Shenali D Waduge

The scale of corruption in the US by USAID wasting public funds for nefarious activities across the world has to be investigated & held to account. $15m for condoms to the Taliban via USAID /  $446,700 to promote atheism in Nepal, $1m for LGBTQ groups in West & Central Africa, $20,600 for a drag show in Ecuador,  $47,020 for transgender opera in Colombia, $32,000 for LGBTQ comic book in Peru, $3,315,446 for “being LGBTQ in the Caribbean”,  $80,000 for an LGBTQ community center in Bratislava, Slovakia, $16,500 to foster a “united and equal queer-feminist discourse in Albanian society”, $10,000 to pressure Lithuanian corporations to promote “DEI values”, $8,000 to promote DEI among LGBTQ groups in Cyprus, $1.5 million to promote job opportunities for LGBTQ individuals in Serbia, $39,652 to host seminars at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on gender identity and racial equality & $8 million to teach Sri Lankan journalists how to avoid “binary-gendered language,” by USAID, US Embassy, US envoy Julie Chung, IREX & MEND programs. A closer look at funding that has gone to Sri Lankan politicians, top corporates, academics, legal fraternity, media entities, artists & sports stars, “renowned” professionals, civil society/NGOs expose the traitors amongst us posing as “concerned citizens” and instrumental in the political collapse taking place in Sri Lanka.

A good look at the local entities partnering with USAID & other US agencies as well as the interference by the outgoing US envoy to Sri Lanka would reveal the scale of intervention at play & the manner society has been divided by the programs that have been funded by US taxpayers who are suffering back home with rising cost of living & tax burdens. The manner that USAID has got exposed for spending US tax payers money on programs across the world is shocking & requires an immediate audit in Sri Lanka & the exposure of all local entities who have also misused & abused US tax payer money.

Links related to the journalists that were trained to promote LGBGTQ in Sri Lanka

http://www.adaderana.lk/news.php?nid=91066  – USAID and IREX to organize MoJo Lanka – Sri Lanka’s first Mobile Journalism Festival

Senator Eric Schmitt breaks down some of the insane spending: – $45 million for DEI scholarships in Burma – $3 million for girls centered climate action in Brazil – $125 million to racialize public health – $280,000 for diverse birdwatchers – $1.5 million for DEI in Serbia – $70,000 for DEI musical in Ireland – $2.5 million for electric vehicles in Vietnam – $47,000 for trans opera in Colombia – $32,000 trans comic book in Peru – $2 million for sex changes in Guatemala – $6 million for tourism in Egypt

Key US Agencies operating in Sri Lanka:

1. USAID
2. National Endowment for Democracy (NED),
3. National Republican Institute (NRI),
4. International Republican Institute (IRI).

1. USAID (United States Agency for International Development)

Working in Sri Lanka since 1956.

1980s-1990s – focused on health & population / family planning

2000 – gender based violence / HIV

2010 – gender equity

2. U.S. Department of State

• 1980s-1990s: gender equality and human rights in Sri Lanka,
• 2000s: women’s economic empowerment programs as part of broader human rights initiatives in Sri Lanka.
• 2010s-Present: Post-conflict reconstruction and efforts to promote gender equality became a key focus.

3. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Formally began supporting Sri Lanka in the 1990s, particularly in areas of infectious disease control, HIV/AIDS prevention, and maternal and child health.

• 1990s: The CDC began working with Sri Lanka to address the growing issue of HIV/AIDS, as well as maternal and child health through programs targeting immunization, nutrition, and healthcare delivery systems.
• 2000s: CDC’s focus expanded to include HIV prevention and surveillance, family planning, and reproductive health services, especially in response to regional health challenges.
• 2010s-Present: The CDC expanded programs in preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, while continuing to support sexual and reproductive health, especially in rural and underserved areas.

