Sanctuary House is the training centre of Alliance Development Trust.
Our revenue is used to support the causes ADT is working in, in order to improve the quality of life for victims of war and natural disasters, socially marginalized groups such as HIV and AIDS infected and affected persons, those living with Leprosy and other vulnerable persons including women and children.
Our Vision is Uniting and Empowering Communities by Dynamic Action for Social Peace, Public Justice and Economic Sufficiency to Transform the Nation
Alliance Development Trust (ADT) is committed to long-term sustainable development. Through it’s Community Development Education (CDE) approach, they are committed to facilitate holistic development in communities with little or no access to basic needs in order to elevate them from their present living standards of poverty and disease. All programmes conducted for the communities are structured to mobilise, empower and train them to identify their own community needs, identify available resources and help them plan and implement goals that will be reached through community participation and ownership.
Livelihood
The activities of the livelihood sector centres on uplifting vulnerable persons and families and improving their standards of living through sustainable livelihood assistance by empowering them to develop their business endeavours. This is achieved through the provision of grants, seed capital and livelihood equipment to rural communities through micro finance schemes. ADT further provides skills training and guidance to potential beneficiaries for their future business endeavours.
Children
The focus of the children’s sector of the ADT, is to build the next generation to be Change Makers’ by equipping and empowering them while supporting the efforts that are initiated to meet the needs of their holistic development.
Since 2004, ADT has made a great impact on the lives of several thousands of children across Sri Lanka. TheChange Makers’ children’s clubs were established for children of various underprivileged communities in order that the children may have a secure place to live, grow and be empowered to initiate development in their own communities as future leaders. The ADT also conducts awareness and training programmes for parents, volunteers and other leaders interested in the welfare of children in their community. Creating an atmosphere which is safe and supportive towards a child’s physical and psychosocial development is of paramount importance to ADT.
Water and Sanitation
Everyone has a right to have access to safe water and it is also everyone’s responsibility to conserve water. ADT works with vulnerable groups trapped in the cycle of poverty with the belief that improved access to safe water will help them in their journey towards living with dignity and their freedom from poverty.
ADT’s projects in this area include seminars and training programs on the Promotion of Best Hygiene Practices, latrine construction, well cleaning and water quality monitoring, installation of community water supply etc.
Development Education
The ADT while supporting communities reach a better standard of living, continue to mentor and coach the residents in helping them identify problems, research solutions, find resources, make plans, mobilise volunteers and evaluate results until tangible transformation takes place in the community.
Sexual and Reproductive Health
Project Positive – the HIV and AIDS desk of the ADT was initiated to reach and create awareness towards the prevention of HIV, AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases among vulnerable audiences such as substance abusers, Commercial Sex Workers, Lesbian/ Gay/ Bisexual/ Transgender (LGBT) persons, prisoners, uniformed officers, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) etc.
Today Project Positive, while continuing to reach out to HIV affected communities, also works in the fields ofSubstance Abuse and Sexual and Reproductive Health in order to educate high risk groups and Persons Living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) and ensure that they live full and productive lives.
Through various awareness programmes conducted across the country, communities are educated on the HIV and AIDS epidemic. Project Positive also runs a Transit Home that is both a sanctuary and temporary shelter for Persons Living with HIV and AIDS and is also the venue for it’s income generation projects for those who have lost their livelihoods because of the social stigma attached to the disease.
In addition to this Project Positive also conducts nutrition and awareness programmes for persons living with HIV and AIDS.
Leprosy
According to the Ministry of Health of Sri Lanka, Leprosy is still a public health issue with 2,007 new cases of persons affected by Leprosy reported in 2012. In response to the prevalence of the problem, the ADT, which conducted projects that helped communities affected by the disease with livelihood support, launched a more systematic leprosy awareness education programme in the latter half of the year 2013. This, is anticipated, will create awareness around the country on the disease, it’s spread, treatment, commonly held misconceptions etc.
Special Projects
The ADT also undertakes the implementation of projects, that while not directly falling within the purview of it’s main program areas, are felt to be important in meeting the needs of the communities they work in. These projects range from initiatives launched, in relation to fostering peace and reconciliation among the youth to helping communities grow more sensitive to the environment they live in while finding ways of taking better care of it.
