In-depth discussions and clarity on women’s rights, ethnic cohesion and volunteerism helped differences.

DCs of NNAF - Consequent to assessment discussions and reflections, some of the DCs made several changes on their own: two consortia active in the Anuradhapura district merged voluntarily into one group; the Galle DC held its AGM after four years, made changes to the Board of Directors and appointed new members. Active facilitators steering organizational change Selecting a resource person to facilitate governance training for MCC took almost a year as the organization was concerned that the trainer should be suited to the task, and understand the peculiarities of the organization. Finally, the ODF facilitating capacity efforts of MCC conducted the training although she is not an expert on the subject. With almost two years of close collaboration, hard work and commitment the ODF had gradually earned the respect and confidence of the MCC leadership and Board to engage in discussions related to governance. During the training sessions SPICE also observed the ODF playing a critical role in discussing fundamental and sensitive areas of governance functions with established, senior Board members.

During the benchmark review discussions the staff of NPC noted and appreciated the role played by the ODF assigned to it. “The ODF being there has made a 200% difference. Organizational development was not a main focus; this was done on the side-lines. However, since the ODF kept following up constantly, we had to engage and be more focused. This would not have happened if there was no ODF.” Capacity Building Partners and Organization Development Facilitators (ODFs) Quarterly Review with Organization Development Facilitators (ODFs): A discussion to recall and plan for benchmark reviews was held with the Capacity Building Partners (CBPs), the Organization Development Facilitators (ODFs) and SPICE in this quarter. The objective of this quarterly review was to emphasize on organizational development practices, ODF’s roles and responsibilities for the review of benchmarks, and responsible exit from the role of ODF.

Capacity-Building Support to USAID’s Development Grants Program

The organizational capacity assessments were facilitated by USAID, which provided SPICE with action plans to support their 14 DG grantees.

Capacity enhancement responsibilities have been divided between USAID, the grantees themselves and SPICE.

Capacity-Building Support to USAID’s Development Grants Program  Donor Mapping Study: The second phase of the donor mapping study is in progress and a number of in country donors were interviewed. The consultant also conducted a web research to identify donor priorities in funding especially in the changed political environment in Sri Lanka.  Middle management skills development: A group training programme on Management skills development commenced in the previous quarter was completed this quarter. LRWHF, FRC, NF, ICES, GMSL and SLCDF participated.  A four day Advocacy Workshop was organized and conducted for grantees working in the disabilities sector. Three USAID grantees MENCAFEP, CFH and Navajeevana and four SPICE grantees participated. Participating organizations came up with detailed plans to collectively execute an advocacy campaign.  LRWHF: Management Frontiers completed a CSR mapping exercise and identified potential business ventures.  KCH: Management Frontiers initiated a business plan development process for rubber foot production. Internal consultations and assessment sessions were completed.  MENCAFEP: A strategic plan was developed in consultation with the Creators’ Forum, together with a fundraising strategy and plan. A Supervisory Skills development workshop was conducted for the middle management sector of the organization. Trainings on leadership, self-motivation and managing subordinates were conducted.  Sevalanka Foundation: The strategic planning for restructuring process was concluded this quarter. The restructuring plan is currently being implemented. 66

 Nucleus Foundation: Finance Management and budgeting - SIPL has developed a financial operations guideline for NF. The feedback from NF was been incorporated into the final document. The guideline for financial operations for NF is vital as the organization recommenced handling this function which was outsourced to a private firm in the past. A supervisory skills development workshop was conducted for the Foundation’s middle management. Training sessions focused on leadership, self-motivation and managing subordinates.  JSAC and Shanthiham: Business ventures for both JSAC and Shanthiham were identified to promote sustainability. Potential business venture plans were developed with the support of BCS.  FRC: M&E system improvement and impact indicator development: A workshop was conducted for all project staff to orient them on the use of the M&E database and to improve their knowledge of indicators and means of verification.  HHR: A three-day workshop was conducted on team building and internal conflict resolution as a necessary intervention. HHR middle management from attended this training which focused on individual stress management, organizational evolution and consequences to team spirit and individual morale as well as team building. Achievements Completed management skills development training program for Colombo based grantees two staff from LRWHF, five staff each from FRC and GMSL, one participant from ICES and three from SLCDF went through this comprehensive training over a three month period. The training program focused on managerial skills improvement including personality and leadership, supervisory skills, managing and motivating subordinate staff, time management, presentation skills, and internal conflict management. Some organizations and participants wrote back to SPICE appreciating program content, delivery methodology and impact on individual participants, which in turn impacted positively on the organization performance. JSAC M&E plan development and system improvement An M&E plan was developed covering all project components. Now information is regularly recorded in the database. JSAC also reviewed and revised its strategic according to the current program context. Community Organizations’ Role and Ethos: Value Activism Through Leaders’ Understanding Enhancement Support (CORE VALUES) Training The CORE VALUES initiative is in response to (a) manifest gaps in SPICE partner capacity as seen in ongoing strategic planning exercises; (b) missing pieces in project proposals from a large number of otherwise competent CSOs; (c) expressed need from CSO leaders and other stakeholders; and (d) clear indications that these areas will pose challenges for the sector on the ground in the near future and beyond. The themes covered will include: Roles and Functions of CSOs in Sri Lanka today; Accountability and locating this within a broader Governance framework; understanding the challenges and necessities of Networking that is not top-down, to pursue an Advocacy agenda that is generated at the community level; “Identity” (including Ethnicity) and recognizing its ramifications for Sri Lankan society; Nationalism(s) at multiple levels and contexts; and addressing Gender concerns, especially in relation to culturalism discourse. The training is designed for second-tier leaders of CSOs, and is being implemented with the support of two consultants hired during this period who will design the curriculum. They will draw on resource 67 people from diverse spheres in to impart training through seven modules, the final of which will be a capstone encompassing the first six. The consultants will be supported by a coordinator within SPICE handling all administrative and logistical functions. Training on ‘Gender and Cultural Relativism’’: Well respected academics and civil society actors were invited as Resource Persons, to share their expert insights and knowledge with the group, and to take on participant questions and encourage discussion on contentious areas, with the intention of clarifying and clearing up related issues. Two Skype presentations were conducted, followed by a question and answer session, with Sharmila Seyyid and Anupama Ranawana. A mini-documentary of interviews with veteran women’s rights activists, speaking on different aspects of the Feminist Movement in Sri Lanka was also compiled. Interviewees included, Sarvam Kailasapathy, Nimalka Fernando, Dr. Kumari Jayawardena, SunilaAbeysekera, Kumudini Samuel, Faizun Zackariya etc., The screening of this compilation was followed by group discussion and debate.

Final Capstone Training: Participants were sent out to the field to meet with a long-standing community based organization in the area, and visit local multi-ethnic communities residing in border villages. Discussions were held with both groups. They were dynamic and enlightening to participants, as many of them had rarely worked with, let alone travelled to these border villages. Participants conduct too was subsequently dissected by a panel of experts, and more discussion was encouraged. The final training brought together the themes and topics of all six previous trainings, and exhibited how the knowledge gained could be utilized in everyday life and work.

Prominent resource persons for both the above trainings included, Vasuki Jeyasankar, Chulani Kodikara, Brito Fernando, Herman Fernando, Hans Billimoria, Fr. V. Yogeswaran, Shreen Saroor, Ruki Fernando and Subathra Yogasingham.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND MONITORING

Performance Monitoring Plan Update The SPICE project’s interventions under the two components as per the revised program description are monitored by assessing the progress of the outcomes set for SPICE project. The outcomes one and two of SPICE project relates to components one and outcome three relates to component two of the SPICE project and each outcome is monitored using a set number of indicators. Most of the PMP indicators performed fairly well during and until this reporting period and the targets were raised for most of the indicators considering over achievement of the initially set project targets and the extended period of the project. Individual grantee activities currently aligned to individual grantee objectives are contributing toward SPICE PMP indicators and are thereby contributing to the overall SPICE Objective of enhancing civil society space and effectiveness in Sri Lanka. Annex 1 details the indicator progresses and this narrative is to be read in conjunction with the attached PMP indicator updates. A total of 50 organizations contributed toward the first SPICE outcome of “Improved protection of citizen’s rights by Sri Lankan Organizations” since the inception of the project, under component one. These organizations are CHRD, CPPHR, CHR, CPA, AWF, NPC, NEWAROW, WDF, R2L, SARVODAYA, SWDC, ICES, MWDT, MCC, MWDRF, NAFSO, EG, ZOA, FOSDOO, KOINONIA, PPCC, WANT, HUDEC, EVSDOW, VILUTHU, SDJF, PCA, CHANGE, AWA, ASNN, CDO, IWARE, ORHAN, SEED, TISL, SFM, CAMID, LST, BERENDINA, NCEASL, RPK, SAVISTRI, ATM, H2H, MARDUP, DANIDHU, WC, CRPC, EHED and YCW

