- Program Name: Transforming women-headed households post-war into Entrepreneurs to provide a livelihood for their families
- Program Country: Sri Lanka – Northern Sri Lanka (Districts of Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Mullaithivu
- Timeframe: 2016 – 2019
- Budget: RM 6.85 Million
About Transformation Plan
26 years of war has uprooted thousands of people in the northern and eastern regions of Sri Lanka.
Approximately 15% of these households are now headed by women, who are former farmers but have lost their homes and assets. Most infrastructure such as irrigation systems, pipelines, wells, clean water, and sanitation was destroyed due to the war.
The women are now largely in a destitute state where they have no permanent houses, except for approximately 20% of households who have houses constructed by the Indian Government, a Japanese Foundation, and World Vision.
New social problems have invaded some of the villages in the North (namely Vavuniya and Kilinochchi)
Increasing debt
- Although the Indian Government has given LKR 550 000.00 to construct a house, the women have also taken loans ranging from LKR 250 000.00 to LKR 500 000.00 to complete construction of their houses which has led to high debts.
Neglected children
- The women do not have a sustainable income to sustain themselves, their children, and sometimes their aged parents. Some have left their families to seek employment as maids in the Gulf Region or to work as labourers with salaries less than LKR 10,000 per month.
- As there are no Day Care Centres, their children are left in the care of their aged parents, or with neighbours or with extended families. Eventually, the children are either abandoned or neglected and stay with family members who have their own children to care for, and who live in poverty themselves.
- Psychological problems are then developed which is a phenomenon we see in a certain percentage of the children whom we sponsor under our “Sponsor A Child” Programme.
Domestic violence
Alcoholism
To transform 1000 Women Headed Households in the North and East of Sri Lanka into Women Farmers from 2016 to 2019.
A collaborative partnership between TECH Outreach and the INGO / Local NGO to coach and handhold the women farmers from initiation to fruition over a 12-month period, after which an exit strategy will be planned at the end of the 24th month.
It’s seven years since the war ended in May 2009. Having lived in Internally Displaced Camps going through hardship and torture, they now find themselves displaced again in locations either unfamiliar to them or in their original villages where their homes and assets are destroyed – these women deserve a break in their struggle and strife, and a “new lease of life”, especially those in the Districts of Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Mullaithivu, and Jaffna.
Partners need to consider the following initiatives to enhance the living conditions and livelihoods of these women farmers:
- Strengthening their capacity to become self-sufficient
- Introducing sustainable agricultural opportunities
- Introducing high yield, disease-resistant seeds, and strains of crops
- Improved production and productivity in agricultural produce
- Farming techniques and access to capital for farming tools and storage
- Connecting women farmers to markets and facilitating integration into better value chains
- Developing agricultural markets for women farmers
A Three-Phase Transformation Plan has been proposed for 2% of the 50 000 women-headed households in the North of Sri Lanka.
To transform 1000 women-headed households into successful women farmers with sustainable agricultural farms over three years from August 2016 to September 2019.
This will require total funding of RM 6.85 Million over 3 years inclusive of Operating Expenses of 20% for:
- administering the agricultural farming scheme
- helping the women develop their businesses, as in knowledge transfer, skills training, and business coaching
- helping the women market their products to contract farmers and wholesalers through an integrated value chain
RM 6.85 Million will fund 1000 women at RM 6857.00 per woman
Year 1 – Transform 300 women at RM 2.075 Million
Year 2 – Transform 400 women at RM 2.7 Million
Year 3 – Transform 300 women at RM 2.075 Million
RM 1.1 Million is for the operating expenses of the Local NGOs in Sri Lanka, the Project Coordinator in Sri Lanka, and the TECH Outreach Project Team to mobilise the project.
To cross the poverty line of LKR 25 000 per household
- Ideally, earn a minimum of LKR 60 000.00 per household to help them sustain themselves. At present, with a RM 1000.00 loan for an income generation project, a successful woman earns LKR 2500.00 to LKR 3000.00 a week, which is LKR 10 000.00 to LKR 12 000.00 per month.
- Transform her business to generate LKR 12000.00 to LKR 15 000.00 per week which is LKR 48 000.00 to LKR 60 000.00 per month at the end of 12 months.
The locations identified for the transformation are the areas affected by the 2009 war – Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Mullaithivu, Jaffna. The women selected are those who fall under the bottom 20% of the pyramid in terms of household income, which is below LKR 25 000.00 household income per month, and who have skills in agriculture and fishing.
The women have to meet four key criteria to qualify for the agricultural farming scheme:
- Must own a piece of land more than 1/4 acre
- Must be engaged in some form of farming at present
- Must be willing to become women farmers
- Must have repaid fully the micro-credit loans taken from TECH for their income generation projects