Who We Are:
Established in 2006, in response to the strife and trauma caused by the Indian Ocean Tsunami, Samutthana worked towards upgrading community based mental health services across the island. Founded and supported by the UK-SLTG, a registered charity in the United Kingdom, Samutthana is a not-for-profit organization and is the King’s College London resource center for trauma, displacement and mental health in Sri Lanka.
Samutthana’s Role
Mental health has not yet been prioritised to the degree it ought to be. This is why Samutthana is focusing on supporting the development of more holistic and less medicalised services that promote recovery, and that people can access in the community. This is not just restricted to the North-East but to the entire country. Our vision is that more people with mental health problems can take part in society and fulfil their potential.
In order to make effective use of our professional skills and expertise, Samutthana liaises directly with mental health professionals – psychiatrists and psychologists, doctors and nurses, lawyers and counsellors, sociologists and social workers, community workers and relief workers, clergy and teachers – who in turn work with those who have been traumatised by their experience. We train and support these professionals to improve their skills in order that they can better deal with the psychological consequences of Sri Lanka’s post-war era. Our work is primarily aimed at benefiting the armed forces, former detainees, former combatants, former child-soldiers, victims of torture, war-widows, orphans and the internally displaced, etc.
We firmly believe that we can make a difference to those who have suffered mental trauma over a long period of time, to recover to a life of respect, responsibility and dignity.