Civil Society plays an essential role in fostering civic engagement, shaping public policy, and empowering communities to safeguard human rights and address socio-economic issues.

The 2nd Vriddhi Festival - Vriddhi in the Hills - was held in Badulla to promote regional learning, collaboration and solidarity between civil society actors. Over 40 partner organisations attended the event to share and learn experiences on critical topics such as Social Protection & RTI, Land Rights, Youth & Climate Change or health and Nutrition. They also had the opportunity to attend training on disaster management mapping, AI tools, Ethics, along with information sessions on the new NGO bill and on social accountability.

Civil society actors had the unique opportunity to present their work to their communities - over 1,800 visitors turned up over two days to meet their advocates, attend movie screenings followed by debates, art display and exhibitions along with captivating cultural performances.