Movement of Young Social Workers (MOYS) started in 2001 as the result of a joint effort of eleven students who attended the School of Social Work in Sri Lanka. The organisation provided them with a platform to implement their vision for building peace in Sri Lanka. As the initial project of the organisation, MOYS worked with the School of Social Work and National Integration Program Unit (NIPU) to successfully introduce Conflict Resolution and Peacebuilding to the curriculum of the School.
Cultural peacebuilding program with children from Lunugamvehera Hambanthota. Image credit: MOYS
Main activities and achievements
MOYS worked at the national level from the start and carried out extensive work to promote peace education among different sectors. In 2002, MOYS provided support in developing and integrating peace studies into pre-school teachers curricula, together with the Child Protection Authority of Sri Lanka and the School of Social Work. MOYS trained 200 pre-school teachers from Muslim, Tamil and Sinhalese communities each, spanning different districts. The organisation continues to work with children and youth from different ethno-religious backgrounds and has drawn the support of an extensive network established at the ground level in different locations in Sri Lanka.
International Peace Day in Arugambay. Image credit: MOYS
Also, it mainstreams peacebuilding through a variety of themes, such as regional development, sustainable development, disaster response, and women’s security. It also contributes to and partners with organisations in carrying out relevant research projects by providing data collection and analysis support, participatory research analysis and needs assessment programs.
MOYS advocates drawing from local knowledge and supporting local sources in peacebuilding. The organisation integrates peacebuilding and conflict resolution with broader sustainable development work that is rooted within the communities where the affected communities live. IRIN highlights MOYS’s work for its integrated approach here. To celebrate the international peace day each year, the NGO organises a cultural event together with community members from different regions. These showcase the rich cultural diversity and the heritage of the country and the possibilities that are enabled through coexistence.
In order to promote the organisation’s vision and message, MOYS closely works with media, CBOs, and social audit forums in areas where they work. Ceylon professional Social Workers’ Association, Asian Dialog Society and Sri Lanka Eco-tourism Network, USAID, Save the Children and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung are among the local and international organisations that have partnered with MOYS over the years.
Find out more about MOYS here.
Interfaith meeting for Peace & Security ,Pottuvil, photo credit moys