4. The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM)

Voice of America (VOA)) have been broadcasting to Sri Lanka for decades, their more direct engagement with issues like women’s health and gender empowerment became more focused starting in the 2000s.

• 1950s-Present: Voice of America (VOA) has been broadcasting in Sinhala and Tamil, providing access to global news and information.
• 2000s-Present: USAGM’s initiatives have involved broadcasting health awareness campaigns, gender equality programs, and women’s empowerment stories, as well as promoting media literacy and gender rights in Sri Lanka.

5. National Endowment for Democracy (NED)

• 1990s-Present: NED has worked with local NGOs and community-based organizations to support women’s rights, gender equality, and child protection.
• 2000s-Present: NED has supported projects focusing on gender-based violence prevention, women’s political empowerment, and reproductive rights advocacy, especially in the aftermath of the civil conflict.

6. The Peace Corps

The Peace Corps has been active in Sri Lanka since the 1960s, with volunteers working on education, healthcare, and community development.

• 1960s-1980s: The Peace Corps focused on general community development, education, and basic healthcare delivery.
• 1990s-Present: As gender issues and women’s health became more prominent, Peace Corps volunteers began engaging more with women’s empowerment, maternal and child health, and family planning. Volunteers also contributed to gender equality and sexual and reproductive health education at the grassroots level.

7. The Global Health Initiative (GHI)

The Global Health Initiative (GHI), launched by USAID in 2009, focused on addressing maternal and child health as part of a broader global effort to improve health outcomes for women and children.

• USAID’s support through the GHI has reinforced the efforts to empower women, provide access to healthcare services, and improve health outcomes for both women and children in Sri Lanka.

USAID & Sri Lanka’s Private sector partnerships

USAID & Sri Lanka’s Private Sector Partnerships cover

• Tourism
• Agriculture & collaborating with agri-businesses (tea, spices, seafood)
• Textiles
• ITC & regulatory framework
• Manufacturing
• Policy reforms, tax simplifications, international certifications, Organic certifications
• Land tenure reforms
• Energy & infrastructure
• Gender equality, social inclusion in workplace/hiriing, empowering women, marginalized groups
• Youth

USAID – Women’s Economic Empowerment Program

• Targeting women entrepreneurs & small business owners
• Collaborations with micro finance institutions, local businesses & start-ups
• Objective to provide training, mentoring, financial service to women entrepreneurs
• Program claims to have helped 2000 women entrepreneurs to reach more than 300,000 consumers & provided access to loans & insurance.

USAID – Agriculture & Rural Development Program (ARDP)

• Target – small holder farmers
• Collaborations with agri business companies & technology providers for water efficient irrigation systems & organic farming methods
• Cargills Sri Lanka & 3500 small holder farmers helped grow organic food exports to EU.

USAID – Digital Sri Lanka Initiative

• Partnering with Sri Lanka’s Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), to improve e-governance, digital infrastructure, and digital literacy.
• Dialog Axiata&USAID provided mobile-based learning and entrepreneurship platforms for marginalized communities and youth. The M-LEARNING initiative enabled remote education for underserved students, empowering them to gain digital skills.
• Targeted 10,000 youthand small businesses

USAID – Private Sector Health Engagement Program

• Partnering with pharmaceutical, medical & insurance sectors
• APEX Pharma & USAID launched joint partnership to provide medicines for chronic diseases (diabetes / hypertension) in remote areas
• 50,000 rural populations given access to necessary drugs.

