The words "Jana Suwaya" translate into English to mean "soothing the masses". The organisation itself is indeed acting out these words and has brought hope to many village communities since its conception in 1994.

Jana Suwaya was first established in Hambantota, a rural district which lies on the South East coast of Sri Lanka. The scheme was the vision of the MP for the Hambantota district, Sajith Premadasa. Hambantota remains one of the least developed regions of Sri Lanka, with most of its population leading a hand-to-mouth existence through fishing, small-scale agriculture, salt-farming and tourism. 27.8% of Hambantota's 575,000 population live in poverty, compared to the national average of 19.2%. An average household in Hambantota is estimated to have an income of 41.62 GBP (9392 Sri Lankan rupees). The estimated per capita income is 9.68 GBP (2162 Sri Lankan rupees).

During the past 13 years, Jana Suwaya has worked to uplift the economic and social standards of the people of Hambantota. The infrastructure of the region has been strengthened through the construction of a number of buildings for the provision of health and educational services. These include :

- 60 health centers, specifically providing maternal and child medical care
- 8 youth development centers, focusing on training in vocational and technical skills
- 160 secondary school classrooms
- 220 village pre-schools
- 10 model pre-schools

These projects have been funded by a number of national and international donors. However, the success of the projects has been achieved with the active participation and leadership of the people of Hambantota. Jana Suwaya presently maintains the day-to day running of some of these facilities.