Global Ben Comms Boot Camp comes to Colombo

07/10/2013 – Colombo, Sri Lanka: The IFRC Global Beneficiary Communications Boot Camp got underway in Colombo, Sri Lanka under the auspices of the Chief Justice of Sri Lanka His Lordship Mr. Mohan Peiris.

With 82 personnel participating in the event, the President of Sri Lanka Red Cross Jagath Abeysinghe, the Director General Tissa Abeywickrama, Director of IFRC Asia Pacific Jagan Chapagain, members of the Governance, Staff & Volunteers of SLRCS were present at the event.

The IFRC Beneficiary Communications Team has organized a “beneficiary communications boot camp” for the benefit of any national society wishing to participate in the goal of:

• Creating a better understanding of how to develop a beneficiary communications plan for humanitarian disaster operations; and how to integrate into longer term programming and funding.
• Furthering the development technical capacity in beneficiary communications in order to deliver on strategy; and
• Developing strategies for embedding beneficiary communications in National Society activities. 

During the ceremony the Director General of SLRCS Tissa Abeywickrama while addressing the gathering thanked the participants for their support and willingness to work with the SLRCS in the field of Beneficiary Communications.

Meanwhile the Chief Justice of Sri Lanka addressing the gathering reminded about the accountability and humanitarian work that the Red Cross has undertaken has been a tribute to humanity. He was very much in agreement that the Beneficiary Communications model is a tool that can be utilised in almost any country context.