Education & Skills Enhancement
Expanding learning access, practical training, and youth pathways to long-term opportunity.
Grassroots civil society organization / Sri Lanka
Empowering Youth and Communities in Sri Lanka's Hill Country
WeLead Lanka works with youth, women, and children to expand opportunity through education, skills development, community engagement, environmental action, advocacy, and well-being.
Community-rootedYouth-ledBuilt for lasting social impact
Serving Malaiyaham since 2011with a long-view approach to education, opportunity, and local leadership.
Create / Innovate / Sustain
4,790
individuals successfully reached across regions
10
community programs implemented successfully
Since 2011
From Fordyce Youth Club to WeLead Lanka
Who We Are
A grassroots movement for sustainable community change
What began in 2011 as the Fordyce Youth Club has grown into WeLead Lanka, a civil society organization serving communities in Malaiyaham and the wider Hill Country. Since rebranding in 2022, the organization has continued to equip youth, women, and children with the skills, support, and opportunities needed to lead change in their own communities.
Base
Based in Dickoya, Sri Lanka
Who We Serve
Serving youth, women, children, and plantation communities
Geography
Working across the Hill Country / Central Province
Community roots
Built from local relationships, local trust, and local leadership.
Vision + Mission
Vision
A thriving, interconnected community in Sri Lanka's Hill Country.
Mission
"To equip youth, women, and children with essential support to enhance their education, develop vocational skills, and foster entrepreneurial opportunities, with a focus on historically underrepresented communities in the Malaiyaham region."
Focus Areas
A clear, community-centered framework for action
Community Engagement & Social Cohesion
Building stronger local participation, trust, and collective action across diverse communities.
Environmental Sustainability
Supporting local stewardship, climate awareness, and community-rooted environmental practices.
Advocacy & Policy Influence
Strengthening voice, representation, and informed participation around issues that shape Malaiyaham.
Economic Empowerment
Creating pathways for entrepreneurship, livelihoods, and local resilience through skills and support.
Health & Well-being
Promoting safer, healthier, and more supportive environments for children, youth, and families.
Impact Snapshot
Local action. Measurable change.
Designed for fast scanning, this section pairs headline metrics with clear program clusters to show scale, reach, and on-the-ground outcomes without turning the page into a dense data wall.
Programs Delivered
10
community programs implemented successfully
People Reached
4,790
individuals successfully reached across regions
Education Support
- 2,300+school kits distributed across 5 regions
- 115students received scholarships
- 5after-school learning centers
Skills Training
- 950women and youth trained
- 220+associated with skills training
Advocacy for Malayaham
- 85awareness sessions and workshops
- 1,870individuals participated
- 748impacts
Community Engagement
- 120volunteers contributed
- 85%program impact rate
- 91%outreach of WeLead
Programs in Action
Real work, grounded in local communities
Youth leadership and civic engagement
From local organizing to collective participation, programs create spaces where young people learn to lead with confidence and purpose.
Education and community support
Work with children and families strengthens learning environments, nurtures confidence, and supports access to opportunity.
Women's empowerment and social change
Programs support women's participation, local voice, and stronger community-led momentum around equity and inclusion.
Stories of Change
Human stories behind the work
Women leading community renewal
The Manickawatta Women's Society, once struggling to make progress, has now become a strong platform for women's leadership and community empowerment. A community center project that had remained unfinished for seven years was finally completed after the group took initiative, with support from local youth.
Youth identity and confidence in action
As part of the CCCDG Advocacy Project with ISD/PREDO, WE LEAD LANKA conducted a Malayaham Awareness Session for Fordyce School students. After the session, the children expressed their learning through art. Among them, 10-year-old N. Nugivan created an inspiring painting that beautifully reflected Malayaham culture and identity.
Breaking barriers in local leadership
Mrs. Gobini, a courageous mother of two children from Battalgala Estate, was long active in her local Hindu temple association but was never given the opportunity to hold a position. After participating in WE LEAD LANKA's advocacy training, her confidence and leadership skills grew stronger. Today, she has been appointed as the General Secretary of the Hindu temple association, the first woman ever to hold such a role in Battalgala Estate.
Partners
A calm, institutional presentation of trusted collaborators
Each partner mark is normalized into a consistent tile system so the section feels ordered, professional, and visually balanced rather than noisy or sponsor-heavy.
Final CTA
Build stronger communities with us
Whether you want to partner, support a program, or learn more about our work, WeLead Lanka is open to collaboration that creates lasting local impact.
Create / Innovate / Sustain