USAID – Environmental Sustainability & Climate Change Resilience

• USAID partnership with Commercial Bankto introduce green loans to support businesses in adopting solar energy and energy-efficient systems.
• More than 150 businessesin the manufacturing and tourism sectors adopted clean energy technologies—including solar panels and energy-saving equipment

USAID – Youth Employment & Skills Development Program

• USAID collaboration with Virtusa to launch coding boot camp to train young Sri Lankans in software development & IT entrepreneurship to 3000 youth & 1000 entrepreneurs

USAID – Sustainable Tourism Program

• Partnerships with tourism operators, hotels, destination management companies (Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA), Aitken Spence & Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts

USAID Partnerships

Chambers:

• Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce
• Federation of Chambers & Commerce & Industry of Sri Lanka
• Export Development Board
• Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC),
• Sri Lanka Development Foundation (SLDF),

Microfinance Institutions:

• Sri Lanka Microfinance Practitioners’ Association (SLMPA)

Health

• Health Ministry of Sri Lanka

ITC

• Sri Lanka’s Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA)
• Virtusa(tech company),
• Dialog Axiata(telecom company),

Banks:

• Commercial Bank

Pharmaceuticals

• APEX Pharma

Hotels

• Aitken Spence
• Cinnamon Hotels

Conglomerates/Private Sector:

• Cargills
• John Keells Holdings
• Dilmah
• Ceylon Cinnamon
• Lanka Spice

Local NGOs

• Sarvodaya
• TheChildren’s Education and Development Foundation (CEDF) (gender-sensitive education programs)
• TheSri Lanka Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (SLANGO) – youth empowerment programs
• TheTISL (Transparency International Sri Lanka): citizens rights, governance programs
• Fulbright Program,Global Undergraduate Exchange Program, Young South East Asian Leaders Initiative – study in US programs
• Centre for Policy Alternatives
• National Peace Council

US Agency Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI) & ENERGY

• Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Power and Energy,
• Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB),

Environmental / Bio diversity / Marine Conservation / Water Management / Clean City

• The Centre for Environmental Justice(CEJ)
• Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Environment
• Wildlife and Nature Protection Society of Sri Lanka
• IUCN Sri Lanka
• Sri Lanka Marine Conservation Forum
• Wildlife and Nature Protection Society
• The Environmental Foundation Limited
• Sri Lanka Agricultural Development Authority
• Green Movement of Sri Lanka,
• Horizon Lanka Foundation
• Sri Lanka Organic Agriculture Movement(SLOAM)
• The Environment Conservation Trust (ECT)
• Waste Management Authority of Sri Lanka,
• Water Supply and Drainage Board(WSDB)
• Environmental Advocacy:
• Environmental Foundation Limited (EFL)
• Sri Lanka Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils, local municipalities,
• Sri Lanka Ministry of Water Supply

Good governance / Citizenship

• Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV)
• The People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL)
• Sri Lanka Development Journalist Forum (SLDJF)
• National Peace Council (NPC)
• John Keells &

Women’s Empowerment / Youth

• Sri Lanka Women’s Development Centre (SLWDC) – gender sensitive policies

John Keells Holdings initiatives with USAID NED IRI

• Is involved with USAID, NED IRI on projects covering development, community engagement, economic growth, environmental sustainability, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) Implemented programs include green building standards in several of its commercial properties and hotels (like Cinnamon Life), working closely with USAID to reduce energy consumption, promote renewable energy, and implement waste management solutions. John Keells Foundation works on various initiatives such as education, women’s empowerment, and livelihood development.
• John Keells, NED, Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL), supported the Sri Lanka Transparency Initiative that was part of NED’s broader programs to reduce corruption and encourage accountability within Sri Lanka’s corporate and political sectors.

• JKH & IRI collaborated for democratic reforms/youth engagement & community leadership, The John Keells Foundationsupported youth leadership programs, especially targeting young women, by partnering with IRI’s political engagement initiatives
• JKH & National Republican Institute (NRI) – no direct partnership but has been involved in business-led political reformsand its advocacy for free market principles align with the democratic and economic growth objectives that NRI promotes globally.
• JKH, USAID, & IRI has been involved in providing vocational trainingand creating youth empowerment and employment creation, and youth participation in the political process.

