our approach to individual, community and national level interventions is scientific and evidence based. There is currently limited understanding among the public on the actual nature of the extent of certain alcohol, tobacco, and drug related issues. These are issues that affect people not only as individuals but also as a family and as a community. As other development issues such as poverty tend to receive more attention, the full magnitude of the alcohol, tobacco, and drug problem and how it affects national development remains little understood even at the local leadership level.
Healthy Lanka is an evidence based organization that uses a scientific approach in dealing with issues pertaining to social development, namely problems related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs, child rights, and women’s rights. The fundamental basis of our programmes is to transform the community by changing unhealthy attitudes that contribute to the aforementioned problems. Centuries of social conditioning has resulted in the creation and acceptance of myths and misconceptions regarding issues such as alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs and gender. These have been at the root of several problems such as widespread substance use and its consequences, high prevalence of non-communicable diseases as well as substance related traffic accidents and disabilities, decrease in productivity, increase in domestic violence, deprivation of child rights leading to the poor physical and mental development of children, increase in school dropouts, and child labour.
In dealing with alcohol, tobacco, and drug related issues, Healthy Lanka takes into account not only the rehabilitation of current substance users, but the prevention of others from initiating substance use and the development of social settings that are not conducive to the use. The organisation targets all segments of society including users, men, women, elders, youth, and children, to promote good health practices and a healthy lifestyle. The organisation provides education to all groups on the actual effects of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use while guiding them to question the false image of these substances. In this way, the people are also empowered to reject and take a stand against the subtle promotional strategies used by the alcohol and tobacco industries. Additionally, capacity building programmes are conducted by Healthy Lanka to guide the people to participate in advocacy for policy level change.
As women are most likely to fall victim to alcohol/drug related violence despite most women in Sri Lanka being non-users, women are a special area of focus in Healthy Lanka’s programmes. Women are empowered to speak out for their rights and participate in community development and decision making processes within the home and the community. Alcohol related violence mostly prevails because of the permissive attitude towards it or certain wrong beliefs that lead people to place the blame for such behaviour on alcohol rather than hold the perpetrator responsible. Healthy Lanka educated women, who mainly fall victim to alcohol using partners or other community members, on the actual effects of alcohol and the need to change the permissive environment and the pardoning and sanctioning of alcohol related misbehaviour. The women are trained to speak out for their rights and directly challenge the perpetrators of violence, guiding them to change their behaviour.
With children especially, Healthy Lanka has a comprehensive system that aims to improve all aspects of development, giving children a better quality of life and guiding them to be healthy, capable, and responsible citizens of the country. As the future of the country, Healthy Lanka treats children as a vital component in national development. Using a specially developed curriculum, the organisation provided education and training in maintaining good physical and mental health, hygienic practices, physical fitness, leadership qualities, team spirit, media literacy, the challenging and changing of gender stereotypes, and alcohol and drug prevention skills. Children, and parents, are both made aware of child rights and how to ensure that they are protected and promoted.
At the national level, Healthy Lanka works in collaboration with government institutions and other civil society organisations. At present, the organisation trains government officers on the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act. Training programmes have also been conducted for trainee teachers under the Ministry of Education towards including alcohol and drug prevention and health promotion in school education for children.