Thirty years of civil war has left the North & the East of the country with very many social & economic problems which are making their adverse impact on the lives of the local population especially the youth. There are alarming reports on the incidence of Abuse of Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. Several youths have fallen victims to these evils and it has become an urgent need to work out a continuous programme to create much needed awareness among the youth, our future generation. #Rotary Serving Humanity - Making A Difference

1. REPORT ON PREVENTION OF DRUG ABUSE & HIV/AIDS
PROGRAMME - NORTHERN PROVINCE SRI LANKA
2016 – 2017
An International Project of
Supported by

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Thirty years of civil war has left the North &
the East of the country with very many
social & economic problems which are
making their adverse impact on the lives of
the local population especially the youth.
There are alarming reports on the incidence
of Abuse of Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs and
sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. Several youths have fallen victims
to these evils and it has become an urgent need to work out a continuous
programme to create much needed awareness among the youth, our future
generation.
Hon. C.V. Vigneswaran, Chief Minister of the Northern Province and former Chief
Justice of Sri Lanka has made a statement as “Until 2009, when the thirty-year
civil war ended and the LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, LTTE]
were defeated, we had no problem with heroin abuse. It only started
after"
Dr. Nilanga Samarasinghe, Chairman National Dangerous Drugs Control
Board (NDCB) also agrees that “the province was not affected by drugs,
because the rebels did not allow drug traffickers to enter."
Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) Project 6/2016-17 received a
request from to support a program on Prevention of Drug Abuse & HIV/AIDS in the
Northern Province of Sri Lanka from the Lion S Ramachandran from the Lions Club
of Dehiwela North, Sri Lanka.
Lions Club of Dehiwela and Rotary Club of Colombo Mid-City formulated a two
pronged programme to combat the dismantling the social and moral values that
would divert the attention of the youth away from the cause and their rights they
have been demanding for.

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A detailed proposal was submitted to the Rotary Club of The Hills-Kellyville to
conduct Awareness programmes for School Children in the age group of 15 to 19
years at selected central locations namely Jaffna, Kilinochi and Vavuniya and to
conduct a Trained the Trainer programme for about 30 selected officials from Public
Health Inspectors Service and Teachers from various part of the province until such
time they are ready to take over.
The project was estimated to cost approximately AUD $18,000 over a 12-month
period, engaging respective Rotary clubs in the local areas.
Dr V Mano Mohan from The Australian Medical AID Foundation (AMAF), reviewed
the project proposal and provided full cooperation of AMAF.
The Rotary Club of The Hills-Kellyville applied for a district grant from Rotary
International District 9685 and was approved for a grant totaling AUD $6,000. The
remaining amount was to be contributed by the Australian Medical AID Foundation
(AMAF) thru RAWCS Project 6/2016-17.
The project has now come to a successful completion, and we would like to share
brief note on the programs progress.
“Train Master Trainers” - Two full day
programme was held on 19th & 20th of
November 2016 at the Hatton National
Bank auditorium and this was followed with
an Evaluation session on 11th February
2017 at the same venue. There were 31
participants nominated by four state
institutions namely five participants from
Police Department, five from the Excise
Department, ten teachers from Education

