The Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust was established in 2001, two years after the assassination of Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam, and is devoted to sustaining his legacy as an activist, peacemaker and intellectual. 

The Trust is a Sri Lankan grant-making organisation that supports those working towards and advocating for peace, reconciliation, justice and human rights in Sri Lanka and abroad. The Trust seeks to share responsibility, resources and risks through strategic partnerships with civil society, public sector, business community, academia, Diaspora and donors.


The Trust, like Dr Tiruchelvam himself, is deeply rooted in Sri Lanka, but its experiences and concerns, are international in its understanding and vision. As a local grant-making body, with a distinguished board of local trustees, the Trust is specially positioned to support peace-building efforts in Sri Lanka.

Ms. Sithie Tiruchelvam is the Chairperson of the Trust and wife of the late Dr. Neelan Tiruchelvam. Ms. Tiruchelvam is a lawyer of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and is Senior Partner of Tiruchelvam Associates. She is also the Chair of the Foundations for Peace network and is a senior member of the South Asians for Human Rights Board.

Dr. Pramilla Senanayake is the former Assistant Director General of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Chairperson of the Concept Foundation (Thailand), and Founder and Chairperson of the Board of the Educate a Child Trust. She is also a member of the Boards of Family Health International (USA) and WaterAid (UK).

Mr. Deva Rodrigo is the former Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce where he currently chairs its Sub-Committee on Peace and Reconciliation. Until recently he was the Territory Senior Partner of the Sri Lanka office of PricewaterhouseCoopers. He was a member of the Monetary Board of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka between 2003 and 2006.

Mr. Javid Yusuf is on the Presidential Commission of Inquiry to investigate serious violations of human rights in Sri Lanka. He has served as Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Senior Advisor to the late Foreign Minister, Mr. Lakshman Kadirgamar. He was the Founder Secretary General of the Peace Secretariat for Muslims, former Principal of Zahira College, Colombo and a member of Sri Lanka's first National Human Rights Commission.

Mr. M. D. D. Pieris was a member of the former Ceylon Civil Services and thereafter a member of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service. Formerly Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Pieris has been conferred the national honour of Deshamanya as well as the Degree of Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) by the University of Colombo.

Ms. Ambika Satkunanathan is the National Legal Consultant at the United Nations, Colombo. She has worked as a researcher at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies and the Law and Society Trust. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Women and Media Collective.

Ms. Rachel Perera is a free lance development consultant. She has over 22 years of work experience in government (TAFREN/RADA and Ministry of Plan Implementation) donors (CIDA, USAID, NORAD and Netherlands Funded Projects), UN (UNDP and UNICEF), NGOs (World Vision, South Asia Partnership, Oxfam Australia, All India Disaster Management Institute), on aid co-ordination, tusnami and conflict recovery, peace support, public and plantation sector, social/ community development, trade union education and training.

Mr.Mirak Raheem is the Coordinator of the Peace and Conflict Unit of the Centre for Policy Alternatives. He has conducted research on many areas related to Conflict Resolution such as modes of resolving the issue of High Security Zones in northern Sri Lanka (commissioned by United Nations High Commission for Refugees) and the role of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron in Trust and Verify Journal (Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Washington D.C.)


The Trust works to identify and fund innovative projects throughout Sri Lanka, which work towards building Peace and Reconciliation and Human Rights. It works with national and international partners to share knowledge, best practice and raise funds to support these projects.

The Trust attaches importance to developing projects with Sri Lankan organizations and institutions, especially with small, new or emerging groups with projects that contribute to one or both of the Trust’s thematic areas.

Participants at a human rights workshop for youth leaders	participants at an awareness raising workshop for women in the East of Sri Lanka

Lanka Youth Organizations Network            
Now consisting of 342 member organisations, the Lanka Youth Organizations Network works to strengthen youth institutions and nurture young leaders in Sri Lanka.

Through the Network’s Democratic Youth Leadership Programme, the Trust has supported its efforts to build the capacity of youth organisations in the Western province by improving their leaders’ understanding of human rights and democratic values. As part of the programme, a group of more than 300 potential youth leaders met in the Gampaha district to receive training on leadership and the importance of democracy and pluralism. A similar programme was conducted in Colombo for 50 other youth leaders.

To encourage communication between member organisations, the Network also launched a youth newspaper called Yovun Lanka which features articles on a range of issues including the environment, relationships with the opposite sex, contraception and information technology.

Suriya Women’s Development Centre
The Suriya Women’s Development Centre works to raise awareness of, and advocate for, the rights of women across the country, with particular emphasis on the conflict-affected women of Batticaloa.

Through the Centre’s Advocacy and Networking Programme, the Trust is able to support efforts to raise awareness of the plight of internally displaced women and advocate for legal reform on issues that affect women, including land rights, reproductive and health rights and family law. The Centre is one of the few organisations that use cultural activism to encourage discourse on gender issues at the community level. This approach has been proven to be a powerful medium through which to challenge entrenched myths, stereotypes and discriminatory social norms.

As a recipient of core funding, the Trust’s support has enabled the Centre to explore and develop new approaches to address issues of gender injustice bolstered by the fact that the organisation’s long-term financial sustainability is secured.

Stages Theatre Group
Formed in 2000, the Stages Theatre Group works to push the boundaries of traditional theatre by staging innovative, original and multilingual plays, tours and workshops.

The Trust supported the Group’s productions of Forum Theatre, focusing on the issues of domestic violence and the ethnic conflict. Staged at the Punchi Theatre in Colombo, Forum Theatre is an interactive theatre form that allows the audience to direct the actors and suggest plot alternatives in order to resolve the conflict-related scenarios put forward.

Forum Theatre, created by Nobel Peace Prize nominated writer and director August Boal, is often used as a means of empowering communities. By using theatre in this manner, the production facilitates an open and honest exchange of views by the audience and encourages empathy amongst those from different backgrounds. Its aim was to broaden perspectives on how the same situation can be viewed, interpreted and solved. The performances played to a full house on all five days it was staged.

Being Part of the NetworkThe Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust has supported the establishment of the Foundation for Peace Network because we believe that working collaboratively can increase the impact of our organisation; making a greater difference to those directly affected by conflict and human rights violations. The Trust shares the values of the Network and passionately believes in its vision of a pluralistic and inclusive society, both in Sri Lanka and across the world.

website: www.neelan.org                 Email: ntt@neelan.org