With the 200 Anniversary of the Holy Family, they conducted a program to enhance the mutual harmony between the North and the South in 2017. This programme brought together the hearts damaged during the 30 years of war.
The 1st and the 2nd stages of the program which was named “Youth For Change” were done in 2017 in Mallavi (north) and in Thalawila (South) respectively.
Initially, our brothers and sisters who were stranded in their youth due to the war that lasted almost their whole lifetime invited the Youth of Colombo unit for a fraternal sharing in Mallavi.
In return, the youth of Mallavi came to Thalavila in December 2017. On these two occasions, we saw the dream to live on, amidst the total loss and devastation they faced. We were able to awaken ourselves from the false borders we had made, not seeing the reality but doing it for the sake of doing it.
The journey towards mutual harmony by the “Youth For Change” programme did not stop there. The 3rd stage was done in Mallavi again on the 8th& 9th September 2018.
This time the program was done not only for the youth but for everyone including children and adults. The Rev.Sisters of the Holy family Colombo Unit and Jaffna Unit joined hands in making this programme a success. We the members of the Holy Family Youth got the opportunity to visit Mallavi again.
During a period where mutual harmony is defined in various ways, our aim was to share life. The faces we saw this time were full of hope to rebuild the life, unlike the last time when those faces showed despair. We found families who lived for the sake of love when they could have easily run away from life. We found feet which burned walking barefoot on the hard ground in the dreadful heat just to find water for survival. We were able to see the innocent children who slept on nothing but a polythene sheet laid on the hard ground. The hardships of their lives were witnessed by us. Yet, their willpower, positive attitude, and eagerness to rise up like phoenix without lamenting over the past is remarkable
Sri Lanka- Colombo