About US

'Otthulaippu' was formally launched in UK in 2014. Otthulaippu means collaboration / cooperation / working together in Tamil Language. We support already established non-government, government organisations & academic institutions in Sri Lanka by coaching their employees & communities to motivate and develop their skills to enhance productivity.

We also conduct awareness sessions of current socially hot topics and issues faced by our communities including violence against women & girls, mental health, health & well-being, social-media misuse etc.

We continue to evolve with our work with the communities as the needs take us ………

Vision

Empowerment of communities impacted by the civil war in Sri Lanka through socio economic development & leadership

Mission

Collaboration of organisations & individuals working together with social responsibility to empower and develop individuals to create a sustainable, self-sufficient and values based society

Core Values

We are a non-political organisation and have no connection with any organisation past or present. Our work in Sri Lanka covers the whole country where ever we find the need most Our work is entirely humanitarian with no distinction in class, caste, religion or race. We follow the Gandhian principles of

• Non-violence through thoughts, words & deeds - ‘Ahimsa’
• Peace through all 3, unknown, outside of self & self - ‘Shantham’
• Benevolence, virtuous, righteous - ‘Arram’ / ‘Dharma’

Projects

Jaffna Teaching Hospital , Nurses’ Workshops Post-workshops report –September 2024

• The workshops at Jaffna Teaching Hospital were arranged with the guidance and support of Dr Premakrishna with the approval of Dr Sathiyamoorthy, director. All our workshops are activity based and 100% engagement from participants is encouraged and expected.
• Although our previous workshops were conducted and followed up in 2016, we feel that there is a dire need for the medical professionals, ward assistants and management / administrative staff members to have skills development workshops / guidance for their positive attitude towards work and personal life.

Chundikuli Girls’ College, Jaffna Workshop for A/L Batch Year 2025 Post-workshops report - September 2024

• The workshop at Chundikuli Girls’ College, Jaffna was arranged by the Principal, Mrs Dushy Thuseetharan following our email informing of our work resuming in Jaffna on skills development and communication via school alumni committee member Mrs Jeyasri Premakrishna.

Scope & Coverage

• Held 2 sessions, one for students and another for teachers, on 04 September 2024 between 08:30 – 14:00 at Chundikuli Girls’ College, Jaffna
• Participants: In total, approx. 150 attended from year 9 & year 10 in one session & approx. 30 teachers in a separate session
• Tamil Language session for students and English language session for teachers
• Topic(s) covered – Managing emotions

University of Jaffna, Students’ Champions Workshops Post-workshops report – August / September 2024

• The workshops at University of Jaffna were arranged with the guidance and support of Career Guidance Counsellor, Mr Gauthaman with the approval of Professor M Siyamalan, Career Guidance Director Coordinator. All our workshops are activity based and 100% engagement from participants is encouraged and expected.

Scope & coverage

• Arts Faculty Students – Batch 4
• Multiple subject streams
• Programme is expected to guide them towards their career through life skills
• Tamil Language
• Already completed their Phase 1 in Zoom in May 2021 and subsequently, individually completing pre assessment google form questionnaire shortlisted approx. 40 students out of approx. 160 for Phase 2.

• Law Faculty Students – Batch 5
• Approx. 20 students were keen to continue from early 2024
• Couldn’t proceed to next phase as there has been no response from the Head of Law faculty

• Hindu Faculty Students – Batch 6
• Multiple years / batches
• To benefit the newly begun faculty especially for the Hindu religious studies and maximise the number of beneficiaries
• Tamil Language
• Hard to shortlist, more students than expected attended both phases and all 4th year students also joined the phase 3 Art faculty from Day 2 onwards. Remaining students will join Phase 3 in the next round.