NED supports following activities with corporate entities & civil society

• Civic engagement with Asia Foundation, Sri Lanka Business & Professional Women for democratic policy reforms,
• Good governance
• Human rights
• Free & Fair elections / development election monitoring tools, online platforms for voter education (SL Chamber of Commerce, Transparency International, Election Commission of Sri Lanka)
• John Keells Holdings

National Republican Institute (NRI) supports following activities with Sri Lanka’s corporates (Dialog Axiata)

• Political reforms
• Promoting democracy
• Youth engagement
• Political education
• Media & advertising
• Voter education
• Election monitoring (Sri Lanka Election Commission)
• Public awareness about political integrity

International Republican Institute (IRI) supports following activities with corporate entities & civil society (Ceylon Chamber of Commerce)

• Free & fair elections
• Youth engagement
• Strengthening political parties & democratic institutions
• Workshops for political leaders with business chambers
• Civic education & voter engagement (Dialog Axiata, Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), – campaigns included SMS, social media, radio broadcasts to reach a broad youth & rural audience

US Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) program has recently been cancelled by President Donald Trump citing appointments in US will be only based on MERIT.

However, several of Sri Lanka’s top corporates have signed up for the DEI program as a corporate policy to promote gender-based appointments.

Ceylon Tobacco Company (CTC)

• promoting gender equality, LGBTQIA quotas even for senior appointments that has impacted productivity issues.

Dialog Axiata

• established a Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) frameworkas part of its corporate sustainability strategy & increased gender diversity/LGBTQIA in senior leadership positions.

HNB (Hatton National Bank)

• implemented workplace diversity policiesthat ensuring equal opportunities for women, minorities, and differently-abled individuals.

DFCC Bank

• DEI initiatives – gender diversity

Ceylon Biscuits Limited (CBL)

• Included gender equality, disability inclusion, and supporting marginalized communities in hiring

Unilever – Consumer goods

• DEI initiatives – gender inclusivity & integrating LGBTQIA inclusive policies.

MAS Holdings

• They have implemented a workplace policythat supports LGBTQIA+ employees and promotes a safe and inclusive environment.

Sri Lankan Airlines

• several programs to promote gender equityand empower women in leadership roles within the airline industry.

Aitken Spence

• implemented DEI principleswithin its corporate strategy, promoting gender diversity and inclusion

Lanka Orix Leasing Company (LOLC)

• DEI Initiatives empowerment of womenin the financial sector.
• • They have implemented internal programs to support women’s leadership, with a particular focus on developing female employees in higher management positions.
  • The company has also been involved in community development projects, particularly in promoting financial inclusion for women and minorities in rural Sri Lanka.

Women’s Business Chamber of Commerce

Sri Lanka Gender Equality Forum.

NOTE: The involvement of above top corporates in the Bid-Harris led LGBTQIA/Woke ideology via DEI initiative to encourage quota for LGBTQIA employee intakes. This invariably encourages people to claim to be “LGBTQIA” or become “LGBTIQA” to secure jobs!

Given that President Trump has cancelled all DEI funded programs & closed down all DEI offices – what do Sri Lanka’s top corporates propose to do?

US Agencies involved in internal affairs of Sri Lanka (US Embassy Political & Economic Section/ USAID / US State Dept / NDI / IRI / The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) with local NGOS)

1. USAID & Provincial Councils – governance, local development, democratic, conflict resolution, reforms, capacity building, and human rights.

Governance & Decentralization – enhancing capacity & effectiveness of local government & PCs & ensuring delivery to people ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTH & EAST (why only these 2 provinces)

Electoral & Political Reform – USAID & Election Commission & PCs engaged in supporting free & fair elections, voter education, strengthening political parties.

USAID collaborates with Election Commission of SL to TRAIN PC election officials & political party representatives.

Human Rights & Conflict Resolution – USAID involvement in North & Eat Provinces, working on “reconciliation” programs

Economic Development – USAID seen involved in agribusiness, via Enterprise Development Program

Climate Change & Disaster Resilience – USAID involved in implementing climate change adaption & disaster risk reduction programs