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Department and ten Public Health Inspectors from Health Department. In addition,
one member from St. John ambulance was also represented.
Master Trainers are expected to organize and conduct similar projects in their
respective areas and a committee comprising of one representative from each
institution has been appointed to update us with the feedback of the projects carried
out by the Master Trainers.
Three programmes planned for A/L
students from Jaffna, Kilinochi & Vavuniya.
The first two were successfully completed
on 21st January 2017 & 11th March 2017
respectively. 160 students participated in
the Jaffna programme & 194 students
participated in the Kilinochi programme.
The third one is scheduled for the 06th of
May 2017 in Vavuniya has now been Re-
Scheduled for 3rd June 2017 due to an
International Convention of Buddhism which is taking place in Sri Lanka. Due to
security concerns of having large amount of Tamil children gathering at one venue,
it was decided to postpone the event to the month of June.
A/L students who participated in the first two projects showed keen interest and
actively participated. Oratory contest and Art competition were also included in the
school programme with cash prizes to the first five place winners in each contest.
Sr. DIG Mr. Sarath Kumara, DIG (Jaffna Range) Mr. Sanjeewa Dharmaratna,
Secretary of Provincial Ministry of Education, Cultural Affairs, Sports & Youth Affairs
Mr. R Ravindran, Regional Director of Health Dr. K Nanthakumaran, Asst.
Commissioner of Excise Mr. N Sothinathan and District Commissioner of St. John
Ambulance Mr. Selvaranjan extended their fullest co-operation to work out these
projects successfully.

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Director of Presidential Task Force on Drug
Prevention Dr. Samantha Kumara
Kithalawaarachchi, Director General of
National Dangerous Drugs Control Board
(NDDCB) Mr. K Gamage and President of
Sri Lanka Federation of Non-Governmental
Organizations Against Drug Abuse (SL
FONGOADA) Dr. Sarath Samarage offered
their fullest support to the success of all
the projects carried out so far.
The resource personal consisted of Dr. S Murugananthan, Dr. Tharani Gurupparan
(Jaffna Teaching Hospital), Mr. Ravi Kandiah (Director-FISD), Mr. Roger (NDDCB),
Mr. Kodeeswaran (ADIC) and Lion S. Ramachandran.
Lion S. Ramachandran (District Chairperson – Prevention of Drug Abuse &
HIV/AIDS) and Rtn. PP. PHF K. Arabhinthan were the Co-Chairpersons of this
programme.
The project cost Budget V Actual
The Program Funding model
SLR Rs USD $ AUD $ SLR Rs USD $ AUD $
Steering Committee Meeting Rs 95,000.00 $664.34 $863.64 Rs 95,275.00 $666.26 $866.14
Est Cost of Programme - Jaffna Rs 377,000.00 $2,636.36 $3,427.27 Rs 349,150.08 $2,441.61 $3,174.09
Est Cost of Programme - Killinochi Rs 377,000.00 $2,636.36 $3,427.27 Rs 223,755.00 $1,564.72 $2,034.14
Est Cost of Programme - Vavuniya Rs 377,000.00 $2,636.36 $3,427.27 Rs 350,000.00 $2,447.55 $3,181.82
Train the Trainer Rs 293,000.00 $2,048.95 $2,663.64 Rs 263,232.08 $1,840.78 $2,393.02
Train the Trainer Evaluation Rs 168,500.00 $1,178.32 $1,531.82 Rs 191,833.52 $1,341.49 $1,743.94
Train the Trainer Evaluation - If Required Rs 168,500.00 $1,178.32 $1,531.82 Rs 0.00 $0.00 $0.00
Total Rs 1,856,000.00 $12,979.02 $16,872.73 Rs 1,473,245.68 $10,302.42 $13,393.14
Budget Actual
Source Details Amount
Foundation Grant RI District 9685 $6,000.00
Non-Rotarian Contribution Australian Medical AID Foundation $7,395.00
$13,395.00Total Investment