Since the beginning of the project, 45 Domestic NGOs, located and / or working in various regions of the country were observed to be active at any point of time engaging in monitoring or advocacy work on Human Rights. 444 individuals from low income or marginalized communities received legal aid or victims’ assistance during the reporting period totaling 42,481 since the beginning of the project. The legal aid or victims assistance includes GBV assistance, support to obtain legal document and other victims assistance, which includes, counseling, legal representation, legal advice, care packs, livelihood assistance, etc. 210 Individuals were reached through GBV services totaling 3,568 for the entire project period and 18 individuals were assisted to get at least one legal document totaling 36,621 individuals since the inception of the project. 41 people were trained to be Human Rights defenders during the reporting period bring the total number to1389 individuals for the entire period of the project. Further to the Human Rights Defenders trained, 2110 individuals were reached through human rights awareness raising activities this quarter, using awareness sessions, trainings, print and other media during the reporting period, which makes the total number of people reached by human rights awareness to be 58,517. 22 new cases were initiated during the reporting period, which makes the total number of cases handled to be 334 for the entire project period. Since the inception of the project, a total of 50 organizations contributed to the second outcome of “Expanded civil society support for more inclusive and active citizen participation in development, reconciliation and governance”, under the second component of SPICE. These organizations are CHRD, CPPHR, CHR, CPA, AWF, NPC, NEWAROW, WDF, R2L, SAR, SWDC, MWDT, MCC, MWDRF, NAFSO, EG, FOSDOO, KOINONIA, WANT, EVSDOW, VILUTHU, ICS, SDJF, PCA, CHANGE, ASNN, AWA, CDO, IWARE, ORHAN, SEED, TISL, SFM, SACLS, NNAF, CAMID, LST, BERENDINA, H2H, CRPC, NCEASL, RPK, SAVISTRI, ATM, KV, MARDUP, FPA, DABINDU, WC and YCW . In addition to the above mentioned organizations another 247 civic associations / organizations supported by SPICE grantees were also part of the component two of SPICE at any time period of the project. The activities ranged from sustaining CSOs / civic associations and supporting them, helping CSOs to engage and work with the local government bodies and religious leaders and supporting and encouraging CSOs to work in networks. 18 USG supported activities designed to build support for peace or reconciliation were recognized during the reporting period totaling 248 since the beginning of the project. The 248 activities include meetings, discussions, trainings/workshops, cultural events and small projects implemented in support of LLRC recommendations. As in the previous reporting period, 48 grantees are accounted as critical Sri Lankan organizations advocating pluralism, human rights and democracy that remain active. 41 out of the 56 SPICE Grantees were assessed to be part of at least one network at Divisional Level and/or District Level and/or at National / International level, which is 71% of total grantees. Some of these are networks exclusively represented by civil society organizations and few are task force/forums where certain government administrative structures are also represented with civil society organizations. Among the civil society networks, a number of them are also partly supported by SPICE grants. 193 events, trainings and other interventions promoting awareness and citizen participation in governance and democracy were completed up until this quarter since the inception of the project. 29 forums were supported since the beginning of the project to address GBV issues bringing dutybearers and rights-holders together.

The third outcome area of SPICE is –‘Enhanced management and technical capacity of indigenous organizations supporting civic participation and inclusive development’ under Component three of SPICE. 67 organizations are receiving capacity building support since the beginning of the project. Furthermore, 44 individuals received skilled development training during this reporting period which makes the total number of individuals received skill development trainings to increase from 410 to 454. Tables detailing the full PMP indicators are attached as Annex 1. This narrative is to be read in conjunction with the attached PMP table. The SPICE project’s interventions under the three major components of the project are monitored by assessing the progress of the outcomes set for SPICE project. Each outcome relates to each SPICE project component, and each is monitored using a set of indicators.

Annex I details indicator progress; the narrative should be read in conjunction with the attached PMP indicator updates.

Sub Awards –Grants

TABLE 1. SUMMARY OF SUBAWARDS TO DATE (as of 15th December 2015)

Subgrant Value Type of Total Disbursements Grant Start Grant End Ref No: Subgrant Awardee Status Burn Rate Grant ITD* Date Date SL Rs & USD $

SUBGRANT GRANTED

LKR LKR 11,052,028.30 10,988,783.00 Center for Human Rights and Simplified 13.001.CHRD.SIG Closed 99% 5-Feb-13 4-May-14 Development Grant USD USD 87,960.90 85,719.75

LKR LKR 15,140,790.00 Fixed 15,140,790.00 Center for the Protection and 13.002.CPPHR.FOG Obligation Closed 100% 1-Aug-13 31-Jul-14 Promotion of Human Rights Grant USD USD 120,032.00 117,814.50

LKR LKR 15,335,400.00 Fixed 15,335,400.00 Center for Human Rights and 13.003.CHR.FOG Obligation Closed 100% 10-Oct-13 9-Apr-14 Research Grant USD USD 120,000.00 119,503.38

LKR LKR 14,275,490.00 Fixed 13,775,490.00 Center for Policy Alternatives 13.004.CPA.FOG Obligation Closed 96% 1-Aug-13 31-Aug-14 (Guarantee) Limited Grant USD USD 112,606.00 107,233.04

LKR 13.005.AWF.FOG Affected Women's Forum Closed LKR 4,411,300.00 100% 1-Aug-13 31-Jul-14 4,411,300.00

Fixed USD Obligation USD 34,385.38 34,249.79 Grant

LKR LKR 8,153,705.00 8,153,689.00 Simplified 13.006.NPC.SIG National Peace Council Closed 100% 1-Sep-13 30-Sep-14 Grant USD USD 62,005.36 63,610.68

LKR LKR 3,464,340.00 Fixed 3,464,340.00 Network for Advocating 13.007.NEWAROW.FOG Obligation Closed 100% 15-Sep-13 14-Sep-14 Requirements of Women Grant USD USD 26,758.00 26,879.13

LKR LKR 3,220,890.00 Fixed 3,220,890.00 13.008.WDF.FOG Women Development Forum Obligation Closed 100% 1-Sep-13 31-Aug-14 Grant USD USD 25,106.03 24,965.22

LKR LKR 5,445,890.00 Fixed 5,445,890.00 Right to Life Human Rights 13.009.R2L.FOG Obligation Closed 100% 1-Sep-13 14-Sep-14 Center Grant USD USD 46,613.00 42,276.57

TABLE 1. SUMMARY OF SUBAWARDS TO DATE (as of 15th December 2015)

Subgrant Value Type of Total Disbursements Grant Start Grant End Ref No: Subgrant Awardee Status Burn Rate Grant ITD* Date Date SL Rs & USD $

Simplified LKR 13.010.SARV.SIG Sarvodaya Closed LKR 12,664,900.00 93% 1-Aug-13 31-Aug-14 Grant 11,781,013.00

USD USD 98,713.00 91,878.22

LKR LKR 6,300,608.00 Fixed 6,300,608.00 Suriya Women’s Development 13.011.SWDC.FOG Obligation Closed 100% 1-Sep-13 31-Aug-14 Center Grant USD USD 47,913.36 48,963.80

LKR LKR 6,015,771.00 Fixed 6,015,771.00 International Center for 13.012.ICES.FOG Obligation Closed 100% 1-Oct-13 15-Dec-14 Ethnic Studies Grant USD USD 50,296.00 46,720.48

LKR LKR 3,423,050.00 Fixed 3,423,050.00 Muslim Women’s 13.013.MWDT.FOG Obligation Closed 100% 1-Oct-13 30-Sep-14 Development Trust Grant USD USD 26,331.00 26,645.39

LKR LKR 4,507,986.00 Fixed 4,507,986.00 13.014.MCC.FOG Mannar Citizens’ Committee Obligation Closed 100% 1-Nov-13 31-Oct-14 Grant USD USD 37,612.00 35,107.90

LKR LKR 3,424,500.00 Mullaitivu Women’s Fixed 3,424,500.00 13.015.MWRDF.FOG Development and Obligation Closed 100% 25-Oct-13 24-Oct-14 Rehabilitation Federation Grant USD USD 25,797.00 26,654.88

LKR LKR 4,586,320.00 Fixed 4,100,000.00 National Fisheries Solidarity 13.016.NAFSO.FOG Obligation Completed 89% 1-Nov-13 31-Oct-14 Movement Grant USD USD 34,745.00 31,975.14

LKR LKR 6,241,017.00 Fixed 5,505,000.00 13.017.EG.FOG Equal Ground Obligation Completed 88% 15-Feb-14 14-Feb-15 Grant USD USD 48,665.00 42,836.55

LKR LKR 19,471,891.00 19,471,891.00 Simplified 13.018.ZOA.SIG ZOA Completed 100% 20-Mar-14 19-Mar-15 Grant USD USD 150,000.00 151,049.48

LKR LKR 6,302,790.00 Federation of Social 6,027,052.00 Simplified 13.019.FOSDOO.SIG Development Organizations ( Completed 96% 5-Mar-14 4-Mar-15 Grant FOSDOO) USD USD 51,000.00 46,727.74

