Alliance News October - December 2013

OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2013

THE NEWSLETTER OF THE NATIONAL CHRISTIAN EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE OF SRI LANKA

The Race Against HIV and AIDS A ripple of excitement ran through the streets of Dehiwala on 7th December 2013, as a truck with a PA system and banners proclaiming HIV and AIDS awareness drove ahead announcing the marathon to mark World AIDS Day and urging motorists to make way for the runners. It led the route through Kawdana Road, Bakery junction and Bellantota junction. A police escort rode beside the truck and the runners. Spectators gathered on the roadsides piqued with curiosity. Relatives, friends and parents rode and drove alongside the runners on motorbikes and three wheel taxis encouraging the runners and dousing them with buckets of water. One dedicated mother even ran alongside her 10 year old to cheer him on.

An 8 kilometre run was organised by Alliance Development Trust (ADT) and the Sri Lanka Police of Dehiwala to mark World AIDS day which was held on 1st December 2013.

Participants as young as 10 years old mingled with the more mature and trained runners of 20 years of age to show their support towards spreading awareness for a debilitating virus that has plagued the human race since the 1980s. A total of 33 runners participated in this worthy cause.Youth from all walks of life were represented by students, personnel from the armed forces, personnel from the police force, boys from Winner and first runner up run neck to neck

Participants before and after the race

an orphanage in Dehiwala and residents of Dehiwala. They all came because they wanted to run but they were also glad to hear the messages on the dangers of HIV and AIDS. “Would you tell your 10 year old child about HIV and AIDS?” asked Princey Mangalika, President of the Positive Women’s Network of Sri Lanka (PWN) as she addressed the crowd that had gathered and the contestants. “You need to inform children at a young age on the dangers of experimenting with casual sexual encounters because they need to be forewarned and forearmed in order to mingle in today’s society with caution.” said Princey, a fierce activist for the fight against HIV and AIDS and herself an innocent victim of a transgressing spouse who gave her HIV and AIDS. She also spoke on safe guarding oneself, one’s family and the community from the spreading virus. She urged everyone, especially the youth to be aware of their sexuality and not to abuse it as it could be a double edged sword.

She also asked parents to give their families time to discuss personal issues as dysfunctional families provided room for young children to go astray and fall prey to sexual predators.

She urged everyone to live vigilantly and not live in ignorance of the pitfalls of careless living whilst also stressing to be more tolerant and sympathetic to Persons Living with the HIV and AIDS (PLWHA).

The Chief Inspector of the Dehiwala Police and the Mayor of Dehiwala and Mount Lavinia who also participated thanked ADT for organising this event. The first, second and third winners of the marathon were awarded a 18” LCD Television, a DVD Player with a home theatre system and a two stroke gear mountain bike respectively. All the participants received a certificate of participation as well.

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In 2013 there was a notable increase in violent church attacks and persecution towards Evangelical churches all over the island and particularly in the South. The attacks, threats and intimidation that came from extremist groups, local mobs and the police discouraged pastors and Christians in the areas from meeting to worship, pray or conduct Bible studies. This has greatly hindered many Christian churches from carrying out their ministries.

The Religious Liberty Department of NCEASL held a Shalom Camp for three days at Sanctuary House in October 2013 for pastors and their congregations who are unable to meet and worship together.

The Shalom Camp provided 157 participants representing five churches with an opportunity to freely engage in worship and prayer, unhindered by threats, violence or persecution. The participants were also encouraged with relevant teachings and a much needed time of fellowship, rest and relaxation. The sessions explained the Biblical basis for persecution and how Christians should respond to persecution, family counselling and the importance of family life and on building up ones faith to face storms, trials and tribulations. Creative games were introduced to stengthen the relationships between spouses.

After each session a time was dedicated for group discussions and for sharing testimonies. Special sessions held by the Evangelical Fellowships for children (4 – 12 years) and the youth (13 – 15 years) kept them occupied with handwork and games. On the final day a talent show enabled the young and the old to display their talents through song, dance and drama.

“This camp was a healing process for me. It helped me to understand that there were so many others who were going through the same or even worse situations than me; this gave me a sense of comfort to know that I was not alone in this struggle.The Shalom Camp gave me new strength to move forward and serve God. I thank NCEASL for this great opportunity”.

“We learned how to be united as one during troubled times and were encouraged because of the love and care we received.We were also able to worship God freely without fear”.

These expressions from grateful participants summed up what Shalom Camp was meant to be and what it had achieved over the three days.

