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Davis Project for Peace

Proposal: Food for Peace

Premise: Food is a binding element of all human culture. It is not just a means to survive but a means of
expressing oneself, ones traditions and ones beliefs. Food therefore is a powerful tool for engendering
communication within societies. Using food, in a collective cookery format, to facilitate a medium for
community reconciliation in the post-conflict environment we hope to contribute to the peace-building
programmes already in place in the Northern Tamil region. By pursuing a group cooking initiative
through the utilisation of networks and resources already in place in the region, we hope to create a
dialogue primarily between the women and children of communities living divided by the effects of the
civil war.

Background: Tamils make up 10 to 15% of the population, compared to the majority Sinhalese, who
constitute about 75%. In the 1970s the government declared Buddhism and Sinhalese the national
religion and language of Sri Lanka, leaving the large minority of Hindu-Tamil speakers feeling under-
represented and marginalized from the economy and politics of the country. The Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam were founded soon after, starting an insurgency outbreak in 1983. In May 2009, the Sri
Lankan government declared the twenty-six year long
conflict had ended. The military claimed it had defeated
the rebels and killed the LTTE's elusive leader Vellupillai
Prabhakaran. The group conceded defeat. Both the LTTE
and the Sri Lankan military have been accused of
engaging in abductions, extortion, conscription, and the
use of child soldiers: "The government and the LTTE
appear to be holding a perverse contest to determine who
can show the least concern for civilian protection."
Human Rights Watch all issues that remain burdens on
local communities and individuals if they are not
confronted and reconciled.

Who: Ms S. Soldner, Ms L. Hemfrey, Mr. A Kakati, Mr
M. Stephenson, Mr B. Sonia-Wallace
Working with a small number of families (8-10) from
different backgrounds identified by partner FLICT, with whom the initial operation can be materialised.
Involving coordination between Community Concern Society and Habitat for Humanity who will provide
the resources for the initial setting, and volunteers redistributed from RCDP volunteer network.


What & How: Pilot project of a community lunch club (lunch main meal of day in Sri Lanka) within the
working area of the partners, utilising resources of the partners that are already in place, our role would
be to facilitate connections within the group through the sharing of recipes and different culinary
specialities. Sinhala and Tamil people share an understanding in cuisine, tending to take care that the
foods served together create a balance of hot and cold energies. This simple common ground concept
would be a good starting point for the wider sharing of a meal, as there would be need for some
coordination and agreement communicated between people to ensure that this balance was met. Through
mutual appreciation of the outcome lunch meal a dialogue can be facilitated to discuss feelings and
tensions that have traditionally kept these families apart. From there a plan for greater dialogue and
cohabitation between these families can established, ideally with the continuance of the weekly
community lunch club and the gradual inclusion of more families to the initiative.

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An important group we will be targeting by this medium therefore will be women within these families
however it is important to note here status of women is relatively high in Sri Lanka, especially in
comparison to other South Asian nations. There has never been the practice of child marriage or the
burning of widows. Sri Lankan women have held voting rights since they were instituted in 1931 and the
country elected the world's first female Primeminister in 1960, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, whose daughter
is the current president of the nation. Therefore, while this is not indicative of the whole representation
women, with men still holding the majority of leadership roles, they clearly have strong places within
their community and within their families, and attitude which should be utilised at the outset of the
project if it is going to gain valid traction in the community.

Some issues within local customs include the stratification according to caste and class, as well as gender
and ethnicity, as well as informal communication customs rumor and gossip are particularly feared,
whether these take the form of village talk, anonymous petitions to the newspapers, or posters mounted in
public spaces (http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Sri-Lanka.html). In Sri Lanka, the notion of
ancestral place and the kin group associated with it is very important, even as people move to other areas
because of employment opportunities or displacement therefore enabling communities to maintain, and
strengthen these ties; particularly where there are a lot of movements of people and upset from conflict is
seen as priority. Behaviour and reputation and how these reflect on both yourself and those you associate
within the community are highly motivating factors, therefore there is a need to ensure that our initiative
in received positively in order for it to have any effectiveness. A good initiator in this regard might be for
team leaders to live in the community with a host family while the project is initiated and takes effect.

Where: Mullaitivu Region; town of Vavuniya, near the town of Killinochchii (WFP has office based
there, suggesting centre for many organisations). Vavuniya on the border between Tamil and Sinhalise,
setting for many turning points in the protracted civil war, it has both main rail and road networks
running through it, many schools and at least one campus college nearby. Many IDPs settled here, as well
as the Family Tracing Unit

Expected Outcomes: A constant dialogue is maintained between the communities where the medium of
the weekly lunch club is used for this outreach; the club becomes a self-sustaining entity as the premise
relies on enthusiasm from the families who are involved and ideally would to organised, managed and
coordinated by people from the group, with a balance of backgrounds.

Prospects for Future Impact: With the scheme developed to the extent that it become self-fulfilling and
continues on an inclusive framework for the community, the casual, informal dialogue facilitated by the
lunches can be expanded to the local government and maybe even the national level. The community
could use the lunches to invite local politicians and leaders of the opposition to share in the lunch and
transfer thoughts and ideas for further resolution and reconciliation.


Partners:
Community Concern Society (non-profit against poverty and community outreach initiative)
Facilitative Initiatives for Social Cohesion and Transformation FLICT (Sri Lankan NGO for
social integration and civil participation)
SwissContact Sri Lanka Development and Peace Initiative (private development Organisation)
Habitat for Humanity (Housing and Amenities NGO)
RCDP Volunteer Network (US-UK Volunteer Coordinating Organisation)
WFP Recipients
OCHA Sri Lanka


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[26/01/2014 23:04:59] Brian Sonia-Wallace: $10,000 10 families, focusing on women, $5000 pay for
you, $1000 materials/supplies, $2000 for local interpreter/local NGO/etc, $2000 ?, $5000 IN KIND
MATCH space from nonprofit, $10,000 IN KIND MATCH services and food distribution from local
nonprofit
[26/01/2014 23:05:46] Brian Sonia-Wallace: $5000 in kind match volunteers, sourced from X nonprofit
(gap year bullshit etc)

Total Budget 35,000

Breakdown($)

Distribution Purpose
5000 Team leaders travel and general expenses on
project: including, flights, food, accommodations
in local home-stay
2000 For local Guide and Interpreter
1000 Materials
2000 Community Facilitator(s) training (in order for the
project to become locally-managed as soon as
possible from outset)
10000 In kind match by Community Concern Society:
services and food distribution
5000 In kind match by Habitat for Humanity and
FLICT: facilities and space
5000 In kind match by RCDP volunteer network: for
early stage initiation
2000 In kind match by WFP Recipients of implements,
utensils and cooking stoves
2000 Private Donation for later stage Conflict
Resolution workshop
1000 Spillover
35000 Total ($)