TABLE 1. SUMMARY OF SUBAWARDS TO DATE (as of 15th December 2015)

Subgrant Value Type of Total Disbursements Grant Start Grant End Ref No: Subgrant Awardee Status Burn Rate Grant ITD* Date Date SL Rs & USD $

LKR LKR 6,547,950.00 Fixed 6,547,950.00 13.020.KOINOIA.FOG KOINOIA Obligation Closed 100% 15-Mar-14 14-Mar-15 Grant USD USD 51,000.00 51,000.88

LKR PROFESSIONAL LKR 6,154,750.00 Fixed 6,154,750.00 PSYCHOLOGICAL 13.021.PPCC.FOG Obligation Closed 100% 17-Mar-14 16-Mar-15 COUNSELLING CENTER - Grant USD (PPCC) USD 47,344.00 47,872.25

Women Action Network for LKR 13.022.WANT.FOG Closed LKR 3,665,060.00 100% 20-Mar-14 19-Mar-15 transformation (WANT) 3,655,060.00

Fixed USD Obligation USD 29,031.00 28,383.09 Grant

LKR LKR 3,646,700.00 Eastern Voluntary Social Fixed 3,646,700.00 13.023.EVESDO.FOG Development Organization for Obligation Closed 100% 1-Apr-14 31-Mar-15 Women (EVSDOW) Grant USD USD 28,052.00 28,394.28

LKR LKR 6,030,333.00 Fixed 6,030,333.00 CARITAS JAFFNA – HUDEC 13.024.HUDEC.FOG Obligation Closed 100% 25-Mar-14 24-Mar-15 (Human Development Center) Grant USD USD 47,541.00 46,976.46

LKR LKR 5,281,719.00 Fixed 5,281,719.00 Viluthu, Center for Human 13.025.VILUTHU.FOG Obligation Closed 100% 15-Apr-14 14-Jan-15 Resource Development Grant USD USD 40,629.00 41,037.92

LKR LKR 5,720,200.00 Institute for Constitutional Fixed 5,145,000.00 13.026.ICS.FOG Studies (ICS) Guarantee Obligation Closed 90% 15-Apr-14 14-Apr-15 Limited Grant USD USD 44,002.00 39,428.40

LKR LKR 5,972,500.00 Fixed 5,972,500.00 Sri Lanka Development 13.027.SDJF.FOG Obligation Closed 100% 15-May-14 14-Nov-14 Journalist Forum Grant USD USD 45,942.00 46,592.01

LKR 13.028.PCA.FOG Peace and Community Action Closed LKR 5,550,870.00 100% 15-May-14 14-May-14 5,550,870.00

Fixed USD Obligation USD 45,884.00 43,112.06 Grant

LKR LKR 5,172,292.00 Fixed 5,172,292.00 CHANGE Humanitarian 13.029.CHANGE.FOG Obligation Closed 100% 1-May-14 1-May-15 Organization Grant USD USD 39,787.00 40,057.76

TABLE 1. SUMMARY OF SUBAWARDS TO DATE (as of 15th December 2015)

Subgrant Value Type of Total Disbursements Grant Start Grant End Ref No: Subgrant Awardee Status Burn Rate Grant ITD* Date Date SL Rs & USD $

LKR LKR 4,596,390.00 Fixed 4,596,390.00 Ampara Special Needs 13.030.ASNN.FOG Obligation Closed 100% 1-May-14 1-May-15 Network Grant USD USD 35,358.00 35,682.13

LKR LKR 4,008,765.00 Fixed 3,191,000.00 Community Development 13.031.CDO.FOG Obligation In-progress 80% 1-Jul-14 1-Jul-15 Organization- Grant USD USD 30,702.00 24,689.73

LKR LKR 3,801,270.00 Islamic Women Association Fixed 3,801,270.00 13.032.IWARE.FOG for Research and Obligation Closed 100% 15-Jun-14 14-Jun-15 Empowerment Grant USD USD 29,150.84 29,476.16

Akkaraipattu Women LKR 13.033.AWA.FOG In-progress LKR 3,926,325.00 60% 15-Jun-14 14-Jun-15 Association 2,350,000.00

Fixed USD Obligation USD 30,110.00 18,348.10 Grant

LKR LKR 5,840,713.00 Organization for Fixed 5,250,000.00 13.034.ORHAN.FOG Rehabilitation of the Obligation In-progress 90% 1-Jul-14 1-Jul-15 Handicapped Grant USD USD 44,929.00 40,779.67

LKR LKR 5,662,760.00 Fixed 5,662,760.00 Social Economic Enviromental 13.035.SEED.FOG Obligation In-progress 100% 20-Aug-14 19-Aug-15 Developers Grant USD USD 43,560.00 43,647.62

LKR LKR 4,787,330.00 Fixed 4,787,330.00 13.036.EHED.FOG Caritas EHED Batticaloa Obligation Closed 100% 1-Jul-14 13-Feb-15 Grant USD USD 36,825.00 37,053.35

LKR LKR 5,136,830.00 Fixed 5,136,830.00 Transparency International Sri 13.037.TISL.FOG Obligation In-progress 100% 1-Sep-14 31-Aug-15 Lanka Grant USD USD 39,514.00 39,559.62

LKR LKR 15,437,250.00 Fixed 15,437,250.00 Center for Human Rights and 14.038.CHR.FOG Obligation Closed 100% 5-Aug-14 5-Feb-15 Research Grant USD USD 120,162.00 119,808.13

Center for Human Rights and Simplified LKR 14.039.CHRD.SIG In-progress LKR 11,581,578.00 84% 6-Aug-14 5-Aug-15 Development Grant 9,692,022.00

USD USD 89,089.00 73,870.25

TABLE 1. SUMMARY OF SUBAWARDS TO DATE (as of 15th December 2015)

Subgrant Value Type of Total Disbursements Grant Start Grant End Ref No: Subgrant Awardee Status Burn Rate Grant ITD* Date Date SL Rs & USD $

LKR LKR 16,073,210.00 Fixed 14,421,000.00 Center for Promotion & 14.040.CPPHR.FOG Obligation In-progress 90% 3-Sep-14 2-Sep-15 Protection of Human Rights Grant USD USD 123,640.00 111,460.84

LKR LKR 16,045,015.00 13,213,076.00 Center for Policy Alternatives Simplified 14.041.CPA.FOG In-progress 82% 3-Sep-14 0-Jan-00 (Guarantee) Limited Grant USD USD 123,423.00 101,505.58

LKR LKR 7,720,650.00 Fixed 7,083,000.00 13.042.SFM.FOG Secretariat for Muslims Obligation In-progress 92% 1-Sep-14 31-Aug-15 Grant USD USD 59,390.00 54,315.69

LKR LKR 6,872,512.00 Fixed 5,981,000.00 Right to Life Human Rights 14.043.R2L.FOG Obligation In-progress 87% 1-Nov-14 31-Oct-15 Center Grant USD USD 52,865.00 45,630.15

LKR LKR 4,763,736.00 South Asian Center for Legal Fixed 4,266,000.00 14.044.SACLS.FOG Studies (Guarantee) Limited Obligation In-progress 90% 15-Oct-14 15-Jul-15 (SACLS) Grant USD USD 36,644.00 32,709.70

LKR LKR 3,233,600.00 Fixed 2,574,000.00 14.045.NNAF.FOG National NGO Action Forum. Obligation In-progress 80% 15-Oct-14 15-Jul-15 Grant USD USD 24,874.00 19,919.93

LKR LKR 9,713,270.00 9,303,555.00 Simplified 14.046.NPC.SIG National Peace Council In-progress 96% 1-Nov-14 31-Oct-15 Grant USD USD 74,717.00 70,540.36

LKR LKR 13,137,580.00 11,482,807.00 Lanka Jathika Sarvodaya Simplified 14.047.SARVODAYA.SIG In-progress 87% 1-Nov-14 31-Oct-15 Shramadana Sangamaya(Inc.) Grant USD USD 101,058.00 86,782.43

LKR LKR 4,830,440.00 Fixed 4,332,000.00 Affected Women Forum - 14.048.AWF.FOG Obligation In-progress 90% 5-Nov-14 4-Nov-15 AWF Grant USD USD 37,157.00 33,206.34

LKR LKR 4,891,147.00 Center For Accessibility, Fixed 4,891,147.00 14.049.CAMID.FOG Monitoring and Information Obligation In-progress 100% 20-Nov-14 19-Nov-15 on Disability Grant USD USD 37,624.00 37,328.09

TABLE 1. SUMMARY OF SUBAWARDS TO DATE (as of 15th December 2015)

LKR 14.050.LST.FOG Law & Society Trust In-progress LKR 5,195,903.00 81% 1-Jan-15 31-Aug-15 4,195,000.00

Fixed USD Obligation USD 39,968.00 32,083.19 Grant

LKR LKR 3,846,090.00 Fixed 3,255,000.00 Muslim Women 14.051.MWDT.FOG Obligation In-progress 85% 22-Dec-14 21-Nov-15 Development Trust Grant USD USD 29,585.00 24,931.21

