SOYAMU: searching for origins in Sri Lanka

Were you adopted from Sri Lanka and are you considering a search for your biological family or your origins? Through the SOYAMU project, INEA, in collaboration with Fiom/ISS and SERVE, supports adult adoptees in a careful, people-centered, and adoption-sensitive manner in their search for their origins. 

In July 2026, INEA traveled to Sri Lanka as part of the preparation and implementation of the SOYAMU pilot. The purpose of this trip was to further shape the collaboration with the local partner organization SERVE, make agreements regarding implementation, and jointly explore how search requests from adoptees can be supported in a careful and responsible manner. 

During the project trip, INEA spoke extensively with SERVE about the practical implementation of SOYAMU. This once again highlighted the extent to which local knowledge and involvement are required for search processes in Sri Lanka. With SOYAMU, INEA, Fiom/ISS, and SERVE are establishing a program for adult intercountry adoptees from Sri Lanka to collect, verify, and interpret available information regarding ancestry, identity, and adoption history. 

This is important because adoption records from Sri Lanka, particularly from the period of the 1960s to the 1990s, are not always complete or reliable. Some records contain conflicting information. Sometimes documents are missing, names are spelled differently, or birth dates and places are difficult to verify. As a result, a search can raise many questions, and every record requires careful assessment. 

An important part of the project trip was a two-day training session for involved professionals. The following themes were covered: adoption sensitivity, the process of searching for biological family in Sri Lanka, DNA testing within searches, and intercultural communication. For INEA and SERVE, these training sessions underscored once again that for an adoptee, the search is not only a practical or legal matter, but also an emotional and personal process. 

SOYAMU operates based on clear principles: careful verification, privacy, informed consent, trauma-aware practice, and the  Do No Harm  principle. This means looking not only at what can be found, but also at what is safe, responsible, and respectful for all involved. Biological family members also have a right to dignity, protection, and freedom of choice. 

A search offers no guarantee of answers, contact, or reunion. Sometimes biological family is found, sometimes only information can be confirmed, and sometimes a search remains open due to insufficient leads. However, the SOYAMU project offers guidance, preparation, and aftercare so that you, as an adoptee, do not have to bear this search alone. 

INEA hopes that this pilot contributes to greater clarity, recognition, and careful support for adoptees from Sri Lanka. A project like SOYAMU is supported not only by documents and processes, but above all by collaboration, trust, and the shared responsibility to support the search process of every adoptee carefully, respectfully, and humanely.