Sri Lanka both past and present has been ravaged by many decades of civil war, violence, displacement and political unrest. The consequences of such events have led to individual and collective trauma, the breakdown of communities and lack of economic opportunities.

The Aal Project focuses on empowering communities in Sri Lanka that have been affected by war, violence, displacement and political unrest. It aims to rebuild and strengthen communities in Sri Lanka by overcoming perceived weakness to recognise strength and togetherness despite adversity. The Aal project endeavours to contribute towards a more equitable and humane society. Throughout 2013 and 2014, Ondru engaged with local communities, conducted lectures and workshops at the Eastern University, Sri Lanka and consulted with the National Peace Council. In addition to this, Ondru engaged with many educators, artists, healers, carers, professionals and the general public to develop the project.

In January 2014, desh Balasubramaniam (Founder and CEO, Ondru) and Evan Marginson (Chair, Ondru Board at the time) cycled 700km across Sri Lanka from Tangalle to Jaffna to directly engage with local communities to get a deeper understanding of the needs of the people and the environment. All of the information gathered was used to help create the vision and aims of this project.

From 06 – 26 February 2016, seven cyclists representing Ondru from both Australia and New Zealand cycled 1000km across Sri Lanka from Mirissa to Jaffna to raise funds to support the project. We will be doing this again at a much larger scale in January 2024 to create possibilities.

More information coming soon about how you can get involved.