PROJECTS | Sri Lanka

Makandura Village Projects (MVP)
MVP is a local grassroots NGO which was established in 1985 to provide support and rehabilitation to children displaced by the civil war. 

The civil war between the Tamil Tigers and Sri Lankan government, which spanned three decades, led to more than 80,000 deaths and the displacement of over one million people.  The conflict has had a profound impact on the lives and development of children.  As well as being displaced, many children have been orphaned or abandoned and/or suffered abuse and neglect.

In response, MVP set up Dikkelle Children's Centre, a transitional centre which offers an opportunity for children to reclaim their childhood, rebuild their self-esteem, recover from trauma and abuse and restart formal education.

Shilpa Children’s Trust
Shilpa Children's Trust was established in 1987 by a group of Sri Lankan social workers and teachers to provide refuge to children displaced by the civil war.  It now runs a number of important projects which provide support to hundreds of young men and women, as well as displaced, abandoned and orphaned children. 

Shilpa Child Protection Centre in Colombo provides transitional shelter and protection for up to 50 girls displaced by war, natural disaster and family breakdown. 

Shilpa Development Centre, also based in Colombo, provides vocational training to unemployed and unskilled men and women, particularly single mothers living in slum communities. 

Shilpa Tsunami Response Project provides vocational training and micro-finance to communities in Hambantota and Kalutara, two of the coastal districts worst affected by the 2004 Tsunami.