LKR LKR 3,394,394.00 Fixed 3,394,394.00 Network for Advocating 14.052.NeWAROW.FOG Obligation In-progress 100% 22-Dec-14 21-Nov-15 Requirements of Women Grant USD USD 26,110.72 25,841.25

LKR LKR 3,971,740.00 Mullaitivu Women’s Fixed 3,575,000.00 14.053.MWDRF.FOG Development and Obligation In-progress 90% 1-Jan-15 31-Oct-15 Rehabilitation Federation Grant USD USD 30,552.00 27,351.43

LKR LKR 5,914,959.00 Fixed 5,612,959.00 Berendina Development 14.054BDS.FOG Obligation In-progress 95% 1-Jan-15 31-Oct-15 Services (Gte) Ltd- (BDS) Grant USD USD 45,500.00 42,666.70

LKR LKR 4,435,400.00 Fixed 4,070,000.00 National Fisheries Solidarity 14.055.NAFSO.FOG Obligation In-progress 92% 7-Jan-15 7-Dec-15 Movement Grant USD USD 34,118.00 31,010.00

Women Development LKR 14.056.WDF.FOG In-progress LKR 3,940,098.00 100% 22-Dec-14 21-Nov-15 Foundation (WDF) 3,940,098.00

Fixed USD Obligation USD 30,308.00 30,000.02 Grant

LKR LKR 3,628,430.00 Fixed 3,628,430.00 Community Resources 14.057.CRPC.FOG Obligation In-progress 100% 16-Jan-15 15-Oct-15 Protection Center Grant USD USD 27,911.00 27,601.32

LKR LKR 5,070,281.00 National Christian Fixed 4,968,281.00 14.058.NCEASL.FOG Evangelical Association of Obligation In-progress 98% 15-Jan-15 30-Sep-15 Sri Lanka Grant USD USD 39,002.00 37,744.14

LKR LKR 3,106,301.00 Fixed 3,073,000.00 14.059.RPK.FOG Rajarata Praja Kendaraya Obligation In-progress 99% 26-Jan-15 25-Oct-15 Grant USD USD 23,895.00 23,438.71

TABLE 1. SUMMARY OF SUBAWARDS TO DATE (as of 15th December 2015)

LKR LKR 4,309,365.00 Fixed 3,503,000.00 14.060.RPK.FOG Kinniya Vision Obligation In-progress 81% 20-Apr-15 19-Nov-15 Grant USD USD 33,149.00 26,509.14

LKR LKR 2,607,154.00 Fixed 2,346,000.00 The Family Planning 14.061.FPA.FOG Obligation In-progress 90% 20-Apr-15 19-Oct-15 Association of Sri Lanka Grant USD USD 20,055.00 17,828.86

LKR 14.062.ATM.FOG Active Theater Moment In-progress LKR 3,005,450.00 90% 20-Apr-15 19-Oct-15 2,700,000.00

Fixed USD Obligation USD 23,119.00 20,460.57 Grant

LKR LKR 1,896,850.00 Fixed 1,702,500.00 14.063.H2H.FOG Heart to Heart Lanka Obligation In-progress 90% 20-Apr-15 19-Oct-15 Grant USD USD 14,591.00 12,957.16

LKR LKR 3,609,180.00 Fixed 2,995,000.00 14.064.MCC.FOG Mannar Citizen Committee Obligation In-progress 83% 20-Apr-15 19-Dec-15 Grant USD USD 27,755.00 22,677.18

LKR LKR 3,213,630.00 Mannar Association for Fixed 2,890,000.00 14.065.MARDAP.FOG Rehabilitation of Differently Obligation In-progress 90% 10-May-15 9-Nov-15 Able People Grant USD USD 24,720.00 21,708.39

LKR LKR 1,614,620.00 Fixed 1,518,745.00 14.066.DABOMDU.FOG Dabindu Collective Obligation In-progress 94% 1-May-15 31-Oct-15 Grant USD USD 12,420.00 11,473.55

LKR LKR 1,961,661.00 Fixed 1,765,000.00 Savisthri Women’s 14.067. SWM.FOG Obligation In-progress 90% 1-May-15 31-Oct-15 Movement Grant USD USD 15,090.00 13,370.89

Federation of Social Simplified LKR 14.068.FOSDO.FOG In-progress LKR 3,934,375.00 63% 1-Jun-15 31-Dec-15 Development Organizations Grant 2,492,969.00

USD USD 30,264.00 18,602.54

TABLE 1. SUMMARY OF SUBAWARDS TO DATE (as of 15th December 2015)

Fixed LKR 2,030,010.00 LKR 1,827,000.00 14.069.WC.FOG Women's Center Obligation In-progress 90% 1-Jun-15 30-Nov-15 Grant USD 15,615.00 USD 13,798.76

Fixed LKR 8,441,123.00 LKR 7,190,000.00 International Center for 14.070.ICES.FOG Obligation In-progress 85% 15-May-15 14-Nov-15 Ethnic Studies (ICES) Grant USD 64,932.00 USD 54,312.33

LKR 15,266,526.00 LKR 5,806,264.00 Simplified 14.071.ZOA.FOG ZOA In-progress 38% 1-Jul-15 31-Dec-15 Grant USD 117,435.00 USD 42,678.29

Fixed LKR 3,063,468.00 LKR 3,063,468.00 CHANGE Humanitarian Amount 14.072.CHANGE.FOG In-progress 100% 1-Jul-15 31-Oct-15 Organization USD 23,565.13 USD 23,159.66 Award

Fixed LKR 2,277,911.00 LKR 1,645,786.00 Caritas Jaffna – Human Amount 14.073.HUDEC.FOG In-progress 72% 1-Jul-15 31-Oct-15 Development Center USD 17,524.00 USD 12,288.16 Award

Fixed LKR 2,277,911.00 LKR 3,221,000.00 Sri Lanka Development Amount 14.074.SDJF.FOG In-progress 141% 1-Jul-15 31-Oct-15 Journalist Forum USD 17,524.00 USD 24,147.68 Award

Young Christian Workers LKR 1,847,400.00 LKR 1,559,000.00 SIMPLIFIED 14.075.YCW.FOG Movement – Sri Lanka In-progress 84% 1-Jun-15 1-Nov-15 GRANT (YCW) USD 14,211.00 USD 11,695.95

14.076.CPA/CMEV.FOG In-progress LKR 5,420,817.00 LKR 756,641.00 14% 1-Jul-15 31-Oct-15

Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA)/Center SIMPLIFIED USD 41,699.00 USD 5,476.73 for Monitoring Election GRANT Violence (CMEV

Fixed LKR 5,463,710.00 LKR 1,660,000.00 Center for Peace building 14.076.CPBR.FOG Amount In-progress 30% 1-Jul-15 1-Dec-15 and Reconciliation Award USD 42,029.00 USD 1,821.59

LKR 2,783,329.90 LKR 2,226,651.85 IN-KIND Grants Multiple In-Kind Completed 80% USD 21,410.23 USD 17,077.45

LKR LKR 474,922,098.20 LKR 430,125,240.85 SUB TOTAL 91% USD USD 3,686,388.95 USD 3,314,693.42

NOTE:

*ITD: Inception to Date Sub Awards – Subcontracts

TABLE II. SUMMARY OF SUBAWARDS (SUBCONTRACTS) TO DATE (as of 15 December

2015)

Subaward Value Type of Total Disbursements Subaward Subaward Ref. No Subaward Awardee Burn Rate Agreement ITD* Start Date End Date SL Rs & USD $

LKR LKR 29,101,800.00 26,672,309.15 SIPL- Strategic 605100.05.03.13.010 BOA 92% 9-Sep-13 8-Sep-15 Inspirations (Pvt) Ltd USD USD 223,860.00 216,738.30

LKR 605100.05.03.13.011 BOA LKR 34,957,650.00 87% 9-Sep-13 8-Sep-15 30,409,075.19

PALTRA (Guarantee) Ltd USD -Partners in Alternative USD 268,905.00 237,969.81 Training

LKR LKR 6,267,820.00 2,896,912.00 EML Consultants (PVT) 605100.05.03.14.018 BOA 46% 1-Aug-14 31-Jul-15 Ltd. USD USD 48,214.00 30,198.91

LKR LKR 1,136,000.00 1,010,605.00 605100.05.03.14.026 Creators Forum. PO 89% 27-Oct-14 31-Jan-15 USD USD 8,738.46 7,835.53

LKR LKR 7,000,110.00 8,142,496.00 Business Consultancy 605100.05.03.14.024 A BOA 116% 1-Jan-15 30-Jun-15 Services USD USD 53,847.00 76,800.77

LKR LKR 5,500,300.00 4,727,872.00 605100.05.03.14.024 B Creators Forum BOA 86% 1-Jan-15 30-Jun-15 USD USD 42,310.00 35,945.84

LKR LKR 7,930,390.00 2,267,680.00 605100.05.03.14.024 C Management Frontiers BOA 29% 1-Jan-15 30-Jun-15 USD USD 61,003.00 16,892.35

