EMACE Foundation

Welcome to EMACE
Over the past 30 years we have worked with our partners to make Sri Lanka better.
We are now creating greater impact by supporting vulnerable communities through social enterprise, conflict resolution, disability rights and social justice to empower our communities to ensure no one is left behind across Asia.
We are a multi-award winning community organisation delivering impact
for 3 decades.
UN Decade of Restoration Award, Sri Lanka's best Environmental NGO Award.

Vision
Creating a healthy, vibrant, progressive responsible participatory community sector which contributes to social cohesion, equality and justice.
Mission
To protect basic human rights of the most vulnerable people to support the attainment of adequate means of income generation, health care, education, security and environmental sustainability, while actively influencing government and industry towards greener policies and practices.
Gallery
Our work is all about making a positive community change.
News and upcoming events

World Migratory Bird Day 2025
Protecting wetlands
Our youth gathered early morning to explore our wetlands guided by our expert onsite.
Youth Brigade 2025
Connecting the past and present
How our youth are engaging with the current conditions.
Australian Delegation 2025
Empowered communities
We welcomed a very supportive and insightful delegation from the Australian government to showcase our ongoing impactful work.
Research and development 2025
Innovation in motion
Bringing our in house engineering and sciences team to innovate with partners in China.
Greater impact 2025
Bridging growth
Working within the UN frameworks for impact.
Community led enterprises 2025
All about growth
Our community members are learning and engaging on scaling up our newest products.
Organics All Around 2024
Healthy communities
Ensuring that our communities are healthy without effluents from chemicals.
Presidential Environment Award 2024
Winning for impact
EMACE received the Best Environmental NGO Award for 2024.
UN Decade of Restoration Award 2024
Global impact through the decades
EMACE work has culminated in the UN Decade of Restoration Award 2024.
Engineering solutions 2024
Supporting innovation
Growing our suport for new innovations through engineering.
World Mangroves Day 2024
Connecting partners, creating impact.
Greater impact for greater sustainability.
Beestastics 2024
Product to market
Available via our partnering outlets from our communities.
World Mangroves Day 2023
Connecting partners, creating impact.
World Mangroves Day with a program with 200 Presidential Environmental Pioneers.
Marine systems 2023
Conserving and protecting
Protecting our seas
Bees 2022
Regenerative landscape restoration
Bees are the main ingredient for sustainable agriculture.
EMACE field team in Action 2022
Mangroves and communities
We are working on an exciting project linking policy, communities and conservation.
Solarising Communities 2020
Enabling vulnerable communities with income
Solar cookers are a great way of saving money, minimising women's inhalation of toxic firewood.
Protecting our lake - one trilingual board at a time 2020
Communicating effectively
We at EMACE are proud to support the conservation of Bolgoda Lake in collaboration with Central Environmental Authority and the Ministry of Environment to construct over 30 trilingual (Sinhala, Tamil and English) displays around the Bolgoda Lake which depict the Bolgoda Lake Environmentally Protected Zone.
Endorsement by the President of Sri Lanka 2019
EMACE was commended by HE the President of Sri Lanka Maithreepala Sirisena, while being issued with a statement of our work especially with our partners upon the completion of the RPTM Conference 2019 in November 2019.

Newspaper feature 2019
We have been featured in the newspaper!
Our conference was featured in the newspaper and other media.
Rehabilitation and Protection of Tropical Mangrove Ecosystems 2019
A conference for the future
EMACE is organizing and hosting an international conference in Sri Lanka with international expertise and local stalwarts to create a knowledge exchange and best practices adoption to contribute to policy changes in Sri Lanka in line with the National Policies and the Sustainable Development Goals.
EMACE Photography Competition 2019
Open for All!
EMACE has organized an islandwide Photography Competition which is open to all nature lovers on the Beauty of Bolgoda Lake. With exciting prizes including cash and plaques and certificates, the competition will support the most discerning nature photographers in the country.
Ministry of Education and EMACE Zonal Art Competition 2019
Inspiring the next generation of environmentalists!
EMACE in partnership with the Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka is organizing the Zonal Art Competition 2019 on the theme of the "Beauty of Bolgoda Lake" to inspire young artists from the zonal schools to gain prizes for their creative artwork of the Bolgoda Lake and its beautiful ecosystem.
Community gardens 2017
Back to a growth economy
Our community gardens are thriving especially during the drought because of the commitment of our community members.
Our work
With rich history of 30 years of impact, with our resource persons and partners, we deliver diverse initiatives across Sri Lanka.

