Ravi Kandiah
Substance Use Control Consultant and Trainer,
Director – FISD
Ravi Kandiah holds a Master of Science from University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka and a diploma in Development Studies from University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He counts three decades of work experience on Substance Use Control with progressively increasing responsibilities since 1988. He worked as the Research Officer, the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board, Sri Lanka up to 2004. He was involved in conducting pioneering research on Heroin Users in Sri Lanka and publishing research reports and research papers on it, assisted by United Nation’s Organization for Drug Control (UNODC). He was also involved in designing and institutionalization of a Computerized Monitoring System on Drug Abuse in the Sri Lanka.
Mr. Kandiah designed and conducted counselling and programmes for outpatient drug users and prisoners convicted for substance abuse offences. He served as a visiting lecturer on research methodologies for Diploma in Drug Abuse Management Studies (DDAMS) at the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. He has authored and co-authored several books and documents on substance use including alcohol and other drugs and represented Sri Lanka at several UN and other international forums.
Since its inception in 2011, he served as the Programme Advisor, Alcohol, Drugs and Development Programme and Manager Research and Outreach, He served as a resource person on prevention and treatment on alcohol, tobacco and other drug use in English, Sinhala and Tamil languages. He was involved in designing and implementing projects for reduce alcohol and substance use for socially marginalized groups, Internally Displaced Persons and tsunami affected populations.
He is one of the founding directors of FISD and the Programme Manager, Alcohol, Drug and Development Programme and a Director since July 2011. He served as Vice-President, Sri Lanka Federation of Non- Governmental Organizations Against Drug Abuse (SL FONGOADA) and Joint Co-coordinator, National Alcohol Policy Alliance.