#StayHomeStory competition initiated by Sarvodaya-Fusion in collaboration with ICTA and Facebook

Sarvodaya-Fusion with The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) and Facebook, launched the #StayHomeStory competition on 12 April, on their Facebook and Instagram pages, with the aim of spurring all communities to be creative and productive regardless of their age during this lockdown period. Social media users can enter this competition through the hashtag #StayHomeStory by sharing their story of staying at home in a creative manner. Individuals or family units can select a medium such as paintings, short videos, cartoons, photographs, and animations, and they can post their entries on their own timeline using Facebook and Instagram platforms with any hashtag #stayhomestory/# ගෙදරකතා/#வீட்டில்தங்கும்கதை on or before 15 May.   

Entries will be grouped into Art, Video and Photography categories. All participants will be rewarded with a data pack. Cash prizes and valuable gifts will be awarded to the final winners of each group.

“Through this campaign we are hoping that the creative process will spread positivity, reduce people’s stress levels and lead them to be more productive,” said Sarvodaya-Fusion General Manager Maithree Malwattegoda. “It will also give an opportunity for people to engage and express their solutions and activities that they have adopted at home, to overcome difficulties faced by them.”

Sri Lanka, as well as the world is currently undergoing an unprecedented crisis battling to control the deadly virus COVID-19.  We have learned that here in our island, lifestyles of people including children have become disrupted and frustrating, as they are confined to their homes with little or no social contact. “It is true that there is physical distancing under the ongoing curfew, but we hope the social interactions online will make them feel less isolated,” Malwattegoda said

Further, this campaign aims to reach the offline community and encourage them to become familiar with the use of digital means to communicate by sharing their stay-at-home experiences. ICTA expects citizens will be encouraged to effectively adopt digital applications and services during this lockdown season.

In addition, Sarvodaya-Fusion and ICTA intend to make use of these public engagement platforms to educate communities and address concerns people have on the epidemic.