Grounded in justice, equity and collaboration, these guiding principles shape our relationships and inform our commitment to inclusive and transformative work with communities, partners, and stakeholders across contexts.
Grounded in justice, equity and collaboration, these guiding principles shape our relationships and inform our commitment to inclusive and transformative work with communities, partners, and stakeholders across contexts.
We are mindful of the daily challenges our partners, board, and staff operate under, and aim to reduce stress and build supportive, empathetic, trusting, and horizontal relationships.
We foster a participatory and pluralistic democracy that includes a vibrant and diverse civil society, and promotes and protects basic human rights, respects the rule of law, and upholds integrity, transparency, and accountability—values by which our organisation and our partners are expected to abide.
We advocate for non-violence and justice to resolve conflict through healing and restoration of relationships, fostering understanding, trust and confidence. We actively seek to dismantle oppressive systems and practices that perpetuate injustice and inequality, and promote efforts that transform justice systems and institutions to be legitimate, equitable, accountable, transparent, and rights-respecting.
We recognise that existing systems and cultural practices perpetuate inequalities and barriers that prevent people—particularly those who have been historically discriminated against and marginalised because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, or disability—from accessing resources and opportunities to fulfil their basic needs and enjoy their rights. This includes acknowledging the power that comes with being a donor organisation. We actively check our privilege and strive towards action that facilitates a more equitable sharing of power and resources between our partners and us. We pursue policies and approaches that promote and uphold the rights, dignity, and wellbeing of all, empower traditionally disenfranchised groups, and work to transform individuals, organisations, and communities to become just and inclusive.
We acknowledge that power and strength emerge from the collective efforts of coalitions and partnerships, to which each partner brings their unique strengths and diverse lived experiences. We recognise that Sri Lanka’s coalition-building work is still developing and will endeavour to promote and strengthen networks that incorporate the diverse perspectives and strengths of partners. This includes ensuring that all groups—in particular, those historically discriminated against and marginalised—are able to meaningfully participate in the coalitions towards achieving more effective and inclusive outcomes.
We embrace and value the richness of diversity and of celebrating our common humanity because we recognise that our collective strength is rooted in these differences and similarities.
We value learning, action, experimentation, and knowledge sharing as part of our political practice to strengthen our strategic programming approaches and daily practices with our staff, board and partners.
