Leadership Network member reconnects with his Roots
When Tharaka Munidasa was growing up in New Zealand, family holidays to Sri Lanka left him restless and curious. The Asia New Zealand Foundation Leadership Network member arrived in New Zealand as a four month old, when his parents left political uncertainty in their home country.
Tharaka Munidasa
“I was always curious,” Tharaka says of Sri Lanka. “Our two-week trips based on Mum and Dad’s leave were never enough for me.”
That early hunger to understand the place his family came from grew into a mission: reconnecting Sri Lanka with its global diaspora, while giving a next generation of leaders a chance to rediscover the place that shaped their roots.
Today, Tharaka is back in Sri Lanka, leading efforts to connect the country with the talents of professionals abroad through Project Roots, developed with support from Sir Owen G. Glenn and the Glenn Family Foundation (GFF) HELPS programme.
Tharaka with DreamSpace Academy in Batticaloa Sri Lanka
The first GFF Project Roots immersion programme, held in July, hosted 15 young changemakers from Sri Lankan communities across New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada.
“They got to explore the country in a way that only locals would know, to really show them what Sri Lanka is about,” Tharaka says.
Participants were partnered with local start-ups and not-for-profits based on their skills, creating opportunities for meaningful volunteering and “knowledge exchange”.
One stand-out project showcased to the group was the Sanasa Uththamavi development initiative, which supports rural women to raise chickens and earn an income, while helping make Sri Lanka self-reliant in egg production.
Elsewhere, participants partnered with Dream Space Academy, a social enterprise helping school leavers and young adults build practical skills in technology and entrepreneurship.
There was also time for language classes, professional networking, and self-reflection.
“Unpacking all of that journey was an important part of the programme,” Tharaka says.
The experience was topped off with a homestay, to provide a deeper, authentic connection to the communities they had visited.
For Tharaka, this first cohort demonstrated the untapped potential of Sri Lanka’s global diaspora.
SANASA Youth club in Kegalle Province, Sri Lanka
This has led to Project Roots joining forces with the Aram Initiative under the Impact Collective banner, working to synergise skills and finances among Sri Lanka’s ethnic communities and work with government on policy settings to help capitalise on offshore communities.
The team’s advocacy now extends to a growing movement lobbying for a pathway to permanent residency for diaspora returnees—people of Sri Lankan heritage who were born or raised abroad and want to contribute long-term.
“We can’t stop people leaving—that’s their own decision—but what we can do is reconnect the diaspora: there are approximately three million abroad who have a deep, or potentially deep, connection to Sri Lanka,” he says.
“The goal is to unlock that potential, to make it easier for people like us to learn and share knowledge, invest, or even move back and support the country to thrive.”
His own journey is testament to how powerful bridging the gap can be for “third-culture kids”.
After graduating university with a degree in mechanical engineering, having his first “roots” experience through the GFF HELPS programme and embarking on a typical Kiwi OE to the United Kingdom, Tharaka changed tack and bought a one-way ticket to Sri Lanka at 28.
Tharaka at the Good Life X networking event in Colombo
He pitched the seed of Project Roots and GFF HELPS Sri Lanka to entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist Sir Owen G Glenn, who gave him the green light to pursue it.
“They were obviously worried,” he recalls of his parents’ first reaction. “The Sri Lanka they left was not the same Sri Lanka I came back to. We had differing perceptions.”
But as his time in his parents’ birth country stretched on, Tharaka developed a deeper understanding of himself and his place in the world.
“I felt this deep connection, I really understood myself, and I really felt empowered,” he says.
“I finally realised what makes me Sri Lankan, but also what makes me Kiwi, and I felt really proud of both, because growing up I didn’t feel like I was part of either fully.
“Now, I am an ambassador of both. I get to navigate both worlds.”
The Asia New Zealand Foundation Leadership Network equips the next generation of Kiwi leaders to thrive in Asia. We provide members with the connections, knowledge and confidence to lead New Zealand’s future relationship with the region.
