Sewalanka Foundation Chairman's Message 2003

A few months back, I went to visit a farmer that I lived with when I was nineteen years old. He was a paddy farmer, and I remembered him as a strong, proud man with broad shoulders and a straight back. Thirty years later, he's stooped and half blind, but when I asked him how he has been, his reply went far beyond his individual health or well-being.

He pointed with a wavering hand to two hills in the distance, and began speaking. "Between those hills we had three tanks and a beautiful thick jungle. When Maha rains came, all of us in the village started cultivating together and the crops were good. When Yala season finished, our tanks still had water, not only for the people in the village, but for all the trees, and birds, and animals. Everything lived together."

"Today, half our jungle is gone. The animals have left. Immediately after Maha, the tanks are dry, and there is no water for Yala cultivation. Our children thought that the trees, the land, the animals belonged to people. They didn't understand that we are all connected together. They didn't think about tomorrow, and now this is what has happened. Our grandchildren are suffering."

His story continued on, but these words stayed with me and shook me. It is not only his children that have looked at the world this way. In the rush to 'develop' our country many of us, policy makers and practitioners alike, have forgotten our responsibility to future generations. Shortsighted projects and policies can exacerbate poverty, destroy natural capital, fuel social tensions, and threaten future well-being. Too often, long-term environmental and social concerns are forgotten in the drive for quick profits and quantifiable outputs.

2002-2003 has brought many exciting changes to Sri Lanka. The ongoing peace process has set the stage for a wave of new development policies, programs, and projects. It is particularly important now, when things are changing so quickly, that we take the time to ensure that the development path we are choosing is equitable and sustainable. As a national development NGO, Sewalanka Foundation has an important role to play in this process.

When Sewalanka Foundation was founded ten years ago, it faced an enormous challenge. Conflict was raging in the North and East and the immediate needs of the internally displaced required an urgent response. As the country's socio-political situation is changing, so is our role. Over the past year, we have been working to reconceptualize, restrategize, and restructure Sewalanka in order to face the challenges of the coming decade and ensure that social well-being and environmental sustainability are not sacrificed in the name of development.

When I was nineteen years old, that village farmer taught me how to grow rice. Thirty years later he gave me an equally valuable lesson, one that we can't afford to ignore. Focusing only on immediate needs can have dangerous long-term consequences. This is a small island. Sustainable development will only be possible if we "think about tomorrow" and "understand that we are all connected." As I left the village that day, I assured him that his words would not be forgotten.

Harsha Kumara Navaratne
Chairman
Sewalanka Foundation