Pakistani community around the world has raised tens of thousands of dollars to provide direct support to the family of the late Priyantha Kumara Diyawadana who was recently murdered by a mob in Sialkot.
On December 3, the 48-year old Sri Lankan national, who was working as an export manager at a private entity, was murdered by the workers outside the factory in Sialkot. Since then, there has been an overwhelming outpouring of support from communities both near and far.
A dynamic people-to-people campaign was created to help the victim’s widow and children. 100% of the funds raised will go directly to the family for their immediate and long term needs. The organisers have already made the necessary arrangements to ensure the first milestone payment of the donations made to date is deposited into the victim’s widow’s bank account (approximately 2.5 Million Sri Lankan Rupees).
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To date, nearly $16,000 CAD has been raised and the organizers continue to encourage everyone to donate in order to reach the $50,000 CAD goal. With additional significant contributions already confirmed, organizers are aiming to achieve this goal in time for the virtual memorial on December 18th. This will also be a time for communities across the world to show their collective support for the grieving family. Details of this event, including login information, will be provided in the coming days.
“Based on the combined efforts of the Pakistani communities around the world, we have already reached 30% of the goal within a matter of days,” said Mr. Azim Rizvee, organizer of the People-to-People Campaign. “While no amount of money can erase this tragedy, our campaign hopes to lessen the burden of the victim's family in some way.”
Thanks to the team ambassador in Sri Lanka, campaign organizers also had an opportunity to personally speak with the victim’s widow, Ms Nilushi Dissanayake, to express their condolences and to share news about the campaign. Recently, Mr. Rizvee met with Ms. Dissanayake and her children through a video conference app to provide an update about the efforts in place.
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“This campaign is not just about providing financial assistance,” Mr. Rizvee said, “It’s also about rallying the community to provide comfort and hope to a family that is experiencing a devastating tragedy.”
On December 13, campaign organizers will be meeting with the Consulate General of Sri Lanka, Mr. Kapila S. Jayaweera, in Toronto, Canada to discuss the next steps; they also plan to be in touch with PM Imran Khan’s office in Pakistan in this regard. In addition to the long-standing friendship and trust between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, organizers expressed confidence that both communities would work together so the victim’s family gets the support they need now and in the years to come.
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