Navoda's Story

Interview by Elijah Hoole

I’m Navoda Ediriweera from Sujath Balika Vidyalaya, Matara. I was participant at FLC 3, that’s how I got involved in Sri Lanka Unites. 

I play the piano; music is my thing. I think music is a powerful tool when used appropriately. I hope to teach music one day. It’s mainly in this field that I hope to contribute to Sri Lanka Unites. 

Being a girl in itself is a barrier. Our school to some extent is conservative, which restricts our capacity to contribute to reconciliation. However our teacher-in -charge is very supportive and encourages us to do our level best for the cause.

FLC was a good experience. It was my first exposure to tamils. Before the conference I found it difficult to differentiate between tamils and tigers. But now I understand that tamils are no different from me. I have lots of tamil friends and I’m proud about it.

As a school club we’ve already done one small project. We spent a day with kids from the Buddhist Ladies’ Orphanage, Matara. We choreographed a dance and taught them. We also sang songs and told stories to each other. I enjoyed every moment of that experience. We are a new chapter and hopefully we will be able to do more towards hope and reconciliation.