Introducing the Emerge Lanka Foundation

On July 7th we received the Certificate of Incorporation for Emerge Lanka Foundation, establishing ELF as a charitable company in Sri Lanka under the Companies Act, No. 7 of 2007. Emerge Lanka Foundation is a local Sri Lankan entity that is supported by Emerge Global in the United States, and will be responsible for implementing Emerge Global’s programs in Sri Lanka. So why on earth do we need another entity, this time based in Sri Lanka? A local entity will allow our work to have increased local ownership, to be informed and driven by people in Sri Lanka. It will also support us in: forming partner agreements with other local entities and the government; accepting donations and grants in Sri Lanka; marketing jewelry more easily in Sri Lanka so that we can use it to start conversations about sexual violence; and maybe even one day purchasing land so that more girls can have a safe haven to call home. Having formed Emerge Lanka Foundation is already helping us to achieve these goals. Forming this entity has been the culmination of several months of work (and a great deal of both patience and persistence) by the Emerge team and is a huge accomplishment. But, we also aren’t finished. Next on the agenda is building our local board and filing for our “Charitable Company” to become a recognized “NGO.” The lessons in patience and persistence will certainly continue. Luckily, the girls we work with have taught us something about these topics (and many more) with all they do, every single day.