LKR SUB TOTAL LKR LKR 91,894,070.00 88% 76,126,949.34

USD USD USD 706,877.46 622,381.51

ACHIEVEMENTS

Key achievements for the reporting period are listed below. Project Management and Administration - The organizational structure required to deliver the program and a staff restructuring plan was discussed and put in place in keeping with Sri Lankan laws and best practice in the sector. Recruitments and phasing out of staff to fit the new structure was commenced. - Work plan for the rest of the project period along with revised PMP indicators were completed and submitted for USAID approval. Grants - National RFA was designed in consultation with USAID and released. Forty applications were reviewed by the technical evaluation committee. - Regional RFA was designed in consultation with USAID for release on the 31st of December. - The following grants were monitored and most of these grants completed activities this quarter. New ARROW II, WDF II, AWF II, CAMID, CRPC, Kinniya Vision, MWDT II, MWDRF II, RPK, ATM, MCC II, MARDAP, FOSDO II, ZOA II, CHANGE II, BDS, NPC II, NAFSO II, R2L II, Savisthri, FPA, H2H, WC, Dabindu, YCW, CMEV, ICES II, CPA II, SFM, NAFSO, CPBR, CHRD II, NPC II, Sarvodaya II, FPA. All of them will be closed out by next quarter. Capacity Building SPICE Grantees - Continued the facilitation of capacity building initiatives including: • Program evaluation and strategic planning workshop of ASNN • Income generation strategies and action plans developed for CAMID • Skills audit for CPA • Preparation of an operational plan and monitoring plan for EVSDOW • Training on governance functions for Committee members of MCC • Presentation of the strategic plan, new constitution and organization structure to the stakeholders of MWDRF • Presentation of the findings from the District Consortium assessments to the NNAF Executive Committee • Orientation to NPC staff on the revised finance, admin and HR policy manuals • Review and revision of CPA and R2L strategic plans • Continuing the discussions with staff of R2L, NAFSO and RPK to support the mainstreaming of gender within the organization, projects and campaigns

- Follow-up of capacity building interventions with MWDRF, NewAROW, CPPHR, ORHAN, EVSDOW, CAMID, WANT and MWDT. - Benchmark reviews with FOSDOO, MWDRF, NPC, KOINONIA and CPPHR. Direct USAID Grantees - MENCAFEP Fundraising strategy and Plan finalized - Sevalanka Strategic plan and Restructuring plan completed and restructuring process commenced. - Business plan developed for rubber foot production by CfH. - LRWHF CSR mapping completed and small business ventures identified to diversify funding sources. - Team-building for HHR middle management completed. - NF financial management guidelines finalized - Advocacy workshop conducted for organizations working in the disabilities sector. - Potential income ventures identified for JSAC and Shanthiham.

Core Values – Two final modules on Gender and Field based Capstone were completed this quarter. Project Activities (Achievements in this section are based on activities for the quarter.)

Outcome 1: Improved protection of citizens’ rights by Sri Lankan organizations.  444 people received legal aid or victim-assistance. This includes GBV assistance, support to obtain legal documents and other legal aid / victim-assistance.  210 people were reached through GBV services.  216 people received other legal aid, including legal advice, legal representation, etc.  41 people were trained to be Human Rights Defenders.  2110 persons were reached through human rights awareness raising activities, including awareness on GBV issues. These people were reached through direct awareness programs trainings or indirectly through publications.  22 new cases were followed up, in addition to ongoing cases. Outcome 2: Expanded civil society support for more inclusive, active citizen participation in development, reconciliation and governance.  193 organizations since the beginning, including SPICE grantees and CSOs/CBOs assisted by SPICE grantees continue to represent marginalized communities to pressurize the government to implement policy and/or conduct government oversight at least at local level.  247 civic associations were directly and / or indirectly part of the project at any point of time including this reporting period and of them 84% (207) are active in community development and governance.

 From the beginning of the project up till this reporting period, a total of 187 civil society organizations are/were engaged in advocacy interventions at any point of time.  73% percent of SPICE grantees are part of or engaged in at least one network, contributing to a strengthened and more cohesive civil society portfolio that SPICE works with compared to the 45% in September 2014.  18 activities were completed in support of peace and reconciliation during the reporting period totaling 210 for the entire period of the project.  48 of 56 organizations up till this reporting period were assessed to be advocating pluralism, human rights and democracy.  20 Community Project were completed through the facilitation of SPICE grantees.  193 events, trainings and other interventions promoting awareness and citizen participation in governance and democracy were completed from the inception of the project.  29 forums were supported to address gender based violence together with dutybearers and right holders from the inception of the project

Outcome 3: Enhanced management and technical capacity of indigenous organizations supporting civic participation and inclusive development  67 organizations received capacity building support from the commencement of the project.  44 people were trained through skill development training during the reporting period totaling of 454 from the beginning of the project.

BEST PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES

Best Practice Capacity Building Reflection on capacity building activities and process - Review of benchmarks The last step of the SPICE capacity building process is the review of benchmarks that are noted in the Organization Improvement Plan (OIP). It is a joint assessment of results through a participatory, reflective exercise focusing on the new capacity developed and the process followed. As opposed to a formal project evaluation, this facilitates CSO learning about its own capacity development, facilitates the CSO to complete the organizational change process supported by SPICE and identify next steps, including the responsible exit of ODF/SPICE. This fosters empowerment, ownership, and sustainability of the organization; creates a safe space for openness and learning. The reviews are aimed at supporting the CSOs with a reflection process that can improve practice over time.

Developing policies and procedures with staff inputs

The process of developing organizational policies or procedures with participation and inputs from all staff and Board members, whilst communicating basic concepts and required minimum standards has generated more ownership of the policies.

The organizational policy of NAFSO to mainstream gender was developed through a series of facilitated discussions. The approach adopted gradually introduced basic concepts, supported to recognize gaps and will contribute to consciously integrate gender in programs and within the organization.

The revision of the finance, admin and HR procedures of NPC included a session with staff to orient them on the provisions of the manuals, as well as gather their inputs. This opportunity for staff was appreciated as it ensured complete familiarity with content, ownership, transparency, and further established a foundation for future revisions and discussions, thus making it a living document. Challenges Capacity Building: The time commitment required for participatory, intensive capacity building processes was reiterated during the benchmark reviews. FOSDOO noted “Whenever we need to prioritize time between pressing project needs and capacity building activities, or organizational development, we all naturally give high priority to project work. This has been a great barrier to all capacity building activities in terms of institutionalizing learning.”

Operational Context: Opening up of democratic space and the election of a government keen on engagement with civil society, while positive on many counts, also can pose particular challenges. Firstly, when the opening up of space and the assessment of change is felt differently by different segments of the population engagement with the government is subject to be interpreted differently by each of them. This will impact on the acceptance of the civil society actors that are pursuing an engagement strategy. Engagement with the government if not carefully thought through can also degenerate to being co-opted by the government. Engagement if not handled carefully has the potential blurs the line between government and civil society impacting on the reputation of the sector. More recently we are also witnessing the government assigning responsibilities to civil society (like running the consultation for transitional justice) which reduces the ownership of the government in these processes and gives them the option to dis-own the outcomes if they are not to its liking.

EXPENDITURES

Project expenditures at the end of December 2015 totaled $9,193,142.50. During this quarter, the program continued to increase disbursements under grants and subcontracts. As of December 15, 2015, $3,937,075.06 was paid to grantees and subcontractors. On October 13, 2015, MSI signed Modification No. 5 to its Cooperative Agreement with Counterpart, which extends the period of performance to March 19, 2017 and increase the project ceiling to 13,958,107. At the end of the first quarter of FY 2016, 77.68 percent of the obligated funding allocated under the October 13, 2015, subgrant between MSI and Counterpart International had been spent.

PROGRAMMING PRIORITIES FOR NEXT QUARTER The following priorities have been identified for the next quarter. Project Management/Administration

- Close Batticaloa office in line with contractual obligations and in keeping with Sri Lankan labor laws. This will include disposing part of the assets.

- Complete restructure of the Vavuniya and Colombo office to deliver on the rest of the project. This will include phasing out staff, changing job descriptions where necessary, restructuring M&E and Capacity Building teams and filling out any resultant vacancies.

- To conduct a program review and planning meeting of all staff to orient them for the extension period on program priorities, documentation and administration. Grants

- To close out completed grants and to monitor and close out ongoing grants.

- Toward achieving the SPICE outcomes and indicators

o To shape and submit for USAID approval selected applications from the national RFA and to award and monitor the grants subject to approval

o To select from among the applications in regional RFA, shape and submit for USAID approval and to award and monitor them once approval is received.

Capacity Building SPICE Grantees - Complete all on-going capacity building activities and in-kind grant support. - Follow-up on capacity building support provided and ensuring the institutionalization of changes. - Complete the review of benchmarks, the sixth and final step in the SPICE capacity building cycle - Identify and select grantees for capacity building support for the next one year - Continue / commence organizational development interventions with eight regional, medium- sized, rights-focused grantees, who have a critical role to play in civil society on particular themes.

