The Centre for Peace-Building & Reconciliation - CPBR (home for diversity) is a non-profit organization promoting peace-building, peacemaking, and non-violent conflict resolution & transformation between ethnic, religious and regional groups, women, children, academics and students in Sri Lanka through community & national level work. Two professionals dedicated to promoting peace and understanding among people formed CPBR. Through their love and empathy, they have created a home that appreciates and encourages diversity and that offers support for those who seek justice, equality and compassion.
Our VisionWe want the creation of a united Sri Lanka, guided by requires compassion, justice and equal respect for diversity. We are striving for a democratic state based on power-sharing, decentralization, and heterogeneity in which all people can live in peace and harmony and where the distinct ethnic and religious identities are appreciated and celebrated equally.
Our StrategyWe see the achievement of our goal through the creation of a body able to promote and lobby for political change for peace within a discourse of nations building - the building of a Sri Lankan state whereby its Tamil, Singhalese and Sri Lankan Moors nations can coexist, cherishing and respecting their diversity through power-sharing. We are aiming for the establishment of a National Peace Foundation which will assume the moral leadership for the mobilization of a movement for peace.
Our work aims:- To increase the understanding of the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict, the concepts of social justice and building inter-religious/ethnic harmony.
- To enable individuals and communities to become proactive decision makers and participate in the political process.
- To develop peace building, conflict transformation, human rights and facilitation skills so that participants themselves can apply skills and tools to the context of their every day life.
- To develop capacities and create a space to institutionalize the peace-building and conflict transformation concepts within the system and within sub systems.
- To create the capacities to connect with the world while protecting unique cultural and ethnic identities.
Our approachOur work and the way we relate to one another in CPBR is underpinned by a heart-head-hand approach, enhanced by a strong belief in participation and local ownership.
Our contribution is to increase awareness and knowledge of the background and root causes of the current conflict. While responding to needs identified by the participants themselves, we create an environment where concerns can be discussed, engendering dialogue. We initially provide guidance in developing responsibility, reflexivity and analytical skills on peace and conflict transformation to the participants, though moving into the distance as capacity increases.
We see ourselves as facilitators and enablers inviting those we work with to participate fully and take ownership through their own leadership. They are not mere recipients of support and help, but active and crucial participants in their own development. The participants become agents of change creating, planning, organizing and implementing peace-building and reconciliation activities.
Our TeamSome people look at the challenges to peace and other social problems and think that the issues are too large to tackle. They try to ignore the issues and focus on taking care of themselves. Others commit themselves to transforming these issues, even though they may feel overwhelmed - CPBR is made up of these people.
