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Viluthu means, in Tamil, the hanging roots of a Banyan tree. Just as the hanging roots of the tree support and nourish the branches to spread wide, this organization supports and strengthens people’s network in the conflict affected North and East
Viluthu envisions a world of tolerance and social justice; A society enabled to practice participatory democracy where resources and opportunities are shared amongst all regions and communities in a just manner.
Promoting a culture of democracy by facilitating changes in legislations, policies and institutional culture through building capacities and instilling values that underpin a democratic and inclusive society.
The lack of governance is at the core of the crisis facing Sri Lanka today. Very few proponents of international development would disagree that the need for building capacity for better governance is paramount in the current day context. With a view to building capacity towards better governance Viluthu was established in March 2003.
Sri Lanka is a country endowed with ample natural resources. Till recent times, it used to boast of a high human development index compared to other countries in Asia. Yet, now it is extending its begging bowl for relief, rehabilitation and development interventions.
The causes for this are many faceted. A highly centralized state which has spawned a civil war, a relatively taciturn local government, widespread corruption at the highest political levels, stark human rights abuses and a dormant civil society count as some of the major reasons. No amount of development aid can put this country back on the road to recovery unless
good governance is restored.
In a country where war has been raging for over two and a half decades leading to high levels of militarization, civil society has not been able to speak out. In this context Viluthu finds it imperative to work with the civil society through the youth, through vulnerable women, through local government, the private sector and the media: Promoting good governance by building capacities, especially in the Tamil speaking areas of the North and East
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Publishing a journal specifically for primary and secondary school Teachers
Understanding the crucial role played by teachers in the mode of delivery of education, and in fact even in the very implementation of any education reform, Viluthu began to work towards strengthening their capacities, especially through the publication of a monthly Journal.
This journal “Ahavili” is the first teachers’ journal to be published in Sri Lanka, and even in TamilNadu. It can be asserted that it has facilitated the elevation of the vocation of teaching to that of a profession by its very existence. It has encouraged many teachers to write and publish their research papers.
The Irukkiram magazine was begun with the aim of propagating the values related to good governance, gender equality, and co-existence amongst the masses over a long term. That is why it was designed as a commercial magazine that could sustain its continuation. The style adopted by Irukkiram in subtly intertwining its messages within the usual commercial contents is unique, and has not been experimented with even in Tamil Nadu with its countless number of literature churned out
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Viluthu published “Thadaihalai Thaandi” which discussed in detail the concepts of participatory training, the various techniques of training, preparation of training curriculum integrated within programming, and sample training curriculums. The other training manual “ Sarinihar samaanamaaha” instructs on working in peace building projects. It discusses the need for good governance for peace, provides samples of localized projects and the corresponding training curriculums for peace activists working in these particular projects. This is again a unique contribution benefitting trainers in civil society organizations.
Study circles were introduced to a largely training fatigued civil society constituency back in 2005, as a crucial factor in strengthening civil society. Study circle methodology was developed by Viluthu over a period of time 2005 – 2009 based on the need for an informed and mobilized civil society. This has been adopted by numerous smaller groups today. Viluthu has further honed this method by the production and distribution of easy to read materials informing people on the important events of their country.
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