Direct USAID Grantees - Initiate ICES strategic planning process. - Conduct team building training for staff of Navajeevana. - Develop M&E plan for CfH - Finalize MENCAEFP Operational Manual financial guidelines. 91

- Complete HHR middle management’s report writing skills development program. - Complete succession planning for LRWHF - Continue M&E and impact indicator development for FRC and Shanthiham. - Conduct training for SLCDF on finance management. - Develop Gender and Cultural Analysis Tool for JSAC.

To conduct a civil society round table on operational environment and regulatory framework with a view to catalyzing advocacy action

To issue certificates and wind up the first Core Values Program

ANNEX 1: Performance Monitoring Plan Update

Annex 1: SPICE INDICATOR PERFORMANCE

Outcome 1: Improved protection of citizens’ rights by Sri Lankan organizations

The first outcome of SPICE is monitored using five indicators and three sub indicators. Their progress is given below:

 1.1: # domestic NGOs engaged in monitoring or advocacy work on human rights receiving USG support FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 48 48 25 48

The diagram below explains the progress of indicator 1.1 since the beginning of the project. This indicator has shown a steady growth since the beginning of the project and since September 2015, a total of 45 domestic NGOs, which have received USG support through SPICE Project are engaged in monitoring or advocacy work on human rights. While a stabilization in this indicator progress is observed between September and December, the revised LOP are expected to be achieved by the end of FY 2016 with new grants coming onboard. These USG support includes ongoing and/or completed grant support through the SPICE Project.

Since the initially set targets has been over achieved, the LOP has been revised from 25 to 48 considering the extended period of the project.

50 48 Target (Revised), 48 45 45

39 40 36

30 28 25 Target (Previous), 25 23 19 20 16

10 8 7 6 7 5 6 3 0 0 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 Q1 FY 2015 Q2 FY 2015 Q3 FY 2015 Q4 2016 Q1 LOP

# OF ORGs. For Period Cumulative # of ORGs. Target (Previous) Target (Revised)

1.2: # individuals from low income or marginalized communities who received legal aid or victims assistance with USG support FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 500 163 22,885 42,500

The project found a great demand for SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTORS legal aid or victims’ assistance for (SINCE THE BEGINNING) individuals from low income or CHR ZOA CPPHR marginalized communities, and this indicator, 1.2, recorded significant PPCC CHANGE HUDEC progress from mid-2014 until FY 2015 AWF WDF MWDRF Q3. MWDT WANT KOINONIA CHRD MCC SWDC Since FY 2015 Q3, the progress of this CRPC CDO SEED indicator shows stabilization. 444 RPK MARDAP FOSDO individuals received legal aid or victim’s assistance during the previous and present reporting period, were verified and updated during the present reporting period. As the below

94 diagram explains, a total of 42,481 individuals received legal aid or victims’ assistance since the beginning of the project. The initially set LOP of the project has been significantly over achieved and the LOP has been revised since this quarter, considering the extended period of the project.

25,000 Target (Revised), 45,000 42,037 40,980 42,500 Cumulative, 42,481 40,000

20,000 35,000

27,300 30,000 15,000 23,385 22,885 25,000 20,640 Target (Previous), 20,000 16,334 10,000 22,885 14,840 13,680 15,000 16,179 10,000 5,000 6,660 4,306 150 1,057 5,000

155 444

200 200 306 70 70 54 23 8 629 563 805 948 184 473 128 272 75 202 34 133

1,844 1,844 1,930 1,870 5,171 5,171 7,652 1,512 2,629 2,839 5,566 6,361 - - FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 Q1 FY 2015 Q2 FY 2015 Q3 FY 2015 Q4 FY 2016 Q1 LOP

Adult Male Adult Female Youth Male Youth Female Total Cumulative Target (Previous) Target (Revised)

1.2.1: # people reached by USG-funded interventions providing GBV services

FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 350 30 5300 3750

The diagram given below shows the number of people reached through GBV services since the CONTRIBUTORS beginning of the project. A total of 3,568 people (SINCE THE BEGINNING) were reached through GBV services during the SWDC AWF WDF entire period of the project. NEWAROW PPCC AWA CPPHR IWARE EG 210 people reached through GBV services were MWDT MWDRF FOSDO verified during the reporting period which includes 9 HUDEC WANT CHANGE adult males, 101 adult females, 9 youth males and 91 RPK youth females.

The progress of this indicator is observed to be lower than the targets anticipated at the initial stage of the project and thus the LOP has been reduced since FY 2016. One major reason for this is that many GBV cases are not reported due to the associated social stigma. Thus, many organizations which identified the need for GBV related services could not achieve their anticipated targets, resulting in a lower progress of this indicator.

However, it should be noted that a number of initiatives to prevent/resolve/handle GBV related issues in various regions of the country are supported by the SPICE project, and these are not captured through this indicator. There are several structures/forums/coordination mechanisms that are supported under the SPICE Project, and these do have a number of indirect beneficiaries who are not captured through this indicator but reported through a newly added indicator -2.9.

3500 4000

Cumulative, 3568 3000 3500 3358

3000 2500 2619 2656 2500 2000

2000

1500 1500

1000 1000 702

500 210 500

1836 738 494 168 101

24 34 3 36 9 16 9 9 91 0 37 0 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 2016 Q1 LOP

Adult Male Adult Female Youth Male Youth Female Total Cumulative

1.2.2: # people who received key government identification and other vital legal documents with assistance from target groups 96

FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 212 14,500 36,815

Since most of the activities related to indicator 1.2.2, a sub indicator of 1.2 are SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTORS completed, the progress of this indicator (SINCE THE BEGINNING) has stabilized since FY 2015 Q3. 18 individuals were assisted to receive legal

documents during this reporting period CHR AND CHANGE which makes the total 36,621 from 36,603.

20,000 40,000 36,195 36,603 Cumulative, 36,621 18,000 Target (Revised), 36,800 35,000

16,000 30,000 14,000

25,000 12,000 22,826

10,000 20,000 16,555 8,000 14,500 14,700 Target (Previous), 14,500 12,924 13,369 15,000

6,000 10,000 10,000

4,000 6,271

3,631 5,000 2,000

408 18

85 85 73 73 93 10 8

161 161 144 144 415 482 747 854 157

4,485 6,215 1,099 1,125 1,745 1,581 2,556 2,818 5,503 6,265 - - FY 2014 FY 2015 Q1 FY 2015 Q2 FY 2015 Q3 FY 2015 Q4 FY 2016 Q1 LOP

AM AF YM YF Total Cumulative Target (Previous) Target (Revised)

1.2.3: # beneficiaries of other legal aid or victims assistance

FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 97

200 3,025 4000

1.2.3 is a sub indicator for 1.2. 216 individuals were reported to have received other legal aid or victim assistance during the reporting period and this CONTRIBUTORS makes the cumulative progress to be 4,186. Among (SINCE THE BEGINNING) the 216 people who were assisted during this reporting period, 56 are adult males, 93 are adult CHRD EG MCC females, 25 are youth males and 42 are youth HUDEC WANT ZOA females. CHANGE ORHAN CDO WDF SWDC CPPHR The assistance contributing to this indicator includes: KOINONIA PPCC CRPC court representation for individuals except in GBV MARDAP related cases; assistance to visit family members in prison or care packs for family members whose breadwinner is in prison; livelihood assistance; assistance to obtain voter registration; etc.

It is expected that from this time forward this indicator progress will stabilize.

2,000 Cumulative, 4,186 3,970 Target (Revised), 4,000 4,000 1,800 3,546 3,351 3,285 3,500 1,600 3,067 3,085 Target (Previous), 3,085 1,400 3,000

2,468 1,200 2,323 2,500

1,000 1,840 2,000

800 1,500 600 1,000 400 599 424 150 500 200 145 284

195 216

70 70 47 23 5 666 798 404 455 185 239 39 136 73 134 21 56 55 43 52 45 83 185 45 111 56 93 25 42 - - FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 Q1 FY 2015 Q2 FY 2015 Q3 FY 2015 Q4 FY 2016 Q1 LOP

Adult Male Adult Female Youth Male Youth Female Total Cumulative Target (Previous) Target (Revised)

1.3: # human rights defenders trained and supported FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 152 714 1500

HRD’s trained The diagram during this given below quarter shows the CONTRIBUTORS Adult (SINCE THE BEGINNING) 25 number of Male human rights CHRD R2L AWF Adult 15 defenders trained NEWAROW CPPHR PCA Female MCC MWDT MWDRF Youth since the 01 Male beginning of the EHED RPK FOSDO Youth project. HUDEC - Female Total 41 41 people were trained to be Human Rights Defenders during this quarter, which makes the cumulative progress reach 1389.

The initially set LOP for the period up to FY 2015 has been over achieved and it has been revised from 714 to 1500 considering the extended period of the project.