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Please note that the Train Master Trainers evaluation will be conducted after
receiving feedback from the participants of the program and will be conducted in the
coming Rotary Year.
Public Health Inspectors from the Eastern Province have made a humble request to
carry out a similar program in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. A detail project
proposal will be submitted by the Co-Chairpersons of this program for consideration
from The Rotary Club of The Hills-Kellyville and AMAF.
Why did we consider this project?
Former War Zone Drinking its Troubles Away | Inter Press Service
DHARMAPURAM, Aug 3 2014 (IPS) - Back in the day when the separatist Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ran a de-facto state in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, alcohol
consumption was closely monitored, and sternly frowned upon.
But after government forces destroyed the militant group in 2009, ushering a new era into a
region that had lived through three decades of civil conflict, strict rules governing the
brewing and sale of spirits have lost their muscle.
Plagued by poverty, trauma and a lack of employment opportunities, civilians in the former
war zone are increasingly turning to the bottle to drink their troubles away.
Read more here: http://www.ipsnews.net/2014/08/former-war-zone-drinking-its-troubles-
away/
Post War Trauma Leads To Increase In Drug Use | The Sunday Leader
Post war trauma has led to an increase in the use of drugs and alcohol consumption in the
North, officials said.
Northern Province Health Minister Dr. P. Sathiyalingam said that statistics have shown that
there is a drastic increase in the use of drugs and alcohol in the North.
He said that depression suffered by family members of war victims has led to them turning
to drugs and alcohol.
“Some people have lost their families in the war, some are missing, some are divided. Alot
of people are facing family problems as well in the North after the war with no proper
income and this had led some of them to use drugs or consume alcohol to get over the
issues they face,” he said.
Read more here: http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2016/04/10/post-war-trauma-leads-to-
increase-in-drug-use/

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Sri Lank's northern province poorer, undeveloped after 26-year civil ...
Seven years after the end of a devastating civil war, Sri Lanka's northern province lags
behind the rest of the country on economic development, and the catch-up process is
proving long and tough.
The United Nations estimates about 40,000 people were killed in the 26-year civil war
between the government and a separatist group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE). International observers accuse both factions of human rights abuses during the
conflict, which was born from years of state discrimination against the ethnic Tamil minority.
Read More: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/04/27/sri-lanks-northern-province-poorer-
undeveloped-after-26-year-civil-war-with-tamil-tigers.html
Conflict, forced displacement and health in Sri Lanka: a review of the .
In the Northern province, higher than national average maternal and neonatal mortality
rates were reported, with high levels of low birth weight babies being born and increased
number of stillbirths [17, 18, 19]. A study conducted during the conflict (2004-2005) on
reproductive health of women in six conflict areas of Sri Lanka showed higher levels of
marriage at an early age, pregnancy at an early age, increased home births, low
contraception and increased maternal mortality rates [20]. This study also highlighted that
women in conflict areas faced a higher risk of sexual and physical abuse, and faced various
barriers in receiving adequate health care and services [20]. Furthermore, antenatal care
utilization was shown to be significantly poor for women whose families were affected by
conflict in Northern Sri Lanka or living in an active conflict zone in a study conducted in 2009
[21].
Read More:
https://conflictandhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1752-1505-8-22
101206_Australia Supports Mental Health Project in Northern Province
People living in northern Sri Lanka have experienced prolonged conflict, displacement and
poverty. As families begin resettling in their villages and re-establishing their livelihoods,
mental health and well-being has been identified as an urgent and important need.
Responding to this need, the Australian funded project, implemented by World Vision, will
work through the Ministry of Health and in close partnership with Health Services (Northern
Provincial Council), the Medical Office of Mental Health and the College of Psychiatrists.
Read More: http://srilanka.embassy.gov.au/clmb/101206mrausaid.html

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PROJECT 6 OF 2016-17
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
SRI LANK & INDIA
Our Mission:
To enhance living conditions of the people in the target communities in India and Sri
Lanka through disease prevention and treatment, improved water and sanitation,
maternal and child health, basic education and literacy and economic and
community development
Online donations can be made at - https://goo.gl/x2JL4Z
(Rotary Australia Overseas Aid Fund (Managed by RAWCS) has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR)
registration and has been listed as a Charitable Fund so we can accept tax deductible donations from
individuals or organisations.)
Like Us on https://www.facebook.com/RAWCSCommunityDevelopment/
For more information
Rtn. Haran Ramachandran
Project Manager
RAWCS Projects 6/2016-17 & 35/2015-16
Email: haran01@bigpond.com
Mobile: +61 419 980 529
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