By Raj Gonsalkorale

Community members drawn from grassroots who have experienced and dealt with challenges at that level and who have much to share with countless numbers of people in similar situations become community scientists who offer suggestions for advancing the health and well-being of communities based on their experience and acquired expertise. A unique bottom-up approach that contrasts with the traditional top-down approaches that continue to yield less than satisfactory outcomes

A recent international conference on Shaping our Future through New Coalitions” (SOFTN 2025) was held in Colombo at the Cinnamon Lakeside hotel. The conference was conducted in collaboration with the University of East Anglia, UK, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University Sri Lanka, University of Sharjah, UEA, Federation University, Australia, St Augustine Campus, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, University of Technology, Jamaica, it drew 50 overseas delegates and 90 local delegates.

A special feature of the conference was symposium titled Successful Change through Community Engagement, for which a full day was set aside by the conference organisers. While the entire conference was of immense benefit to the attendees as well as the participating countries, including Sri Lanka, the one-day symposium on successful change through community engagement is the special focus of this article. This community scientists’ concept was introduced by Professor Duminda Guruge of the Rajarata University as a way to engage communities in health promotion decision making; and the symposium was chaired by Professor Duminda Guruge with Dr Kalpani Abhayasinghe from the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University as the co-chair. The keynote address at the symposium was delivered by Professor Diyanath Samarasinghe, a distinguished academic, clinician, a public health advocate and a recipient of an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from the Rajarata University.

The speeches that were delivered, presentations made by the Community Scientists, and the wide ranging discussions held were of particular benefit as the message being delivered was about giving a voice to communities at grassroot level about the importance of their engagement, their advice on determination of policies that affect them, and overall, advocacy for bottom up rather than top-down decision making.

The session witnessed a unique initiative perhaps not witnessed before in Sri Lanka nor likely not even in any other country. It transformed the long-standing function of disseminating knowledge and expertise on health promotion primarily by theorists, to those drawn from grassroots with first-hand experience, knowledge and expertise, and rightly referred to as Community Scientists. This approach is indeed a practical and appropriate transformation of a system arising from a change in mindset that calls for a bottom-up strategy to make health promotion more effective and efficient. It contrasts with the traditional methodology of top-down advocacy without consultation with the grassroots irrespective of the impracticality and/or inappropriateness of such advocacy at grassroot level

The symposium provided a forum for the Community Scientists drawn from activists at grassroot level to make presentations, present case studies, and to have a meaningful discussion with the participants. The event explored practical ways ordinary community members apply health-promotion principles to achieve measurable, and sustainable improvements in well-being across Sri Lanka.

As stated in the introduction to the Foundation for Health Promotion (FHP), a non-profit training and research organization dedicated to advancing the discipline of Health Promotion (HP) in Sri Lanka, established in September 1999. It was created to introduce, advocate for, and strengthen the understanding and application of Health Promotion principles across the country. At the time of its inception, Health Promotion was a relatively unfamiliar concept in Sri Lanka. The Foundation emerged to fill this gap providing a formal organizational base for training, advocacy, and applied research aimed at integrating Health Promotion philosophy and practice into health and community development.

The participants at the Symposium included community scientists, practitioners, and partner organizations representing a wide range of settings, approaches, and outcomes. Their work demonstrated how

• Local knowledge, participatory methods, and simple, context-sensitive interventions have strengthened health literacy, fostered social support, reduced risk factors, and improved access to services.
• Health-promotion theory is translated into practice: how to initiate and sustain health-promotion processes, how to assess community health and its determinants, and how to address those determinants using simple, locally developed tools. The abstract book provides examples from urban, rural, and plantation communities, together with accounts of coalition-building, youth engagement, monitoring and evaluation, and adaptations made in response to cultural and resource constraints.

The abstract book published by the Foundation for Health Promotion, Sri Lanka, is intended as a practical resource for community leaders, public health professionals, policymakers, researchers, and funders who wish to learn from grassroots experience and replicate or adapt successful practices. Anyone interested in the abstract book, symposium outcomes and more information regarding the Foundation and its activities could contact them via their website (https://www.healthpromotion.lk/contact/).

The panel discussions included the following, with Community Scientists as panellists. Their experience arising from challenges faced and how they were addressed at grassroots level in discussion and consultation with the community formed a critical backdrop to the discussions that ensued.

• The Community-Led Early Childhood Development in Sri Lanka’s Plantation Sector: A Participatory Model for Transformative Change – Panellists V. Mallika, S. Subani, V. Malini  

Key take away – This initiative demonstrated the efficacy of community-owned, low-cost, and culturally embedded processes in marginalized communities. It offered a replicable model for other underserved populations seeking to break intergenerational cycles of poverty through education. Between December 2022 and July 2025, participation in the intervention grew from 75 to 134 families. The number of families regularly documenting their children’s learning increased from 40 to 95. Households creating educational toys rose from 8 to 115, and playhouses in the village tripled from 3 to 9. Notably, 39 children demonstrated improved verbal expression, and 33 showed enhanced colour recognition. These outcomes point to a significant cultural shift toward collective responsibility of the community for child development.