Environmental conservation and protection
Without our environment, we are nothing
Scientific greening of areas affected by unplanned development, reforestation, biodiversity conservation and the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals.
Legal aid and advocacy
Empowering youth, women and communities legally
We ensure that communities who need access to legal information, legal aid and support are able to access it through us. Our advocacy work engages civil and community groups in gaining land rights, human rights, transparent legal processes and become empowered to take a stand especially through paralegal training.
Human Rights and Gender Justice
Equality and support for all
We work with the most vulnerable communities to provide adequate support including mental health support to gain the necessary means of empowerment.
Solar support for vulnerable communities
Solar for now and for the future
Our work revolves around creating access and promoting Solar cookers, Solar units, Solar maintenance and Solarization of existing electricity grid and firewood dependents.
Sustainable livelihood development and organic agri-business
Sustainable green jobs for a greener future
We provide consultations through experts and societies, training and skills building, technical knowledge exchange and capacity building.
Cottage businesses for women
Empowering women, empowering families
Skills building, capacity development and consultancy for start-up, small and medium entrepreneurial women who are taking charge of their financial futures.
Income generation assistance for vulnerable communities
Income generation for communities in conflict affected areas
EMACE and the team dialogued, designed, implemented and supported 200 new economic initiatives in diverse sectors including apparel and farming.
Rebuilding affected schools in Northern Sri Lanka
Creating harmony and co-existence
Working towards better harmony and better education initiatives to rebuild our people.
Volunteer and intern development programme
Volunteering for personal and organizational development
We engage and build up our volunteers' skills and capabilities in becoming the next generation of changemakers, be it through research, innovative solution creation and project implementation.
Education Academy and Research
Learning to suit the times
We build communities through vital research, engineering and learning with our team of graduates from global top 10 universities.
Mangrove and marine ecosystems
Protecting our marine systems
Youth Brigade
Our latest youth integrated initiatives
Volunteer with us
Join us and develop yourself as a change-maker!
EMACE's volunteer program initiated in 2010 is a way for people to invest their skills, minds, and hearts in support of EMACE’s mission. We operate a sustainable volunteer programme in which we recruit a small number of volunteers who have the skills to make a contribution to our work. We are committed to invest in up-skilling and training this staff, as well as developing our project areas. Accordingly, our skilled volunteers will ideally make a significant contribution to staff and project development.

Minimum requirements for a Volunteer Placement with us:
3-6 month time commitment.
Proven experience of at least one year in one of our project areas, as follows:
Community Development practice
Youth Work practice
Disability Development practice
Environmental Conservation (experience with Mangroves preferred)
Sustainable farming methods
Human Elephant Conflict project experience
Fundraising
We would also welcome volunteers with a working knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals and their implementation across our project areas.

What we can offer a skilled volunteer:
Accommodation
Significant experience in our dynamic project work
Ability to shape areas of work where experience is relevant
Basic expenses
Free time to enjoy the wonders of Sri Lanka
Message from one of our volunteers:
What our volunteers say about us
Dear Volunteers,
I am contacting you on behalf of EMACE Foundation. In the context of my volunteer work, here at EMACE, I have visited the Seevalipura (Wanathamulla) line housing (underpriviledged slum-type housing). EMACE Foundation carried out a development program about twenty years ago here. We gathered information about this program and looked at the old pictures. We decided to visit this shanty and see the impact of this program in the present time. In the resources tab you can find a short report that Bryan De Bel (also a Belgian volunteer) and I wrote. I think you will be pleasantly surprised about the sustainability of the project! The community leader even mentioned the need for expansion and renovation(for the drainage system), because of its success and the flourishing of the community.
Do not hesitate to contact me should you have further questions. I hope you will enjoy the report!
Kind regards,
Magali Tinck in 2014
Volunteer from Belgium
Connect with us
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Some of our supporters and collaborators
Our resources
Our publications to inform and support impact
Publications
Green Justice - Voices of a Generation is a first of it's kind publication reflecting youth perspectives and more importantly, solutions.
Our creative and engaging publications to reflect community voices and made for diverse audiences with our tri-lingual and multi-ethnic staff.
Data and Research
Research and data documentation.
Documents
Our research documents and other publications.