With groundwater having been contaminated, there was an urgent need for the continuous supply of drinking water. SSGF contributed to this effort by funding water projects in villages in affected coastal districts.
A typical case is the water project that is progressing fast at Kuruppukanda in Godagama. The 21-member CBO was provided with Rs 650,000 (US$ 6,370)* to dig a 24-foot deep well, from which water will be pumped using a 2-HP pump to an overhead 10,000-litre PVC tank. The CBO has decided on PVC because, based on research that they carried out, it was discovered that cement tanks spring leaks after some time.
The programme will make water accessible to thirty houses that comprise a post-tsunami settlement, which has been dependent on bowsers until now. Three public water taps also feature in the plans and have been incorporated in the funding.
Thereafter, members of the CBO have decided to lay pipelines to each house and share that cost between themselves. The cost of electricity for pumping water will also be borne by the CBO out of the members’ contributions – without depending on grants.
___________________________________________________________________________________
* All conversions have been effected at the exchange rate prevailing on December 30th 2005: US$ 1 = SL Rs 102.09
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Low-cost Kitchens with Ventilation
In another significant initiative, SSGF funds have been deployed to construct external kitchens.
It had been observed that women were prone to respiratory diseases because of cooking smoke that circulated inside the house due to poor ventilation. To remedy this situation, an NGO designed low-cost kitchens with chimneys for tsunami-affected houses. These are customised to suit the height of the primary user of that household and cost Rs 38,000 (US$ 370) apiece. As a value added service, the NGO also provides advice on how to optimise the limited space in the kitchen, including positioning of cooking ingredients.
Explaining the concept, the NGO says, “The residents of this locality do not seem to have paid attention to air pollution when the house was being built. In less affluent households, residents suffer from various respiratory ailments due to trapped kitchen smoke.”
“We devised a 2-burner clay cooker that is fuel-efficient and emits much less smoke. With assistance from UN’s South - South Grants Facility, we have built kitchens quipped with chimneys or escape vents. We build the kitchens with brick instead of wood, to avoid the element of risk. Several aid agencies have done the same, replicating this design.”
It had been observed that women were prone to respiratory diseases because of cooking smoke that circulated inside the house due to poor ventilation. To remedy this situation, an NGO designed low-cost kitchens with chimneys for tsunami-affected houses. These are customised to suit the height of the primary user of that household and cost Rs 38,000 (US$ 370) apiece. As a value added service, the NGO also provides advice on how to optimise the limited space in the kitchen, including positioning of cooking ingredients.
Explaining the concept, the NGO says, “The residents of this locality do not seem to have paid attention to air pollution when the house was being built. In less affluent households, residents suffer from various respiratory ailments due to trapped kitchen smoke.”
“We devised a 2-burner clay cooker that is fuel-efficient and emits much less smoke. With assistance from UN’s South - South Grants Facility, we have built kitchens quipped with chimneys or escape vents. We build the kitchens with brick instead of wood, to avoid the element of risk. Several aid agencies have done the same, replicating this design.”
Home Furniture Supplier to Arpico
Carpentry was probably in his genes. As a child, Milantha Dias used to potter around in the workshop adjoining his home at Poralawella in Moratuwa, started by his father. Fascinated by the sights and sounds of the trade, Milantha decided to pursue the same profession. He enrolled for a three-year full-time course in Special Woodwork at the Apprenticeship Training Institute (a Joint Sri Lankan – German project in Moratuwa).
Even before the tsunami wreaked its havoc, Milantha was on the verge of completing the course. The deadly waters damaged his father’s workshop and equipment, but failed to dampen Milantha’s entrepreneurial spirit. Milantha was happy and relieved when he fortuitously established contact with an NGO called Laksetha.
Milantha was determined to make the most of this new lease of life. To fund his requirement of working capital, Milantha joined a CBO formed by Laksetha with a membership of one hundred individuals. The CBO had Rs 700,000 (US$ 6,860) in its revolving fund, of which Milantha applied for – and obtained - an interest-free loan of Rs 65,000 (US$ 640).