1600 1600 Target (Revised), 1450 Cumulative, 1389 1400 1348 1400

1200 1200

1000 1000 864 767 800 728 714 Target (Previous), 714 800

581 600 600 455

400 400

200 200 39 41 8 15 8 8 68 272 87 301 39 390 35 117 25 15 1 0 0 0 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 Q1 LOP

Adult Male Adult Female Youth Male Youth Female Total Cumulative Target (Previous) Target (Revised)

1.4: # people reached by HR awareness-raising activities FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 15,000 3,046 21,935 74,000

100

The diagram given below compares the progress of indicator 1.4 across different reporting periods in the bars (axis on the CONTRIBUTORS left), and cumulative progress against (SINCE THE BEGINNING) targets in the lines (axis on the right). As R2L NAFSO SARVODAYA the diagram shows, 2110 individuals were SDJF EG VILUTHU reached through HR awareness-raising AWF WDF SWDC activities during this quarter and this NEWAROW CPPHR KOINONIA makes the cumulative progress to reach EVESDOW PPCC ASNN IWARE AWA CHRD CHRD CAMID EHED SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTORS MCC MWDT MWDRF (SINCE THE BEGINNING) HUDEC WANT FOSDO ZOA CHANGE ORHAN CPPHR AND CHRD CDO SEED RPK ATM SAVISTRI DABINDU

CRPC WC ATM OTHER CONTRIBUTORS BERENDINA LST H2H YCW MWDT CHANGE MWDRF

58,517.

As the diagram shows, the initially set LOP was significantly overachieved by the project and the LOP has been revised considering the extended period of the project.

The progress of the indicator is expected to grow from upcoming reporting period until FY2017 Q1 as right now most of the grants has completed their present phase and processing of new grants is in progress.

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50000 80000 Target (Revised) , 73500 45000 70000

40000 Cumulative, 58517 56407 60000 35000

50000 30000 44241

25000 36935 40000 32973 20000 27529 30000 24393 21935 Target (Previous), 15000 21935 20000 14635 10000 12166 10674 7769 10000 5000 2982 100 1636 2110 53 0 0 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 Q1 FY 2015 Q2 FY 2015 Q3 FY 2015 Q4 2016 Q1 LOP

Adult Male Adult Female Youth Male Youth Female Total Cumulative Target (Previous) Target (Revised)

1.5: # legal cases handled by target NGOs FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 18 326 330

The diagram below compares the progress of indicator 1.5 across different time periods in the bars, and cumulative progress against targets in the lines. As the bar diagram indicates, 22 new cases were handled by SPICE grantees during the reporting period, which makes the cumulative progress to reach 334.

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140 400 130 CumulativeTarget, 334 (Revised), 120 326 330 350 330 312 Target (Previous), 326 300 100 89 261 269 250 80 213 235 219 200 60 150 43 130 40 100 100 26 22 16 20 50 8

0 0 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2015 FY 2015 FY 2015 2016 Q1 LOP # of Cases CumulativeQ1 Q2 TargetQ3 (Previous)Q4 Target (Revised)

Outcome 2: Expanded civil society support for more inclusive, active citizen participation in development, reconciliation, and governance

The second outcome of SPICE is monitored using seven indicators. Its progress is given below.

2.1 % target civic associations active in community development & governance FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 75% 75% 75% 75%

The diagram below compares the number of civic associations active in community development and governance, with the total number of civic associations supported by the project (bars-left axis). The diagram also compares cumulative progress of the project against targets (lines-right axis). As presented in the bar chart, a total of 247 civic associations were supported under the project since its inception, and among them 84% (207) are assessed to be active in community development and governance. 103

300 84% 84% % of Active CAs, 84% 90% 78% Target (Revised), 75% 75% 75% 80% 250 64% 70% 60% 200 60%

50% 150 39% 40%

100 30%

20% 50 10% 141 55 159 101 185 144 246 206 247 207 247 207 0 0% FY 2014 FY 2015 Q1 FY 2015 Q2 FY 2015 Q3 FY 2015 Q4 FY 2016 Q1 LOP

# of CAs # of CAs Active in Dev. & Gov. % of Active CAs Target (Previous) Target (Revised)

The line diagram shows that the progress of this indicator increased overtime and stabilized since FY 2015 Q3 as all the civic associations came onboard during the FY 2014 and FY 2015 and no new civic associations came onboard since FY2015 Q3. A set of new civic associations will on board from the upcoming reporting period as new grants are being processes.

Note: Civic associations, as per the indicator definition, include certain membership based SPICE grantees as well as civic associations supported by SPICE grantees.

2.2: # USG-funded organizations representing marginalized constituencies trying to affect government policy or conducting government oversight FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 205 205 205 205

The below diagram displays SPICE grantees and organizations supported by SPICE grantees representing marginalized constituencies, trying to impact on government policy or conduct government oversight (shown in the bars), and compares the progress of the indicator against targets (shown in the lines).

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Since the inception of the project, 33 SPICE grantees and 160 organizations supported by SPICE grantees totaling 193 are accounted as representing marginalized constituencies trying to influence government policy or conduct government oversight. The 160 organizations supported by SPICE grantees include formal community organizations and informal community groups, and their interventions are mostly at the local community level.

250

205 205Target (Revised), 205 193Total # of ORGs, 193 200 178 182

147 151 150

105

100 84 79

50 150 160 160 124 147 66 126 66 5 13 18 21 27 31 32 33 33 0 2014 Q2 2014 Q3 2014 Q4 2015 Q1 2015 Q2 2015 Q3 2015 Q4 2016 Q1 LOP

Supported by SPICE Supported by Grantee Total # of ORGs Target (Previous) Target (Revised)

The 160 organizations supported by SPICE grantees are from various parts of the country, and the diagram shows an increase in indicator progress until FY 2015 Q4. This is indicative of an increase in civil society involvement in pursuing policy oriented goals, at least at the local community level. The indicator progress shows stabilization between the present and past reporting period as the project phase come to an end with December 2015 and awarding of new grants are underway under the extended period of the project.

2.3: # civil society organizations (CSOs) receiving USG assistance engaged in advocacy interventions FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 195 195 170 195

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The below diagram displays the number of CSOs receiving USG assistance through the SPICE project engaged in advocacy interventions against various reporting periods in a bar chart, and a comparison of indicator progress against targets in the line chart. A total of 187 CSOs, including 45 SPICE grantees and 142 CSOs supported by SPICE grantees, are assessed to be engaged in advocacy interventions at least at the local community level.

250

195 Target (Revised), 195 200 170 185 Total , 187

167 169 151 Target (Previous), 150 170

111

100

42 90 48 50 5 142 142 119 133 134 5 85 27 27 15 21 26 32 34 35 43 45 0 2014 Q2 2014 Q3 2014 Q4 2015 Q1 2015 Q2 2015 Q3 2015 Q4 2016 Q1 LOP

Supported by SPICE Supported by Grantee Total Target (Previous) Target (Revised)

The diagram also reveals that there is a growth in the number of organizations involved in advocacy interventions in the SPICE project since the beginning. The diagram also clearly reveals that more CSOs are accommodated and facilitated by SPICE grantees to engage in advocacy interventions, a clear indication of achieving the second objective of SPICE: expanded civil society support for more inclusive, active citizen participation in development, reconciliation, and governance. The initially set LOP was over achieved and it has been increased to 195 considering the extended period of the project.

2.4: # USG supported events, trainings, or activities designed to build support for peace or reconciliation among key actors to the conflict FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 0 100 175 300

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The below diagram describes the number of USG supported events, trainings, or activities by SPICE grantees designed to CONTRIBUTORS build support for peace or reconciliation (SINCE THE BEGINNING) among key actors of the conflict across NPC SARVODAYA NAFSO different reporting periods, and compares PCA ORHAN CDO the cumulative progress against project CHANGE SEED CRPC targets.

18 such activities are reported as being completed during the present reporting period, which increases the cumulative progress to 248.

The initially set LOP of the project has been achieved and thus it has been revised from 175 to 300, considering the extended period of the project.

350

Target (Revised), 300 300

Cumulative, 248 250 230 230 210

200 175 Target (Previous), 175 164 150 150 115 100 100

48 50 24 1 23 24 67 35 14 46 20 18 0 2014 Q1 2014 Q2 2014 Q3 2014 Q4 2015 Q1 2015 Q2 2015 Q3 2015 Q4 2016 Q1 LOP

# of Activities Cumulative Target (Previous) Target (Revised)

The activities reported under this indicator include Inter-religious committee meetings, LLRC related discussions /trainings, inter-religious programs, awareness programs related to LLRC, conflict prevention/ peace related trainings etc.

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2.5:% target civic groups participating in at least one network FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 70% 70% 70% 70%

The below diagram compares the number of grantees who are part of at least one network with the total number of organizations supported against the project targets.

