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-international award winning community organisation operating 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

Uplifting young lake managers and youth 2025
Empowering youth with our incredible learning methods.
Organics All Around 2024
Organic farms, healthy communities
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.
World Mangroves Day 2024
Connecting partners, creating impact.
Greater impact for greater sustainability.
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. Our initiative is leading to over 2000 solar cookers being distributed as subsidised costs for vulnerable communities to cook with, create large scale cooked goods for sale and drying.
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.
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.
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.
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 and learning with our team of graduates from global top 10 universities.
Mangrove 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 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 employing Sri Lankan staff and 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
Volunteer from Belgium
Connect with us
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info@emace.org
Our presence in Sri Lanka, India and the Maldives.
EMACE Foundation Sri Lanka