Although he undertakes to fabricate all types of furniture, Milantha specialises in ornate bedroom furniture. A leading chain of department stores is his main customer. He supplies furniture to this company on a regular basis. His sales turnover averages Rs 130,000 (US$ 1,275) per month and Milantha targets a 40% margin. “When you manufacture quality products at a reasonable price,” he says, “word gets around – and business has picked up.” Consequently, Milantha has been regular in repaying his loan instalments - Rs 1,000 (US$ 9.80) every week.
Milantha has hired two assistants to help him cope with the increased workload. Unlike many others in the carpentry trade, he is safety-conscious too – probably due to the specialised training that he has undergone. He insists that his assistants wear their goggles to protect their eyes from flying wood splinters; dust filters ensure that they do not inhale the fine dust particles.
Assistant Chinthaka Fernando carves up a plank with a Black & Decker jigsaw; this piece will probably find its way into a Colombo household, as a bedstead. Displaying his Special Woodwork certificate with a look of justifiable pride on his young countenance, Milantha looks on. He would not have made it this far had it not been for the SSGF.
Even before the tsunami wreaked its havoc, Milantha was on the verge of completing the course. The deadly waters damaged his father’s workshop and equipment, but failed to dampen Milantha’s entrepreneurial spirit. Milantha was happy and relieved when he fortuitously established contact with an NGO called Laksetha.
Milantha was determined to make the most of this new lease of life. To fund his requirement of working capital, Milantha joined a CBO formed by Laksetha with a membership of one hundred individuals. The CBO had Rs 700,000 (US$ 6,860) in its revolving fund, of which Milantha applied for – and obtained - an interest-free loan of Rs 65,000 (US$ 640).
Although he undertakes to fabricate all types of furniture, Milantha specialises in ornate bedroom furniture. A leading chain of department stores is his main customer. He supplies furniture to this company on a regular basis. His sales turnover averages Rs 130,000 (US$ 1,275) per month and Milantha targets a 40% margin. “When you manufacture quality products at a reasonable price,” he says, “word gets around – and business has picked up.” Consequently, Milantha has been regular in repaying his loan instalments - Rs 1,000 (US$ 9.80) every week.
Milantha has hired two assistants to help him cope with the increased workload. Unlike many others in the carpentry trade, he is safety-conscious too – probably due to the specialised training that he has undergone. He insists that his assistants wear their goggles to protect their eyes from flying wood splinters; dust filters ensure that they do not inhale the fine dust particles.
Assistant Chinthaka Fernando carves up a plank with a Black & Decker jigsaw; this piece will probably find its way into a Colombo household, as a bedstead. Displaying his Special Woodwork certificate with a look of justifiable pride on his young countenance, Milantha looks on. He would not have made it this far had it not been for the SSGF.
Turtle Conservator Protects People Too
“On the deserted Rekawa beach, we watched by torchlight as an endangered 200-kg Green Turtle laid its eggs. We had trudged through miles of soft sand to observe this miracle of nature. With bated breath, we counted 106 ping-pong ball-sized eggs that would hatch in seven weeks. The nest protectors of Turtle Conservation Project had done it again!”
- Eyewitness account
The stated objective of Turtle Conservation Project (TCP) is to devise and facilitate the implementation of sustainable marine turtle conservation strategies. When Co-ordinator Thushan Kapurusinghe arrived in Rekawa in 1993, the locals were poaching turtles and their eggs. Urbanisation and development of tourist resorts along the coast had already depleted nesting grounds of the turtles and pushed these prehistoric reptiles to the brink of extinction.
Since 1996, Kapurusinghe has been working with local communities, nudging them towards alternate livelihoods, converting turtle poachers to turtle protectors! He explains, “Especially in the third world, coastal people depend on the sea and its resources for their survival. We don’t believe that punishment is the solution; if you put a poacher in jail, his son will take over… We are trying to provide alternate sources of livelihood that will reduce environmental pressure.”
For eight years, the TCP toiled and brought about a transformation that had not seemed possible in the beginning. “You can’t protect turtles by treating them as a separate species,” says Kapurusinghe. So, he set about protecting the entire ecosystem – replanting mangroves and other beach vegetation, and restoring sand dunes in Kosgoda.
Things were progressing well until that fateful day in December 2004, when everything went wrong. Three nest protectors lost their lives in the tsunami, their houses washed off, beach huts were swept away and project activities were badly affected.
