October 17, 2017 – Today marks the 25 th anniversary of the United National declaration of the International Day to End Extreme Poverty. Compared to many other countries in the world, Sri Lanka has done well in ending extreme poverty. Between 2002 and 2012, extreme poverty in Sri Lanka decreased from 8.3% to 1.9% while the national poverty level fell from 22% to 6.7% during the same period. Read the latest poverty brief and the two-part series on understanding poverty in Sri Lanka to learn more.
The big picture of poverty in Sri Lanka may be different when we zoom in on individuals and communities. In order to understand individual perspectives and opinions, this year we have opened up an opportunity for Sri Lankans to share their views on Sri Lanka’s Vision to End Poverty. We welcome your views in the form of a short blog post on why you believe #itspossible to end poverty in Sri Lanka. Below are some questions to get you thinking. You need not capture all of them, or be restricted to answering just these questions, but we are interested in hearing from you on these themes.
- Do you feel that you have more opportunities than your parents did at your age? Why or why not?
- How could more openings be created for you and your peers?
- Do you believe that the future will provide more prospects than the present?
- What are you most excited about and most discouraged by in terms of available opportunities in Sri Lanka?
- Do you think it is possible to end poverty in Sri Lanka? As individuals, can we contribute to making this goal a reality?
- How do you think the reforms listed in Vision 2025 can contribute to ending poverty in Sri Lanka?
- All participants must be registered with us through the online form available here. Follow the submission instructions detailed there.
- You will be requested to provide a short biography and profile picture which will become your profile, and accessible from the article(s) you write if selected by the panel of editors.
- In keeping with the style of a blog, we would love to see you give it a personal touch.
- Submissions may not be more than 500 words.
- Plagiarism is strictly prohibited and will lead to immediate disqualification. If you are quoting the work of anyone else in your blog, please take care to attribute it correctly.
- Don’t forget to give your submission a title, and a final read-through. Try to ensure you submit a clean draft without grammatical or typographical errors.
Submission of articles:
- We accept submissions in all three languages. (English/Sinhala/Tamil)
- Submissions must be new and original work that have not been previously published (this includes articles published in your school newspaper, or on other websites or blogs).
- You will be required to post your blog on our Facebook Event Page – “Ending Poverty: The Road to 2025”
- We will only consider one submission per individual. Submitting more than one blog will not increase your chances of promotion to the final round.
- The shortlist will be chosen by a review panel. Their decision is final.
- The selection panel will consist of World Bank staff working for South Asia Region and representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Media.
- Participants will be judged on the basis of content, style, originality and their handling of the theme #itspossible to end poverty in Sri Lanka and Vision 2025.
- Pragmatic solutions grounded on practical examples will score points
- All participants can follow the shortlisting process through our event page
- Winners will be announced through our Facebook Page and via email.
- The first 15 entries will receive a World Bank branded End Poverty T-shirt.
- The best 3 entries will be featured on World Bank South Asia End Poverty blog space.
- The 3 winners will be invited to blog in this space with hands on mentoring support from specialists.
- Eligibility: All Sri Lankans based in the country.
Feature Story: Vision 2025: Sri Lanka's Path to Prosperity
Facebook Event: The Road to 2025
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