Man builds cricket community for Beirut’s migrant workers
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Sugath Priyanta Fernando, a Sri Lankan migrant in Beirut, Lebanon, organizes weekly cricket matches that have become a vital support network for South Asian and African workers.
Arriving in Lebanon 30 years ago as a migrant himself, Fernando began the gatherings in 1997 and moved them to a lot near St. Joseph Church several years ago, expanding the network to include women.
The cricket matches provide migrants with a sense of community and a reminder of home, but also serve as a central point for practical assistance. Fernando helps fellow migrants with visa issues, employment concerns, and navigating Lebanon’s kafala system, which ties a worker’s legal status to their employer. He connects those in need with local churches, NGOs, and embassy personnel, often acting as a first point of contact during crises. Fernando’s efforts have had tangible results.
He recently helped reunite a woman with her mother in Beirut and assisted another migrant in securing funding to start a small business. During times of conflict, like the recent war with Iran, the cricket ground became a place for sharing important information, with the Sri Lankan Embassy using the gatherings to reach its citizens. Fernando says he is motivated by a desire to pay forward the help he received when he first came to Lebanon.
