Scientology supports Netherlands-Based Foundation that Trains Sri Lankan Youth in Media and Human Rights

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August 29, 2025

On August 7, 2025

A Dutch-registered human rights organization, established by Sri Lankan refugee Shanta Dalugamage, is strengthening the younger generation in Sri Lanka with human rights training and journalism, connecting communities on different continents through interfaith and inclusive practice.

Journalism and Human Rights Workshop in Rathnapura

On 27 July 2025, Stichting Mission Lanka together with Vision Media Academy organized its sixth Journalism and Human Rights workshop for 100 students in Rathnapura at Ananda Maithree Damma School. The one-day session provided hands-on training in public speaking, event management, and foundational media communication.

Building Skills for Advocacy and Leadership

We emphasize public speaking, event management and expression,” added Dalugamage. “These are basics, not only for journalism but for advocacy and leadership.”

Human Rights Education Through Global Initiatives

Participants were also issued certificates of participation and human rights booklets by United for Human Rights, an international movement based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and educational works of L. Ron Hubbard, who stressed that “human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream.”

From Online Discovery to Global Partnership

Dalugamage initially founded the Youth for Human Rights program more than ten years ago while looking for low-cost education materials to assist grassroots outreach. In 2020–2021, he visited a human rights open house organized by the Church of Scientology of Amsterdam, where he started a co-operative relationship with the Church and its volunteers. From there on, the Church facilitated his work, including through educational resources from United for Human Rights.

European Support for Grassroots Human Rights Activism

“When human rights education is taken to young people by civil society actors such as Stichting Mission Lanka, they are creating the type of bottom-up understanding that Europe always promotes,” added Ivan Arjona, Representative of the Church of Scientology to the European Institutions, OSCE, Council of Europe and the United Nations. “This project is a prime example of the values embedded in the UDHR and how European-based communities can facilitate positive change elsewhere.”

Interfaith Dialogue and Humanitarian Cooperation

The cooperation mirrors the long-standing involvement of the Church in interfaith dialogue and humanitarian cooperation. On its global stage, it cooperates with people and organizations of any religious affiliation, cooperative and inclusive outreach for communities.

Stichting Mission Lanka’s Expansive Humanitarian Mission

Stichting Mission Lanka was established in 2019 and has a focus on human rights, education of children, interfaith dialogue, women empowerment, and conflict resolution in Sri Lanka. The organization has its operations across faiths and communities, driven by a Christian philosophy of peace, tolerance, and compassion. It believes that all children and families, irrespective of religion, race, or origin are entitled to the means to succeed.

Europe-South Asia Engagement on Rights and Freedoms

The project shows the way Europe-based diaspora may bring local empowerment overseas. Although the Netherlands remains one of the highest-ranked countries (position 3 out of all countries) in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, Sri Lanka stood at 139th place, an improvement over the 150th place it occupied last year due to early indications of growth under its new government. The media environment of the South Asian nation is still fragile with continuing legal monitoring and institutional constraints.

Grassroots Transformation Through Education and Dialogue

However, such grassroots movements as Stichting Mission Lanka demonstrate that dialogue and education can be strong agents of change particularly if supported by international collaborations founded on mutual values.

Media Contact

Organization: European Office Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights

Contact Person: Ivan Arjona

Website: https://www.scientologyeurope.org

Email: Send Email

Address: Boulevard de Waterloo 103

City: Brussels

State: Brussels

Country: Belgium

Release Id: 07082532050