On a broader scale, many people of Kosgoda and Rekawa lost lives, livelihoods and property. These were poor but diligent people who belonged to a community that was engaged in self-supporting activities to make ends meet. Fishing was the predominant profession, but many were adept at making items like batik, lace or coir. They lost much of their machinery and materials in the tsunami.
With SSGF funding support, TCP was able to restore turtle protection activities. From a societal standpoint, TCP also undertook to develop livelihood and infrastructure, both in Kosgoda and Rekawa, to put these communities back on their feet again.
Their project proposed to develop urgently needed basic facilities like water supply, toilets, and roads to improve the living conditions of the people. Through TCP, SSGF supported the construction of ten public toilets, the completion of roofs of five half-built houses, the repair of a road and the construction of shelters at two bus stops. Running water supply was assured through the construction of tube wells. A makeshift library at the TCP office is patronized by the children of Rekawa; its shelves were lined with books in Sinhala and English. A community centre is now under construction where the children’s library is to be housed permanently.
Many popular vocations in the villages - like coir production, lagoon fishing, masonry, brick making and confectionaries – were supported by the TCP. Livelihood development activities included ornamental fish breeding, batik designing, and tailoring. With an eye on the future, employability of the village youth was improved by conducting classes in English and computing.
The stated objective of Turtle Conservation Project (TCP) is to devise and facilitate the implementation of sustainable marine turtle conservation strategies. When Co-ordinator Thushan Kapurusinghe arrived in Rekawa in 1993, the locals were poaching turtles and their eggs. Urbanisation and development of tourist resorts along the coast had already depleted nesting grounds of the turtles and pushed these prehistoric reptiles to the brink of extinction.
Since 1996, Kapurusinghe has been working with local communities, nudging them towards alternate livelihoods, converting turtle poachers to turtle protectors! He explains, “Especially in the third world, coastal people depend on the sea and its resources for their survival. We don’t believe that punishment is the solution; if you put a poacher in jail, his son will take over… We are trying to provide alternate sources of livelihood that will reduce environmental pressure.”
For eight years, the TCP toiled and brought about a transformation that had not seemed possible in the beginning. “You can’t protect turtles by treating them as a separate species,” says Kapurusinghe. So, he set about protecting the entire ecosystem – replanting mangroves and other beach vegetation, and restoring sand dunes in Kosgoda.
Things were progressing well until that fateful day in December 2004, when everything went wrong. Three nest protectors lost their lives in the tsunami, their houses washed off, beach huts were swept away and project activities were badly affected.
On a broader scale, many people of Kosgoda and Rekawa lost lives, livelihoods and property. These were poor but diligent people who belonged to a community that was engaged in self-supporting activities to make ends meet. Fishing was the predominant profession, but many were adept at making items like batik, lace or coir. They lost much of their machinery and materials in the tsunami.
With SSGF funding support, TCP was able to restore turtle protection activities. From a societal standpoint, TCP also undertook to develop livelihood and infrastructure, both in Kosgoda and Rekawa, to put these communities back on their feet again.
Their project proposed to develop urgently needed basic facilities like water supply, toilets, and roads to improve the living conditions of the people. Through TCP, SSGF supported the construction of ten public toilets, the completion of roofs of five half-built houses, the repair of a road and the construction of shelters at two bus stops. Running water supply was assured through the construction of tube wells. A makeshift library at the TCP office is patronized by the children of Rekawa; its shelves were lined with books in Sinhala and English. A community centre is now under construction where the children’s library is to be housed permanently.
Many popular vocations in the villages - like coir production, lagoon fishing, masonry, brick making and confectionaries – were supported by the TCP. Livelihood development activities included ornamental fish breeding, batik designing, and tailoring. With an eye on the future, employability of the village youth was improved by conducting classes in English and computing.
The literal translation of the word ‘rekawa’, from which the village derives its name, means protection. It refers to the protective enclosure that was erected when King Dutugemunu (167-137 BC) wanted to catch elephants. For the people of Rekawa village, however, it could well mean the protection provided by the TCP.
Batik Designer and Entrepreneur
At the Tangalle pola (market), tourists – both foreign and local – crowd around the colourful handicraft stalls. Garments and locally produced goods are available at a fraction of the retail prices that the urban shopping centres command. An Englishwoman bargains and buys a beautiful turquoise-blue batik sarong – an exclusive Jayanadee creation - for Rs 450 (US$ 4.40).
