We Work Together
Who are we?
The Netherlands for Sri Lanka foundation was founded by three Dutch Nationals of Sri Lankan origin. They are Mr. Nandana Samarasinghe, Mr. Amal Fernando and Mrs. Kanchana Rajapakshe. All three founders were born in Sri Lanka, and grew up in the island nation before migrating to the Netherlands two decades ago. Thus, while being firmly established in the Netherlands, each of our founders have a special kinship with the people of Sri Lanka and are highly motivated to help the most vulnerable people living in their motherland.
Our three founders, together with Dr. Prasanna Gunavardana and Mrs. Lanka Hewa Kandamby, are the official office bearers in the Netherlands for Sri Lanka foundation.
Together they hold the following positions in the Foundation:
- Mr. Nandana Samarasinghe – Chairman/ Voorzitter
- Mr. Amal Fernando – Secretary/ Secrataris
- Mrs. Kanchana Rajapakshe – Treasurer / Penningmeester
- Dr. Prasanna Gunavardana – Director/ Bestuurder
- Mrs. Lanka Hewa Kandamby – Director/ Bestuurder
What do we do?
The Netherlands for Sri Lanka foundation is a charitable organization (KVK88403424) registered as a Stichting in the municipality of Ooststellingwerf in the province of Friesland in the Netherlands .
The foundation was established in December 2022 by a group of Dutch citizens of Sri Lankan origin and Sri Lankan Nationals residing in the Netherlands for the primary goal of raising funds for various charitable causes in Sri Lankan with the aim of uplifting the lives of many of the vulnerable groups in Sri Lanka, including children, rural women, the elderly, the sick and disabled.
A secondary goal of the foundation is to strengthen the cultural ties between the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, through hosting of cultural events in the Netherlands, community building events among Sri Lankan expats and residents of Sri Lankan origin in the Netherlands, as well as by fostering connections between first & second (and beyond) generation Sri Lankan immigrants and Sri Lanka through charity projects .
Why are we doing this?
The inspiration for the establishment of such an organization arose as a result of the acute economic crisis that Sri Lanka has been experiencing since the start of 2022. This crisis, which resulted in the island nation declaring bankruptcy, has led to widespread economic hardship and humanitarian crisis. This includes a shortage and scarcity of medical supplies, and basic necessities becoming prohibitively expensive for low income families as a result of rapid inflation and sudden unemployment.
During the initial stages of the crisis, the Sri Lankan government and citizens made appeals to the international community including Sri Lankan expats and diaspora for assistance in the monetary and medical donations. Many Sri Lankan expat groups around the world answered the call by collecting funds and donations. However, there was no such group to coordinate the collection and transfer of donations in the Netherlands. Seeing this gap, and realizing that this crisis will require more than a one-off response, we formed this charity organization to ensure that we can provide long-term aid and assistance to vulnerable Sri Lankans in a manner that is transparent and accountable.
Our Committee Members
- Arvinda Rajapakshe
- Amal Fernando
- Vijanthimala Mathuranagedara
- Manjula Rajapakse
- Lasantha Nawarathna
- Praveen Peiris
- Riyas Mohammed
- Lal Sampayalage
- Ruckmal de Silva
- Shakya Wickramanayake
Our Organizers From Sri Lanka
- Kelum Priyantha
- Nirosha Guruge
- Wasantha Abeykoon
- Marx Prabha
- Dharmarathna Hennayaka
- Indumathi Vidyarathne
- Udenigama Seelarathana
- Priyanka Thennakoon
