Religious Freedom and Interfaith Dialogue

Yamini Ravindran, Director of Legal Advocacy at the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL), participated in both the U.S.-inbound exchange in July 2019, as well as the outbound event, The Tolerance and Coexistence 2.0 Forum in Thailand in November 2019, which brought together policy makers, religious leaders, and community advocates to explore the impact of a new information space on non-profit organizations and civic organizations.

During the exchange, Yamini learned creative and effective means of extending psycho-social support to victims of attacks, which equipped her to better contribute to the NCEASL’s work with victims of the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka. While on program, Yamini learned about innovative interventions used by professionals and colleagues around the world, such as gaming for social change, which prompted her to implement creative initiatives in her own work. For instance, NCEASL is building Sri Lanka’s first Virtual Museum on the Freedom of Religion or Belief and is developing a mobile game for Sri Lankan youth, which addresses key social issues in the country. Yamini’s exchange participation enabled her to network with other international advocacy partners and thus widen the reach of the NCEASL’s work, providing a new platform for raising and discussing issues related to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) issues in the international sphere. As a result of the exchange, NCEASL has strengthened its relationship with the U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka and continues to carry out FoRB advocacy work on behalf of communities across Sri Lanka.

The Professional Fellows On-Demand: Religious Freedom and Interfaith Dialogue exchange brought together religious freedom community leaders from across Southeast Asia and the U.S. who are advocates for interfaith dialogue, tolerance among religions, and who view religion as a tool for positive community development.