R P Jayanadee is a 23-year-old girl who designs and manufactures batik garments, but her story is still unfolding… Her father was a fisherman who died when she was just five years old. The family eked out its precarious existence by hiring out their most prized possession – a motorised boat. That was lost in the tsunami. They got a new engine and fishing nets, but few fishermen need to hire these without a boat. It was time for a change of profession.
When Jayanadee heard that Turtle Conservation Project (TCP, an NGO) was conducting training on batik making, she was interested. She roped in her sister Karunavatee and a friend – Piyaseeli, who had lost her house in the tsunami – to attend training with her. Trainers from Kosgoda, specialists in the art of making batik, taught them the skill.
“We attended classes once or twice a week, depending on the tutor’s availability,” Jayanadee recounts. She was simultaneously doing her GCE Advanced Level and completed her exams successfully. She followed that up with a basic computer course.
The NGO supplied a sewing machine, a table and ten yards of fabric to each trainee. Wax, dyes, cans, kerosene and other consumable materials were also provided free. Subsequently, the NGO provided another 20 yards of fabric - or the cash equivalent, if the trainee did not immediately need the fabric.
Blessed with an artistic temperament, Jayanadee manages the design element. “I do all the drawings myself, freehand, without stencils,” she says proudly. Karunavatee and Piyaseeli get actively involved in the batik manufacturing process. The sisters’ mother finishes the tailoring of garments. A cousin who runs a shop in Moneragala provides them with another avenue to sell their colourful wares.
The loss of their motorised boat could have left this family high and dry. However, the batik training has given them an alternate profession and their living standards have improved. But there is much more that needs to be done.
The family needs a large cauldron for boiling the material that would enable them to increase output. They are aware of the benefits of increasing scale without having had the opportunity to attend classes on economics. “It is uneconomical to make just two pieces at a time,” they insist. Even as they use their gloved hands to demonstrate the batik-making process, the family expresses the need for tongs and better implements. Current reality is not proving to dampen their ambition one bit. Karunavatee elaborates, “We have all the skills to convert raw material into finished product. We just need to expand, increase productivity and go to the customer; we are not getting the right price now.”
Jayanadee comes across as a young and confident professional; she dreams of starting a big factory. “Of course I hope to get married some day,” she says, “But I want to develop this industry first. I want to train and employ the people of my village in batik-making.”
R P Jayanadee is a 23-year-old girl who designs and manufactures batik garments, but her story is still unfolding… Her father was a fisherman who died when she was just five years old. The family eked out its precarious existence by hiring out their most prized possession – a motorised boat. That was lost in the tsunami. They got a new engine and fishing nets, but few fishermen need to hire these without a boat. It was time for a change of profession.
When Jayanadee heard that Turtle Conservation Project (TCP, an NGO) was conducting training on batik making, she was interested. She roped in her sister Karunavatee and a friend – Piyaseeli, who had lost her house in the tsunami – to attend training with her. Trainers from Kosgoda, specialists in the art of making batik, taught them the skill.
“We attended classes once or twice a week, depending on the tutor’s availability,” Jayanadee recounts. She was simultaneously doing her GCE Advanced Level and completed her exams successfully. She followed that up with a basic computer course.
The NGO supplied a sewing machine, a table and ten yards of fabric to each trainee. Wax, dyes, cans, kerosene and other consumable materials were also provided free. Subsequently, the NGO provided another 20 yards of fabric - or the cash equivalent, if the trainee did not immediately need the fabric.
Blessed with an artistic temperament, Jayanadee manages the design element. “I do all the drawings myself, freehand, without stencils,” she says proudly. Karunavatee and Piyaseeli get actively involved in the batik manufacturing process. The sisters’ mother finishes the tailoring of garments. A cousin who runs a shop in Moneragala provides them with another avenue to sell their colourful wares.
The loss of their motorised boat could have left this family high and dry. However, the batik training has given them an alternate profession and their living standards have improved. But there is much more that needs to be done.
