ISD Kandy - Institute of Social Development
The Institute of Social Development (ISD) was formed in 1991 by a group of people from the plantation community who were committed to the upliftment of their community. In part, the formation of ISD was stimulated by the global crisis of the 1980s that saw the collapse of the Soviet Union, further economic rationalism, increasing globalisation and the end of the Cold War. These changes to the international system required a re-evaluation of social development activities throughout the world. In this context, three of the founding members of ISD initiated a discussion in 1990 to evaluate the social development activities of plantation NGOs and their own experiences.
As a result of these discussions in 1990, ISD concluded that it is possible for an individual or organisation to play the role of a ‘midwife’ or a change agent in the process of development; however the main actors must be the people themselves. Consequently the primary focus of ISD programmes became the creation of awareness in the community. This is has been done through the promotion and strengthening of people’s organisations and addressing issues such as illiteracy, human rights, the environment, employment and working conditions, women and children, and health.