Scope & Coverage

• Nursing staff members
• 2 Groups of approx. 25 participants each, however, workshops to cover 3 other batches on 01 September 2024 was cancelled by Nursing team eventually
• Varied experience and mixed gender
• Programme is expected to guide them towards skills / self-development
• English Language – but during activities the participants were conversing in either Tamil or Sinhala
• Not had any such previous workshop

UNRCO, Jaffna Workshop for UN Field Team Post-workshops report - February 2024

• The workshop at UNRCO (UN Resident Coordinator’s Office) Jaffna was arranged by Ms Kayathiri Kumaran following her visit to University of Jaffna to observe the workshops we conducted for Law students. We understood that the UN field workers have been working in their roles in challenging times and with 10-15 years in the UN and NGO humanitarian field require some refresher sessions for motivation & work / life balance

Scope & coverage

• Held on 08 February 2024 from 14:30 – 16:30 at UN/IOM Compound, 136 Temple Road, Jaffna
• Participants: In total, 24 participants attended
• UN Field colleagues in North (15)
• UN implementing partner staff members (around 10)
• Agencies: UN Field team [UNDP, IOM, UNICEF, UNOPS, WFP, UNRCO] & UN partner agencies [JSAC-Jaffna Social Action Center, OfERR Ceylon, SOND - Social Organizations Networking for Development, CFCD – Center for Child Development]
• Tamil Language session
• Topics covered – Self Motivation

Chundikuli Girls’ College, Jaffna Workshop for A/L Batch Year 2025 Post-workshops report - February 2024

• The workshop at Chundikuli Girls’ College, Jaffna was arranged by the Principal, Mrs Dushy Thuseetharan following our email informing of our work resuming in Jaffna on skills development and communication via school alumni committee member Mrs Jeyasri Premakrishna.

Scope & coverage

• Held on 08 February 2024 from 08:00 – 11:00 at Chundikuli Girls’ College, Jaffna
• Participants: In total, approx. 130 attended from AL Batch year 2025
• Tamil Language session
• Topics covered – Career Guidance

SOS Children’s Home, Jaffna Workshops for Care Givers & Children Post-workshops report - February 2024

• The workshops at SOS Children’s Home, Jaffna were arranged with Ms Piratheepa Kumarasamy & the Centre Director, Mr Pathmarasa Selvarasa. The mothers, Care givers, have gone through a lot of challenges in their lives and joined SOS on the basis they do not have any immediate family or children to care for. Children have also gone through their share of challenges but have been placed in SOS for their own safety, security and well-being.

Scope & coverage

Motivational Workshop for SOS Jaffna Care Givers

• Held on 06 February 2024 from 09:30 – 13:30
• All 10 mothers attended, timely to fit their duties
• Tamil Language
• All mothers are experienced, although varied
• Topics covered
• My behaviour as SOS Mother – Positive Attitude
• Importance of being SOS Mother – Self motivation

University of Jaffna Capacity / Skills Development Programmes for Employees Post-workshops report - February 2024

• The workshops at University of Jaffna were arranged through Staff Development Centre with the guidance and support of Professor Vijayakumar, Career Guidance Counsellor, Mr Gauthaman with the approval of Professor M Siyamalan, Career Guidance Director Coordinator.

Management Assistants

Scope & Coverage

• Held on 07/02/2024 from 09:00 hrs - 13:00 hrs
• Approx 70 members attended
• Tamil Language
• Participants with varied experiences over 10 years at least
• Topics covered – Positive Attitude Towards Work, Motivation to work, Etiquettes

University of Jaffna Students’ Champions Workshops Post-workshops report - January / February 2024 – Phase 1 & 2

• The workshops at University of Jaffna were arranged with the guidance and support of Career Guidance Counsellor, Mr Gauthaman with the approval of Professor M Siyamalan, Career Guidance Director Coordinator.