Pictures show participants freely enjoying fellowhip and worship

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Students of Ulavanoor now motivated to study Ulavanoor is a little hamlet of approximately 312 Internally Displaced Persons, IDP families located in the Kilinochchi district. The villagers had lost all their possessions as well as livelihoods to the armed conflict that raged in the North for 30 years. Although the Thambirasa school had been razed to the ground during the war, the little children continued to attend classes which was held in a small temporary structure with a thatched roof. The teachers were challenged to teach the children through these hardships as they did not have a blackboards, tables or chairs. The children too found it difficult to write, draw or colour as they depended on the soil ground to serve them as tables and chairs. The students were also greatly inconvenienced as their well and toilet was in a deplorable state as shrubs and trees had taken over their play area. Though the need for a new building for this preschool was a pressing issue, it seemed an unaffordable luxury to them as even the collective efforts of all the families of Ulavanoor could not pay for the construction. They fought a daily battle to provide for the basic needs of their families.

Alliance Development Trust (ADT) came to the aid of these children by gifting them with a brand new classroom, a renovated toilet, a newly constructed well and learning material that would help them in their education.

“These children were born in camps for the internally displaced and have faced great hardships.

We are very grateful to ADT for this act of love and concern towards them” said their teacher.

“The children too are greatly encouraged in their studies as it shows in their regular attendance to school” she added.

Pictures show the state of the preschool before and after ADT renovated it

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Christmas Disrupted With the noticeable reinforcement of extremist groups such as the Bodu Bala Sena, the Sinhala Ravaya, and Ravana Balaya, there has been an increase in anti-Muslim and anti-Christian hate campaigns and attacks on places of worship. While people in Colombo were attending numerous carol services and enjoying their Christmas traditions on Christmas eve, three churches in the South of Sri Lanka were attacked. A mob of over 300 villagers together with Buddhist monks, surrounded the pastor of the Assemblies of God church in Angunukolapalassa, demanding that he stops all worship service planned for Christmas day. The mob alleged that there was a police complaint made by a Buddhist monk against the pastor’s religious activities. However, the pastor cited his fundamental rights and refused to stop holding services. The same night, the Assemblies of God church in Hikkaduwa was attacked by a group of unidentified assailants throwing firecrackers into the church premises and into the pastor’s residence adjoining the church. At approximately11.30 p.m., another group of unidentified assailants began to hurl stones at the Light House Church, Hikkaduwa. Some minor damages were reported with glass windows being shattered by the stones.

Other Incidents of Church attacks in December • 1st December - Mob attack church premises and demand church closure. Methodist Church, Habarana, Anuradhapura • 2nd December - CID demand registration with the Ministry of Buddha Sasana & Religious Affairs or church closure. Believers Church, Habarana, Anuradhapura • 10th December - Home of a pastor shot at by unidentified assailants. Western Province (Location and identity withheld for security reasons) • 12th December - Jeevana Diya Church attacked again. Meegoda, Colombo • 21st December - Petrol bombs hurled at premises occupied by pastor and family. Samaritan Church, Ahangama, Galle • 27th December - Protestors demand construction of church stopped. Methodist Church, Buttala, Monaragala

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Church Attacks in October and November • 6th October and 4th November - Pastor’s premises attacked and damaged. Gospel Power Mission Church, Kandalama, Matale • 11th October - Villagers complain to Municipal Council against the pastor of the church. Church of Glory, Kegalle • 12th October - Buddhist monks and villagers degrade a Christian member at a meeting. Four Square Church, Sevanagala, Monaragala • 13th October - Church services disrupted. Golathwaye Church, Galmuruwa • 19th November - Divisional Secretary requests religious worship activities discontinued. Church of Grace, Warakapola, Kegalle • 24th November - Stones pelted at the church premises.

God’s Word Missionary, Jaffna

Whilst the NCEASL supports and shows solidarity with the affected Christian community by providing pastors with legal and monetary aid whenever necessary, the NCEASL also works with other religious minority groups facing similar persecution, to find ways of curbing the ever growing trend of violence.

For more information visit nceasl.org

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She weaves a new pattern of Hope

Above: Women at work, Below: Chief Guest admires the handicrafts

Jathikala stood in line with her other friends to garland the Government Agent of Batticaloa who was visiting the rurally located Iluppadichchenai communities to declare open the community’s new training centre on 10th October, 2013. She was very excited and waited in anticipation to show the Government Agent and other guests the baskets she had weaved out of dried palmyrah leaves.

and sizes. This skills training programme was introduced along with several other livelihood initiatives through ADT’s community development programme in a bid to bring economic sufficiency to the communities of Iluppadichchenai.