The family needs a large cauldron for boiling the material that would enable them to increase output. They are aware of the benefits of increasing scale without having had the opportunity to attend classes on economics. “It is uneconomical to make just two pieces at a time,” they insist. Even as they use their gloved hands to demonstrate the batik-making process, the family expresses the need for tongs and better implements. Current reality is not proving to dampen their ambition one bit. Karunavatee elaborates, “We have all the skills to convert raw material into finished product. We just need to expand, increase productivity and go to the customer; we are not getting the right price now.”
Jayanadee comes across as a young and confident professional; she dreams of starting a big factory. “Of course I hope to get married some day,” she says, “But I want to develop this industry first. I want to train and employ the people of my village in batik-making.”
Some Beneficiaries Speak Out
Malani Karunadasa, resident of Rekawa (Hambantota):
My husband is a fisherman. He does not own a boat; he and his mates hire boats when they go out to sea. Earlier my husband used to collect and sell turtle eggs for a living. But ever since the TCP began operations, he works with them as a turtle nest protector. He works five or six days a week (night shifts) at the beach.
We have three children, all of whom have finished schooling.
We lost our house and all its contents to the tsunami.
I have received training in batik designing by the TCP. The additional income we make on sale of garments with batik motifs helps our family
We earn enough to look after the basic day-to-day needs of our family.
T N Ariyasena, Carpenter:
I am a carpenter and live here in Rekawa. Prior to the tsunami, I used to work at a tourist hotel. That was destroyed during the tsunami. I escaped certain death because I had come home for the holidays. However, all my carpentry tools were lost in the disaster.
This electrically-operated, multi-purpose carpentry unit costs around Rs 39,500 (US$ 387). TCP gave me Rs 50,000 (US$ 490) and I also used my own money to buy some other equipment. I pay the TCP back in small instalments.
There are new machines now for intricate woodwork such as carving. I would like to own such machines in the future.
Earlier I had to work very hard to earn Rs 1,000 (US$ 9.80) per day. But, with this machine, I can easily earn Rs 2,000 (US$ 19.60), if there is enough work. This grant has helped me to improve my standard of living.
Thushani Marahinwewa, Class XIII student:
I am an Arts student at the Thangalu Balika Mahavidyalaya. I plan to become a teacher in the future.
I have learnt Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint at the TCP Computer Training Centre.
As a child I used to come here to the TCP book library. I am happy that the TCP is doing a lot of good work for our village.
My husband is a fisherman. He does not own a boat; he and his mates hire boats when they go out to sea. Earlier my husband used to collect and sell turtle eggs for a living. But ever since the TCP began operations, he works with them as a turtle nest protector. He works five or six days a week (night shifts) at the beach.
We have three children, all of whom have finished schooling.
We lost our house and all its contents to the tsunami.
I have received training in batik designing by the TCP. The additional income we make on sale of garments with batik motifs helps our family
We earn enough to look after the basic day-to-day needs of our family.
T N Ariyasena, Carpenter:
I am a carpenter and live here in Rekawa. Prior to the tsunami, I used to work at a tourist hotel. That was destroyed during the tsunami. I escaped certain death because I had come home for the holidays. However, all my carpentry tools were lost in the disaster.
This electrically-operated, multi-purpose carpentry unit costs around Rs 39,500 (US$ 387). TCP gave me Rs 50,000 (US$ 490) and I also used my own money to buy some other equipment. I pay the TCP back in small instalments.
There are new machines now for intricate woodwork such as carving. I would like to own such machines in the future.
Earlier I had to work very hard to earn Rs 1,000 (US$ 9.80) per day. But, with this machine, I can easily earn Rs 2,000 (US$ 19.60), if there is enough work. This grant has helped me to improve my standard of living.
Thushani Marahinwewa, Class XIII student:
I am an Arts student at the Thangalu Balika Mahavidyalaya. I plan to become a teacher in the future.
I have learnt Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint at the TCP Computer Training Centre.
As a child I used to come here to the TCP book library. I am happy that the TCP is doing a lot of good work for our village.
Tales from the Eastern Districts
Polmuddai (Population: 15,000) is a quaint coastal settlement located 55 kilometres from Trincomalee, in the East of Sri Lanka. The area has been the scene of recent battles between the militants and Sri Lankan forces. Accessibility by road is circuitous and it takes two ferry rides before one reaches the settlement from Trincomalee. The journey takes over three hours due to the treacherous roads with scores of checkpoints.
