The team from Colombo comprising Sankhitha, Navodhanie, Hiran and Sanjit were joined by Sujith, Thushani and Madusanka from the Matara office.
The following locations were visited by the team
- Matara Town
- Walpola (community briefing)
- Thihagoda
- Kirinda
- Hakmana
- Beliatta
- Dickwella
The RTI truck was deployed in close proximity to the Main Bus Stand, and dockets were distributed to pedestrians as well as shopkeepers in the vicinity. The street drama was also performed for the first time – it was very entertaining, and drew a sizeable crowd. In the drama, a master puppeteer and his apprentice have been invited to perform at a function organized by Transparency International Sri Lanka. On their way to the event, they encounter a man who appears to be in distress. He informs them that his son has not been admitted to a school, despite having all the requisite qualifications. The master and apprentice then inform him (and the audience gathered) about the potential use of the RTI Act in this situation, and exhort the man to file an information request about it.
While the play was in progress, the resource persons spoke to those gathered, educating them about the Act and distributing dockets.
A briefing was then conducted for a community that had been convened near a school in Walpola. The RTI truck and street drama were used again, and Navodhanie conducted a briefing on the Act and its potential uses. Dockets were distributed among those gathered, and they engaged the resource persons about problems they were facing.
The other locations were covered over the course of the day. The RTI truck and street drama were deployed at conducive and feasible locations, while the primary mode of awareness raising was the distribution of dockets and one-to-one engagement by resource persons. The final location for the day was Dickwella; the street drama and RTI truck were used at the Main Bus Stand, and many bystanders were engaged by the team members.