Members of the Sri Lankan community in Washington D.C. metropolitan area made a generous donation of USD 10,000 (LKR 3,095,000.00) on 18th December 2025 to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ fund established by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in support of the ongoing flood relief efforts.

The USD 10,000 was raised by the Sri Lankan community of Washington D.C. by organizing the ‘Rebuild Sri Lanka: Food Bazaar’, held on 14th December 2025 at the Washington D.C. Buddhist Vihara temple premises, under the aegis of the Most Venerable Maharagama Dhammasiri Nayaka Thero, Chief Prelate of North America and Chief incumbent of the Washington Buddhist Vihara.

The donation was officially presented to His Excellency Ambassador Mahinda Samarasinghe by Mr. Sampath Alexander, co-organizer of the event. Mr. Alexander represented the organizers, including Wasana Rajapakshe, Samadara Jayarathne, Shanaka Jayawardhana, Thilanka Nishad, as well as other members of the Sri Lankan community and donors who participated and contributed to the fundraising event. This presentation took place in the presence of Venerable Maharagama Dhammasiri Nayaka Thero at the Washington D.C. Buddhist Vihara.

The Ambassador, while thanking the Sri Lankan community for the generous contribution, outlined that Americans of Sri Lankan origin across the USA have contributed significantly to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ fund, either individually or collectively. Ambassador Samarasinghe went on to say that with this most recent donation of USD 10,000, a total of USD 27,000 (LKR 8,358,000.00) has now been handed over to the Embassy for transfer to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ fund established by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

On behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, Ambassador Mahinda Samarasinghe expressed his sincere gratitude to the Most Venerable Maharagama Dhammasiri Nayaka Thero and the Sri Lankan community in the United States for their generous support in rebuilding Sri Lanka following the recent catastrophic floods. The Ambassador also commended the community for their continued commitment and encouraged them to sustain their commendable efforts.

Embassy of Sri Lanka

Washington D.C.

19 December 2025