Emergency relief for vulnerable communities
- Through the relief & development arm (ADT), provided dry ration packs to 1,800 families.
- Through Mission Commission and Youth Wing, supported over 200 pastors and Christian families in immediate needs with assistance and dry rations.
- ADT is currently is carrying out its work in 3 phases: a) Emergency b) Recovery c) Sustainable Development.
Engaging the Church and community
- Provided churches with a COVID-19 Response Guidelines Toolkit.
- Provided guidance to Regional Pastors’ Fellowship on response to the pandemic through webinars.
- Provided scholarships to pastors’ children.
- Created a booklet on laws governing the COVID-19 situation that is shared on social media platforms to raise public awareness.
Engaging youth during COVID-19 and promoting digital citizenship
- Launched a Digital Citizenship Toolkit for youth in lockdown to promote responsible online behaviour. [https://www.minormatters.org/storage/app/uploads/public/5e9/837/496/5e9837496f1cb686056029.pdf]
- Social media campaigns promoting awareness and correct understanding of COVID-19.
- The NCEASL is currently documenting online hate against vulnerable communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Collaborated with professional counselling groups providing support on mental health to vulnerable communities across the country.
- Conducted webinars and digital discussion forums are being conducted with youth leaders in the districts.
- Youth wing reached over 25,000 people via its social media platforms providing encouragements and carrying out campaign on mental health.
Engaging interfaith leaders
- The NCEASL mobilised interfaith leaders on a health campaign, to dispel fake news, myths and educate their respective faith communities on how to respond to COVID-19.
- A booklet is to be launched on the role of faith leaders in combating COVID-19.
Prayer mobilization
- Mobilised prayer for the nation and worldwide situation of the pandemic through national church networks and prayer groups.
From now until end of June:
- Continue relief work for vulnerable communities affected and assist those impacted through recovery stage interventions and engaging in sustainable development initiatives to affected communities.
- Providing 5,000 Christian families with seeds and seedlings to equip the Christian families, churches in the recovery stage.
- Webinars and digital forums for youth on digital citizenship.
- Surveying the impact of COVID-19 on youth in Sri Lanka.
- Launch a policy document detailing the outdated quarantine laws in use during this pandemic period in our country and provide recommendations to policy makers for a positive change.
PRAY FOR:
- The church in Sri Lanka to be resilient and know how to respond to this pandemic as we look for a period of recovery.
- Leaders in the government that they will be granted wisdom to take the right decisions leading the country move past the economic hurdles coming our way.
- The democratic situation in the country. Most of the decisions being taken by the current administration do not have a legal basis. We pray that we will be able to navigate this period of uncertainty as we look towards the elections that are planned next month.