- by Dien S Yuen
With the decades-long military conflict in Sri Lanka between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ending, there is much that needs to be done to help the country rebuild. During these times, it is usually the diaspora that provides the much needed funds. In the U.S., many Sri Lankan Americans continue to have close ties with their homeland. Some still have family there, others have built strong business ties, and many continue to keep close tabs on how the country is progressing and perhaps, even hope to return there.
We do not hear about the contributions of Sri Lankan Americans in the mainstream news but like all other Asian groups, I know their philanthropic impulses are strong and many do give back. After the tsunami, many Sri Lankans Americans came together and supported disaster relief and recovery efforts. But where can I find information about their giving patterns - who do they support? How do they give? What drives them to give? Some ancedotal stories and examples of individual philanthropists do exist but I have not been able to find any studies or research that capture the understanding and complexities of their philanthropy.
Last week, I had the opportunity to spend some time with a Sri Lankan American, community leader and philanthropist. He came to the U.S. in 1984 after the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists. After completing his undergraduate and MBA degree from prestigious schools on scholarship, he was recruited to help run a small company. Years later, he is now doing well and continues to be involved with his two communities - one in Sri Lanka, one here in the San Francisco Bay Area.
I asked my new Sri Lankan American friend why he was so invovled in charity work. He explained that growing up, his mother never invited friends over for dinner during the holidays. Instead, she always cooked dinner for the less fortunate. Over the years, these little small gestures were examples he followed. Now, he shows his children by example, inviting them to be active in his philanthropic decisions and most important, encouraging them to find their own causes. Like some of my other Asian friends, he and his wife were very adamant about being anonymous donors.
This was my first opportunity to learn more about the Sri Lankan American community and their giving patterns. When working with Asian American donors, the first thing I normally do is dig into the U.S. Census data in order to understand why and how they came to the U.S. I also try to find out where they are located and start searching for community groups, non-profits, and professional associations that naturally forms.
The earliest Sri Lankans to enter the United States were classified as "other Asian." In 1975, Sri Lankans were classified separately for the first time in immigration records; 432 immigrated to the U.S. In 1990, there were 14,448 Americans with Sri Lankan ancestry. Recently, 35,000 Sri Lankan Americans were living in the Los Angeles area. Many of them settled in other large cities such as Chicago, New York, Newark, and Miami.
Since the history of Sri Lankans in the U.S. is relatively new and small, there are no giving studies to be found on Sri Lankan Americans. The next best thing I had was to look at the giving patterns of Sri Lankans in Sri Lanka. While it is not a perfect comparison since there are many religious, linguistic and cultural differences even within the country of Sri Lanka, I hope to able to get a better sense of what matters to them the most. But I know that every individual has a unique reason for leaving their home-country and this could affect why, how, and what they give to.
Luckily, APPC (Asian Pacific Philanthropy Consortium), the only organization to promote and support philanthropy in the Asia Pacific, recently published the first study on individual giving in Sri Lanka. With my new friend, I hope to learn more about the Sri Lankan Americans and their experiences, history and what motivates them to give.
Supported by The Asia Foundation, the study, the Measure of Giving in Asia Pacific: Sri Lanka, hopes that the knowledge generated by the study will "highlight more local resources and encourage non-profit institutions to consider individuals as potential givers and a more sustainable source of funding. For government, gaining information about individual giving may encourage the development of a more enabling environment for philanthropy. For philanthropists, it might help them benchmark their giving. Finally, for organizations that wish to encourage more individual giving, it may provide the background for technical assistance to the philanthropic process."
Highlights from the Measure of Giving in Asia Pacific: Sri Lanka:
500 + individuals were interviewed in urban and rural areas in December 2007. Respondents were asked about their contributions, volunteerism, and/or donations in cash or in-kind, what kind of organizations they had supported, why they had supported such organizations, and how much they gave. Below are some key findings:
* 99% of the respondents made cash donations, on average, about 3 to 4 times a month in the 12 months preceding the survey. 93% made goods donations about twice month in the year preceding the survey. 54% volunteered their time, once to twice monthly
* The practice of philanthropy is not new; people in Sri Lanka have been engaging in philanthropy for about 20 years. Family tradition (90%) and religious traditions (67%) created their awareness of philanthropy.
* Beggars and religious organizations (91%) were the largest and most-preferred recipient groups. The disabled, children/orphans, and senior citizens are amongst the most supported causes.
* Before deciding to give, most respondents cited the need to know how the organization is managed, the activities and programs, and their impact on their beneficiaries.
* Motivations to give included culturally rooted family traditions, compassion, and religious belief. Rural respondents cited family traditions, a sense of moral and social responsibility, and a desire to feel good about themselves.
* When giving to organizations, it was important to believe in the work of the organization and to trust the advocates of the organization. For rural respondents, the advocates must be prominent in society.
If you know of other resources on Sri Lankan philanthropy, please feel free to share it. I would like to do a follow up post on this same topic so that others may also benefit from the research.
Resources:
Sri Lanka Foundation is a U.S. 501 C (3) non-profit organization formed in April 2003 by Walter Jayasinghe, M.D., a well-known Sri Lankan-American physician in Los Angeles. With its head office in Los Angeles, California, the main focus of Sri Lanka Foundation is to promote Sri Lankan culture in the United States and globally.
The One Sri Lanka Foundation is committed to developing and implementing humanitarian projects in Sri Lanka that will transform seeds of devastation into seeds of restoration, strengthening community values and rehabilitating families and victims of the war that has plagued Sri Lanka for the past nineteen years.
Written by Olivia Miller, Sri Lankan Americans, provides a look inside the history, culture, language, food and experience of Sri Lankans in America.
The American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies (AISLS) was established in 1995 to foster excellence in American research and teaching on Sri Lanka, and to promote the exchange of scholars and scholarly information between the United States and Sri Lanka. The Institute serves as the professional association for US-based scholars and other professionals who are interested in Sri Lanka.
Lankatown is an online portal of news and resource for the Sri Lankan community in North America.
Photo courtesy of mckaysavage
