comdu.it reflects on 2017 achievements with the The Return 2018: The Second Annual Gala Fundraiser

On June 15, 2018, Comduit, or better known by its official name, comdu.it, held its second annual gala fundraiser at the Scarborough Convention Centre in Scarborough, Ontario.

Two years after its launch as a pilot in 2014, it registered as a non-profit organization headquartered in Toronto, Canada. It has a vision of leveraging the work of young diaspora changemakers throughout the Sri Lankan Tamil community from various parts of the world to advance the sustainable development of both the North and East of Sri Lanka. This entails transitioning from charity to sustainability; aid to economic development; and remittances to knowledge-based economies in diaspora engagement activities. They also facilitate meaningful engagements with local community organizations and residents in addressing identifiable gaps in the sustainable development of the Northern and Eastern parts of Sri Lanka. The organization currently has international chapters in both Canada and Germany.

The Return 2018 served as a celebration of the achievements in the past 2017 mission that the organizations ushered in the North and East of Sri Lanka. In 2017, the organization produced 20 partnerships and collaborations in the country and 20 partnerships and collaborations in the diaspora itself. Furthermore, it had sustained 12 relationships with Canadian and international governments and six districts covered by its volunteers. It participated as a diaspora member in the Overseas Sri Lankans as Partners of Development roundtable hosted by the Centre for Poverty Analysis and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sri Lanka. They also became the sole Canadian contributor in partnership with Palmera Projects in Australia to craft the Handmade cookbook, which shared food stories intertwined with the struggles, hope and strength of 34 Tamil women in rebuilding their lives.

Keynote remarks were delivered by Dr. Naresh Gunaratnam, a Tamil medical doctor who emigrated to the United States and Dr. Varatharajah Thurairajah, a Tamil medical doctor serving as a vocal witness during the final stages of the war in Sri Lanka. Another notable highlight of the event was a poetry reading recited by Indran Amitrthanayagam, a poet, journalist, musician, cultural critic, and diplomat. Among 13 collections, he wrote the The Elephants of Reckoning, which won the 1994 Paterson Prize in the United States.

The following was one of the poems in this book expressed by Amitrthanayagam at the event:

“You must love the land!

when you leave to build

your house on the sea

love what's lost

the mango tree

burning in the garden

the curious noose

of the familiar

coat of arms

love the ball turning

strong, spinning

in a dark faraway land,

love the tongue

you'll never again

speak that wrapped you and bled you

and dried up

some everyday

On the other side

Of the sea”

Kumaran Nadesan, the organization's founding chair, emphasized the hope to build on the momentum made since 2014 by recruiting more volunteers. It boasts of 43 current and alumni volunteers. Based on insights from its past mission, the areas that comdu.it plans to prioritize for its 2018 mission are leadership development, economic empowerment, psychosocial support, and public-sector capacity building among communities in the North and East of Sri Lanka.