Education & Learning
Classrooms without ceilings
Scholarships, school supplies, learning resources and volunteer mentors — so a child’s future is set by their effort, not by their district.
Every island rises one life at a time.
CJF Sri Lanka invests in people the world tends to overlook — so they can learn, earn and produce the essentials their own communities need. A hand up, never a handout.
ආයුබෝවන්·வணக்கம்·Welcome
What we believe
Dignity is not something we hand out. It is something people build — with the right resources, at the right time, in their own hands. So we invest in makers, learners and mothers, and let what they create lift everyone around them.
Resources For All
A loop that widens with every turn.
Our signature approach invests in marginalised people so they can produce essential goods for others. Scroll to follow one turn of the loop.
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01
Invest
We put capital, tools and training into the hands of people the market overlooked.
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02
Produce
They make essential goods — from reusable sanitary pads to food — earning an income with dignity.
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03
Provide
Those goods reach neighbours who needed them most, through distribution we help make efficient.
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04
Multiply
Profits, skills and confidence are reinvested. One maker trains the next, and the loop widens.
Our work in Sri Lanka
Four ways we help communities rise.
Education, enterprise, nutrition and resilience — answering the needs at the heart of our mission: no poverty, quality education, clean water, good health and nutrition.
Entrepreneurship & Economic Independence
Makers, not recipients
Through Resources For All we invest in marginalised people so they can produce essential goods for others — with capital, better distribution and expert help to scale.
Health & Nutrition
Dignity on every plate
Recovery on paper has not reached every rural kitchen. Our Dignity First programme brings food security, school nutrition and health screening to families who need it now.
Community Resilience & Sustainability
Roots that hold
Clean water, good health and sustainable livelihoods — changes decided with farmers and families, given the time and support to last.
Launched 2026 · 90-day initiative
Dignity First. Food on every table.
Sri Lanka has stabilised on paper — but in rural districts, many families are still cutting meals and borrowing to buy food. Our Cornerstone Community Nutrition & Dignity Program answers with locally sourced family food boxes, fortified school snacks and monthly health screenings for mothers and children.
1,000
vulnerable rural households Dignity First sets out to stabilise
600
nutritionally at-risk children protected through school nutrition
90 days
to measurable, documented results — reported transparently
3
rural partner schools serving fortified snacks three times a week
The pearl of the Indian Ocean
Where recovery hasn’t reached yet.
From the hill country’s terraces to the eastern coast, Sri Lanka’s strength is its people. But recovery has been uneven, and the rural districts feel it first — places like Monaragala and parts of the North Central Province, where hunger and anaemia remain stubbornly high.
That is where we choose to work: alongside schools, local field teams and families, with support that is measured, accountable and built to last.
- 14,000students in a trauma-informed education model in the Eastern Province*
- 3rural partner schools in Dignity First
- 1focused rural district for maximum, measurable impact
*Reported by the Courtney Jordan Foundation network, April 2025.
Watch
See the work in motion.
“You can train a person to collect water, but teach someone to dig a well and more than thirst will be filled.”
Our team
The people on the ground.
Aruna Perera
President, Sri Lankan Operations
Leads CJF Sri Lanka’s sustainable development and community empowerment work, and also serves as Vice President of Regional Development, Sri Lanka, for Neyius Energy.
Eshan Liyanage
Deputy Director
Supports strategic leadership across CJF Sri Lanka’s programmes and partnerships.
Rashmi Dissanayake
Chief Volunteer
Guides our volunteers through mentorship and service, so every hour given reaches the people it was meant for.
News & insights
From the island.
A hand up, not a handout: what Resources For All really means
Why CJF Sri Lanka invests in makers rather than handing out goods — and how one sewing collaboration shows the whole idea at work.
Dignity First: CJF Sri Lanka Launches a 90-Day Nutrition Stabilization Initiative
Sri Lanka has stabilized on paper, but in rural districts, recovery has not yet reached the dinner table. Families continue to reduce portions, skip meals, and make impossible choices between debt and nutrition. CJF Sri Lanka is launching a 90-day, Cornerstone Community Nutrition & Dignity Program to stabilize 1,000 vulnerable households and protect 600 at-risk children through structured food support, school-based supplementation, and community health screenings. Food is not charity. It is stability. And stability is the foundation of dignity.
Confronting the Mental Health Crisis Among Gay Men in Sri Lanka
Recent studies reveal an alarming truth: gay men in Sri Lanka face significantly higher rates of depression and mental health challenges than the general population. A…
Questions, answered
Good to know.
Can’t find what you need? Ask us directly.
What is CJF Sri Lanka?
CJF Sri Lanka is the Sri Lankan branch of the Courtney Jordan Foundation, a global poverty-prevention foundation founded by entrepreneur Courtney Jordan in 2011 with offices in London and Dhaka. We empower people and uplift communities facing adversity through education, entrepreneurship, nutrition and sustainability.
What is Resources For All?
Resources For All is CJF Sri Lanka’s signature approach. We invest in marginalised people so they can produce essential goods for others — for example, supporting women who sew washable, reusable sanitary pads for women and girls who struggle to access them. It is a hand up, not a handout.
What is the Dignity First nutrition initiative?
Dignity First is a 90-day Community Nutrition & Dignity Program launched by CJF Sri Lanka in 2026. It aims to stabilise 1,000 vulnerable rural households and protect 600 nutritionally at-risk children through locally sourced family food boxes, school nutrition at three rural schools, and monthly community health screenings.
Who leads CJF Sri Lanka?
CJF Sri Lanka is led by Aruna Perera, President of Sri Lankan Operations, with Eshan Liyanage as Deputy Director and Rashmi Dissanayake as Chief Volunteer.
How can I volunteer?
Email volunteer@cjfsrilanka.org with a short note about yourself, where you are based and the skills you would like to share. Volunteers support children’s education, mentoring and community programmes.
How can my organisation partner with CJF Sri Lanka?
Email info@cjfsrilanka.org. We welcome schools, businesses, cooperatives and NGOs. Partners receive transparent budget allocation, impact metrics, field documentation and regular updates.
Can I donate online?
The Courtney Jordan Foundation is not accepting individual online donations at present. You can contribute time, skills, goods or partnership — write to info@cjfsrilanka.org to discuss contributions.