Scope & Coverage

• Third year batch Arts Faculty Students
• Multiple subject streams
• Programme is expected to guide them towards their career through life skills
• Tamil Language
• Already completed their Phase 1 in Zoom in May 2021 and subsequently, individually completing pre assessment google form questionnaire shortlisted approx. 40 students out of approx. 160 for Phase 2
• Law students
• Multiple years / batches
• To benefit from their role as future potential law makers / advocates to serve the community at large
• English Language since bilingual students

Topics covered in Phase 1 - 1 Day

1. Attitude towards a student’s life – education & behaviour
   How to build the character with the help of education?
2. Motivation towards the importance of education
   Questions to assist with brainstorming to come-up with ideas for speeches at the end of this activity.
1. What do you want to achieve academically
2. What behaviour are you trying to change?
3. What level of commitment do you have to accomplish this behavioural change?
3. Team compatibility - self-motivation through team work and learn to respect each other’s views
4. Career Guidance

Topics covered in Phase 2 – February 2024– 3.5 Days

1. Recap of Phase 1
2. Personality development
3. Developing the right attitude
4. Self-awareness
5. Motivation and Goal setting
6. Communication skills (Part – A)
7. Presentation skills – based on the social topics
8. Communication skills – Digitalisation
9. Social awareness – raising awareness of the topics which are impacting the society as a whole
10. Career Guidance – as Champion

3. Computer Science Final Year Students - Interview skills & Preparation Programme

• At the request of Prof M Siyamalan, also conducted additional workshop for 3 hours on 29 January 2024 in the afternoon for approx. 70-80 students an Interview skills & Preparation Programme known as ‘How to Face and Ace in an interview: 3 phased learning’. This session was requested in order to prepare for the oncoming Careers Fair for the final year Computer Science students in English language.

Game Changer: Career Guidance Programme for Schools in Northern Province through effective and smart engagement of all parties involved

• Provide a sustainable and transparent model through clear strategy for career guidance programmes at schools to the benefit of students for them to make an informed choice of his / her career

University of Jaffna - Students’ Champions Skills Development Workshops

• Life skills development for students – phased programme
• Coaching for Career Guidance Awareness Sessions at Schools

General - Capacity building workshops and awareness sessions for communities as follows

• Kalmadu Nagar project sustainable livelihood programme
• Roll-out career guidance programme for youth aged between 15 – 20 years
• Schools Social Awareness Programmes covering principals, teachers, students & parents
• Northern Province Health staff
• Northern Province Sri Lanka Administrative Staff
• Village empowerment programmes to raise awareness of gender based violence, alcohol / drug abuse and other anti-social behaviours

Empowering Women Workshops – 2016

• Capacity building workshops reaching 280 women across all 5 districts in Northern Province
• Phase 1 workshops to highlight the difference between the current reactive / dependent culture Vs motivated & confident women who want to start living independently
• Equip them with positive attitude & being aware of self to understand own strengths
• Phase 2 workshops covering emotional stability, leadership skills & problem solving
• Phase 3 workshops identifying & covering further education / vocational training / income generation / livelihood projects for the same group of women and building a long term support system

Creating Social Awareness Programme amongst school teachers & children – 2016

• Programme approved by the Northern Provincial Council Education Ministry to 7 schools covering all 5 districts approx 1,200 students. Through direct interaction with students, we designed the programme as follows
• Phase 1: motivation and attitude towards education
• Phase 2: Personality development, learning style and career guidance
• Rolled out the Teaching Faculty Development programme covering leadership skills, class room management and teaching methodology for 50 teachers in June
• Continue to raise awareness to students of their future choice of education, career options, to protect self from other dangers, equip them with the right skills and empower them to live a value based life style



Jaffna Teaching Hospital – ‘Service with Smile’ – 2016



programme completed covering 90 employees including consultants, doctors, nurses, health assistants, management and administrative staff members. We have also submitted a report with 30 observations and recommendations to improve the service by the hospital.



Northern Provincial Council – ‘Service with Sincerity’ - 2016



• Completed covering Engineers and Accountants and further capacity building programme has been identified to multiply training to reach all staff.