100 120%

90 100% % of CSO are 100% 80 participating in Network, 73% 70 73% 80% 69% 60 67% Target (Revised), 60% 70% 59% 70% 70% 50 53% 52% 60% 48% 45%60% 40 40% 30

20 25% 20% 10 1 1 6 10 1017 1021 1732 1738 2242 3045 3449 4156 4156 0 0% 2013 2013 2014 2014 2014 2014 2015 2015 2015 2015 2016 LOP Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1

No. of ORG in Network No. of Organizations % of CSO are participating in Network Target (Previous) Target (Revised)

As the diagram shows, 41 out of 56 (71%) organizations, as in the previous quarter are assessed to be part of a network at the divisional level and/or the district level and/or the national level. The diagram also shows an increase in the number of organizations supported by SPICE, which are also part of some network. Of the 41 organizations which are part of some network, a number of them receive at least some support for networking related activities. However, most of the networking activities of these organizations are spontaneous.

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2.6 Index of strength of networks supported FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP - 35% 50% 50%

This is an annual indicator and the progress will be updated by the end of FY 2016.

2.7: # critical Sri Lankan organizations advocating pluralism, human rights and democracy that remain active FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 48 48 25 48 The below given diagram compares the number of organizations that remain active in advocating pluralism, human rights, and democracy against the total number of organizations receiving grants through the SPICE project with targets set across different periods.

This indicator progress remains the same as the previous quarter, where 56 organizations received grants through the SPICE project, and of them 48 were assessed to be advocating pluralism, human rights and democracy. These organizations include those who have ongoing grants/completed grants provided through the SPICE project. This indicator progress is expected to stabilize from this level, even during the extended period of the project

The initially set LOP has been over achieved and thus the LOP has been revised from 25 to 48.

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60 56 56 54 48 50 48 48 45 46 42 Target (Revised), 48 39 40 38 34 32 30 28 25 Target (Pervious) , 25

21 22 20 15 12

10 6

0 2014 Q2 2014 Q3 2014 Q4 2015 Q1 2015 Q2 2015 Q3 2015 Q4 2016 Q1 LOP

# of Organizations # of Working ORG Target (Pervious) Target (Revised)

2.8: # USG supported events, trainings and other interventions promoting awareness and citizen participation in governance and democracy FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 100 25 - 275 This is a newly added indicator as per the revised M&E Plan submitted in 2015. The targets are set from FY 2016, however, the progress made since the inception of the project is also accounted under this indicator progress.

As the diagram explains, 192 events, trainings and other interventions promoting awareness and citizen participation in governance and democracy were completed up until the end of FY 2015 Q4 and one intervention has been reported for this quarter. Since most of the grants had their closeout during this reporting period and processing of new grants are underway, this indicator reports less progress during this reporting period, and the progress is expected to increase from FY 2016 Q2.

It should be noted that in addition to the progress reported for the period until FY 2015 Q4, there are further activities carried out during the same time period, which are currently under verification. Those will be reported once the verification is completed. 110

300 Target, 275

250 250

200 192 192 193

150

100

1 0 End of FY 2015 2016 Q1 LOP

# of Events Cumulative Target

2.9: # Forums supported to address gender based violence that brings together dutybearers and right holders FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 25 25 (Cumulative) N/A 25 This is a newly added indicator as per the revised M&E Plan submitted in 2015. This indicator has been set with the purpose of assessing the gender focus of the project, as indicator 1.2.1 accounts for only the individuals reached through GBV services. However, in addition to the GBV reach, the project also supports civil society organizations to create and support forums to address gender based violence and that was not captured through SPICE indicators until the revision of the M&E plan submitted in 2015. The targets are set to capture the cumulative progress of this indicator. As the diagram describes, 17 forums were supported to address gender based violence together with dutybearers and right holders up until FY 2015 Q4 and 12 were completed during the present reporting period.

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With a total of 29 forums supported, this indicator is expected to stabilize as most of the organizations may continue with the same forums during the extended period of the project.

30 29

Target, 25 25

20 17 17

15 12

0 End of FY 2015 2016 Q1 LOP

# of Forums Cumulative Target

Outcome 3: Enhanced management and technical capacity of indigenous organizations supporting civic participation and inclusive development

The third outcome of SPICE is monitored using three indicators. Their progress is given below:

3.1: % of target Sri Lankan organizations meeting improvement benchmarks in a capacity building plan

112

FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP - 80% 80% 80%

This is an annual indicator, which needs to be reported every 4th quarter of the fiscal year. The below table describes the progress reported as of FY 2015 Q4. Currently, OIP review assessments are being carried out by the Capacity Building Team.

12 17 7 25 10 37

, , , , , , ,

20 ,

14 15 26 12 27 40

, , , , , , , ,

47% 96% 83% 86% 63% 93%

# of Grantees Finalized OIP Finalized of Grantees # # of Grantees Finalized OIP of # Grantees Finalized OIP of # Grantees Finalized OIP of # Grantees Finalized OIP of # Grantees Finalized OIP of # Grantees Finalized

# of Grantees Benchmarks met of Grantees # Benchmarks met of Grantees # # of Grantees of Benchmarks # Grantees met of Benchmarks # Grantees met of Benchmarks # Grantees met of Benchmarks # Grantees met 0 In FY 2014 In FY 2015 In FY 2014 In FY 2015 In FY 2014 In FY 2015 SPICE DGP SPICE + DGP

# of Grantees Finalized OIP # of Grantees met Benchmarks % of ORG Meeting Benchmark

3.2:# Sri Lankan organizations receiving capacity building support FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 67 67 45 67

The diagram below compares the number of organizations receiving capacity building support across different reporting periods with the set targets.

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The progress of this indicator has stabilized since 2015 Q2 and as of 2015 Q4, a total of 67 organizations were receiving capacity building support (this includes organizations which have completed receiving capacity building support as well) and the progress remains the same for FY 2016 Q1 as well.

The initially set LOP has been over achieved by the project and it has been revised from 45 to 67.

80 # of Organizations Receiving CB 70 67 Support, 67 67 Target (Revised) , 67

50 45 40 40 Target (Previous), 45 30 30 26 27 26 27

20 16 14 14 14 8 10 8 10

0 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 2016 Q1 LOP

# of SPICE Grantees Receiving OCB # of DGP Grantees Receiving OCB # of ORGs receiving only Trainings # of Organizations Receiving CB Support Target (Previous) Target (Revised)

3.3# people trained in specific areas designed to improve Sri Lankan organization institutional capacity FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 100 - 360 560

The below diagram describes the number of people trained in specific areas to improve the institutional capacity of Sri Lankan organizations across fiscal years 2014 and 2015, and compares the cumulative progress with fiscal year targets and LOP.

As described in the diagram, a total of 560 people received capacity building training since the beginning of the project, where 44 people were trained during the present quarter.

114

The initially set LOP has been over achieved by the project and it has been revised from 380 to 560, considering the extended period of the project.

600 600 Target (Revised) , 560

500 500 Cumulative, 454 410 460 400 400 360 Target (Previous), 300 360 300

183 200 227 200 180 183

100 100

44 80 59 13 31 86 81 22 38 24 14 4 2 0 0 FY 2014 FY 2015 2016 Q1 LOP

Adult Male Adult Female Youth Male Youth Female Total Cumulative Target (Previous) Target (Revised)

It should be noted that the same persons attending trainings in different learning areas were counted more than once as mentioned in the PIRS. Thus, the actual number of people who received skill development training may be lower than the number reported.

Purpose: Expanded space for independent collective action by citizens, particularly in war affected areas, with regard to the key issues of governance, inclusion, reconciliation, and development

While the three outcomes of SPICE and their indicators establish the achievement of the purpose of SPICE, there are also three purpose-level indicators. These three purpose level indicators together with the outcome level indicators reveal the achievement of the purpose of SPICE.

0.1: % target civic groups that had an impact on development or governance decisions FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP

115

75% 75% 75% 75%

This is an annual indicator which needs to be reported during FY 2016 Q4. A number of grants came to an end during this reporting period and their impact assessment is currently underway.

0.2: # Community projects completed with active citizen participation FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 60 12 221 225

The below chart compares the number of community projects completed with active citizen participation during the entire project period with the targets.

As the chart indicates, 20 community projects were completed during this reporting period fiscal year, totaling 173 since the start of the project. With the new sets of grants upcoming during the extended project period, the revised LOP will be achieved.

300

247 Target (Revised), 250 250 Target (Previous), 221 214

200 Cumulative , 173 153 150

109

100 74

50 74 79

3 20 0 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 Q1 LOP

# of Community Projects Cumulative Target (Previous) Target (Revised)

116

While the achievement of fiscal year targets are lower, it should be noted that around 60 or more community projects are currently in progress and will be completed during the coming reporting period. Hence the LOP of the project will be achieved during the upcoming reporting period.

0.3: “Most significant change” (MSC)in target groups/communities resulting from target group efforts FY 2016 Targets FY 2017 Targets LOP until 2015 Revised LOP 10 05 30 45 This is an Annual indicator which needs to be reported during FY 2016 Q4. However, the MSC’s identified from the old set of grants will be developed and updated from upcoming reporting period onward.

117