For Jathikala, this was not just a special day to display her newly acquired skill but a day which marks her ability to sustain the needs of herself and her family;a great achievement for girls in her community.As the PDB will purchase all items produced by these 20 beneficiaries, this training programme will bring in a steady source of income to their homes. “We were badly affected by the war” said Jathikala who went on to explain that several women benefitting by this initiative had lost their husbands to the armed conflict. “Thanks to ADT we can now earn a living while attending to our duties at home.”

Alliance Development Trust (ADT) selected 20 women including Jathikala for a special skills development initiative in making baskets, table mats and other handicrafts with palmyrah leaves. The selected beneficiaries received training under the guidance of a special instructress from the Palmyrah Development Board (PDB) throughout a period of 6 months which will culminate on 28th February, 2014.

Together they had weaved baskets of various patterns, shapes

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Like Rain on a parched Earth

Global Leadership Summit 2013 City Hotel drew in more than 450 participants. Most of these participants were pastors, church leaders and individuals representing Christian organisations and non governmental organisations who had also participated in the previous year’s GLS in Jaffna. All sessions were conducted in Tamil for the benefit of the participants with even the recorded messages from internationaly renowned speakers dubbed in Tamil. This summit too was organised by the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL) which believes that the Church should be a major part of rebuilding lives of persons affected by the war.

Since the beginning of the armed conflict, several pastors and Christian leaders serving in the northern part of the island have answered the call to minister to a wounded people seeking comfort and healing for their physical and psychological injuries. Following the conclusion of the war, these servants of God still continue in ministering to their flocks amidst financial difficulties and other discouragements. In a bid to encourage and motivate these Christian workers, the Global Leadership Summit (GLS) was held in Jaffna for the second consecutive year. This conference which was held on 28th and 29th November, 2013 at the Tilko Jaffna General Secretary: Godfrey Yogarajah Design and Layout: Chandrika Abeyeskera

Telephone: 00945511358

Email: communications@nceasl.org Web: nceasl.org adtlanka.org facebook.com/ADT.Sri.Lanka facebook.com/NCEASL twitter.com/nceasl

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Writers Jovita Arulanantham Deepthi Senanayake Melanie Pereira Chandrika Abeysekera Address P.O. Box 113, Dehiwala, Sri Lanka

Taking to the streets against HIV and AIDS

On World AIDS Day, a huge procession numbering over 500 students, teachers, parents and members of various social service organisations gathered at the Batticaloa Regional Health Services, and proceeded through the new Kamlunai Road, Navatkudah, Kaththankudy, Aariyampathy through the old Kalmunai road and back to the Batticaloa Regional Health Services office, carrying banners to raise awareness on HIV and AIDS. According to the most recent estimates from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, 34 million people around the world had HIV in 2010. About 50 percent were women, and one-tenth were children younger than the age of 15.According to UNAIDS, populations most-at-risk (MARP) of becoming infected with HIV include injection drug users, sex workers and their clients, men who have sex with men, and prisoners. MARPs are considered at risk of contracting HIV due to their behaviours and practices that heighten their vulnerability to the virus.

Girl Guides , Students from Batticaloa Education Zone and students from Navatkuda Navalar Pre-school and the College of Education, Batticaloa and members of the Social Awareness Organisation, the Batticaloa Leo Club, and Regional Health Services as well as staff of Batticaloa’s Alliance Development Trust participated at this event.

The event took place under the leadership of the Director of the Regional Health Services of Batticaloa, Dr. S. Sathurmuham.

Participants distributed leaflets and posters during this event with the intention of creating awareness, reducing the stigma and educating the community through a public outpouring of solidarity.

Pictures show participants of the HIV and AIDS walk on the streets of Batticaloa

Workshop on HIV and AIDS awareness for Samurdhi beneficiaries of Puliyantheevu The Alliance Development Trust also organised a workshop on HIV and AIDS for 40 Samurdhi beneficiaries of Puliyantheevu on 12th December, 2013. The residents of Puliyantheevu are urban dwellers who live below the poverty level and earn an income from daily labour. The female members seek employment as housemaids overseas and as migrant workers they are at a great risk of contracting HIV and AIDS. The Public Health Inspector of the Regional Health Services Department of Batticaloa conducted the workshop that was held with the objective of creating awareness about the HIV virus on a societal level. Many residents from Puliyantheevu participated in this event.

While awareness was raised on HIV and AIDS , the effects of the disease was also highlighted. A short film in relation to this was also screened.

Workshop in attendence

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