• Combating Childhood Malnutrition through Community-Led Nutrition Education in Sri Lanka’s Plantation Sector – Panellists V. Sivaranjani, S. Darshani, P. Sivapkkiyam

Key take away – This case study highlighted the power of community-owned, culturally sensitive approaches in addressing malnutrition. It emphasized the importance of practical tools, local leadership, and low-cost solutions in achieving sustainable health outcomes in marginalized communities. A key innovation was the introduction of Keetkkara Pillai” (Clever Baby), a playful method using emotive face symbols to encourage children to eat nutritious meals. Nutrient tracking and dietary adjustments were implemented at the household level, including among pregnant mothers. The results were significant and only 2.56% of children under five were underweight by 2025, and no cases of low birth weight were reported in 2024 or 2025.

• The Kitchen Calendar: A Youth-Led Initiative to Reduce Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Risks Through Household Dietary Change – Panellist Dewmini Chamathka – Anuradhapura

Key take away – The initiative empowered youth and shifted kitchen management dynamics, fostering sustainable dietary practices. Inspired by this initiative, children’s group in Matara (more than 300km away in the southern province) and in Kegalle adopted the method producing the same results in those areas. This low-cost, replicable model underscored the potential of community-driven tools in mitigating NCDs and promoting health equity. Broader implementation of similar processes could catalyze national-level impact in similar socio-economic settings. The grassroots intervention, the “Kitchen Calendar”—designed to monitor and reduce the consumption of high-risk food items, including oil, refined flour, sugar, salt, and instant foods. Over a one-month period, 47 participating families demonstrated significant quantitative outcomes including monthly average savings of LKR 6000–7000 (USD 20 to 25) per household and reduced reliance on medication for the control of NCDs.

• Empowering Communities to End Malnutrition: Lessons from a Maternal-Led Nutrition Program in Kegalle, Sri Lanka – Panellist Wasana Damayanthi – Kegalle

Key take away – By June 2025, 16 of the original 19 children reached optimal weight, and 22 of 26 tracked children achieved healthy weight and height. The program’s success underscores the power of collective maternal leadership, peer support, and culturally adapted, community-led tools in combating malnutrition. This model offers a scalable framework for improving child health outcomes in resource-limited settings. From Savings to Sustainability: Collective Behavioural Change and Community Gardening for Rural Well-being

• From Savings to Sustainability: Collective Behavioural Change and Community Gardening for Rural Well-being -Panellist Samanthika Jeewanie –Anuradhapura

Key take away – The initiative fostered economic resilience, improved nutrition, and strengthened social cohesion. This model demonstrates the transformative potential of collective action, behavioural change, and sustainable agriculture in enhancing rural livelihoods. It offers a replicable framework for empowering communities to address health, environmental, and economic challenges through localized, collective solutions. Community-based agricultural initiatives offer sustainable solutions to food insecurity and economic hardship, particularly in low-resource settings. This study documents the success of Samuha Gowipola” (Communal home garden), a grassroots program initiated by seven women in a Sri Lankan village. Faced with financial constraints, the group collectively saved Rs.100 daily per household by reducing non-essential expenses such as junk food, tobacco, and alcohol.

Over one year, they accumulated LKR 252,000 (USD 830) in a shared fund named Sepa Ketaya” (Happy Till), which financed the purchase of gardening tools and materials. The group cultivated organic vegetables using homemade fertilizers and pesticides derived from food waste and natural ingredients. A participation calendar tracked family involvement, encouraging husbands and children to contribute. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, the garden provided food security and enabled surplus distribution to the wider community

• Children Leading Change: A 13-Year-Old’s Happiness Calendar for Reducing Conflict and Building Empathy – Panellist Nethsarani Sandaruwani – Matara

Key take away – The initiative fostered self-awareness, empathy, and conflict resolution skills among children, contributing to improved familial relationships. This low-cost, child-led model highlights the potential of visual reinforcement tools in promoting emotional intelligence and behavioural change. The Happiness Calendar offers a scalable framework for enhancing psychosocial well-being in domestic and educational settings, with implications for broader community mental health initiatives. Interpersonal conflict among siblings can negatively impact emotional development and family harmony, particularly during early adolescence. The presentation explored the implementation of a behavioural intervention tool—the Happiness Calendar” by a 13-year-old girl. The calendar uses visual cues: angry faces for conflict days and yellow smiley faces for peaceful interactions. Over a three-month period (June to September 2025), the younger sibling’s angry face count decreased from 12 to 1, indicating a significant behavioural shift. The intervention leveraged intrinsic motivation, as the child actively sought to increase positive markings. The child introduced this tool to her peers at school and the peer adoption 14 of the calendar further demonstrated its replicability and appeal. The initiative fostered self-awareness, empathy, and conflict resolution skills among children, contributing to improved familial relationships.

CONCLUSION

The initiative and approach taken for health promotion based on a concept introduced by Professor Duminda Guruge as outlined here with results of case studies that demonstrates the success of the initiatives is worthy of emulation for fostering an environment where communities feel they are partners and drivers of activities that improve the health and well-being of people at community level. Collective ownership of initiatives to address challenges associated with many sociological, economic, health and well-being issues will follow as has been demonstrated during this symposium. This concept could form the basis for propagating the governments rural community empowerment or Praja Shakthi program to transform and empower the population in the rural sector which is estimated at around 80% of the total population of the Nation. Productive participation by communities in implementing policies which they themselves have had an opportunity to contribute towards their formulation, is not only desirable, but a necessary moral and ethical imperative as well as a more effective and efficient way to deliver sustainable benefits to the communities themselves. The sessions that were led by the Community Scientists and the input provided by them as well as participants provided ample evidence on the advantage and success derived from a simple practice of listening and consulting communities at grassroots level when policies are formulated on matters that have a direct effect on them.