The population of Polmuddai is predominantly Muslim (90%), with the remainder being an almost equal sprinkling of Tamils and Sinhalese.
A A Cader is the leader of Rural Development Society (a CBO in Polmuddai that focuses primarily on the rehabilitation of women). He is also the vice-principal of a local school and a member of the Pradeshya Sabha (the local governing body). The CBO has been given US$ 15,000 as a grant from SSGF.
With this funding, the CBO has dug wells in two villages. Besides, women have been trained in tailoring and equipped with sewing machines. Fishing nets, with which the male members of the CBO trawl for prawns in the lagoon, have also been made available.
Sixteen-year old Fathima Rinoza, one of the tailoring beneficiaries, was taught the basics of tailoring at home and been provided with a sewing machine. She lost her father before the tsunami and has to support her two younger sisters and a differently-abled brother. This responsibility compelled her to discontinue studies at the secondary level itself. She specialises in stitching attire that is sought after by members of her community - abayas and salwar kameezes. She cuts the fabric herself and charges Rs 100 (US$ 0.98) for tailoring an outfit, which typically takes her one day.
Sulaiha Umma is a 63-year-old woman whose family lost its house and property in the tsunami. When the tsunami stuck, her husband was casting his net for fish. The shock traumatised him so much that he became seriously ill and died.
Despite receiving Rs 5,000 (US$ 49) as an SSGF grant, Sulaiha spent most of it on food, because she had no other means to survive. When she had just Rs 1,000 (US$ 9.80) left, she met some ladies who make coconut oil – and, using that money as an initial investment, bought a few coconuts. That was the commencement of a cottage industry for her.
Sulaiha cuts coconut kernel and dries it in the sun. Thereafter, she takes the ferry to the neighbouring village, where she personally supervises the grinding to ensure that her coconut oil is free of adulteration. Finally, she returns to her village, where she boils the oil and sells each bottle of pure coconut oil for Rs 130 (US$ 1.27). Demand is good, but business fortunes vary based on the availability of coconuts. Sulaiha’s ambition is to start a shop selling coconut oil and other provisions, for which she needs Rs 50,000 (US$ 490).
Kinniya, a small peninsula accessible by ferry, is located fifteen kilometres South-West of Trincomalee. The small town, which was badly affected by the tsunami, has a 100,000-strong population consisting predominantly of Muslims (97%).
A K F Rishana, who is in her early twenties, mobilized a team of ten seamstresses who already knew some tailoring. Each of them received an SSGF grant of Rs 10,000 (US$ 98) through an NGO called ASAD (Association for Social Activities Development) Foundation. The money was used to buy six sewing machines and necessary materials like fabric, buttons and bows. This CBO has enough work within the community of women around them itself; there is no need to prospect for work. The girls are conservative, contented with tailoring the abaya and hijab, and have no intention of diversifying into fashion garments.
Talking of her experience, Rishana says, “Although I knew a little tailoring, I did not think of it as a profession. But when we lost everything, it was time for me to start contributing to the family’s coffers. We formed this CBO because the team concept is better than doing it as an individual. I am grateful to SSGF and the ASAD Foundation who gave us training, machines and textiles. I am proud to have received management training in accounting and marketing techniques, which has helped us to do this business.”
The population of Polmuddai is predominantly Muslim (90%), with the remainder being an almost equal sprinkling of Tamils and Sinhalese.
A A Cader is the leader of Rural Development Society (a CBO in Polmuddai that focuses primarily on the rehabilitation of women). He is also the vice-principal of a local school and a member of the Pradeshya Sabha (the local governing body). The CBO has been given US$ 15,000 as a grant from SSGF.
With this funding, the CBO has dug wells in two villages. Besides, women have been trained in tailoring and equipped with sewing machines. Fishing nets, with which the male members of the CBO trawl for prawns in the lagoon, have also been made available.
Sixteen-year old Fathima Rinoza, one of the tailoring beneficiaries, was taught the basics of tailoring at home and been provided with a sewing machine. She lost her father before the tsunami and has to support her two younger sisters and a differently-abled brother. This responsibility compelled her to discontinue studies at the secondary level itself. She specialises in stitching attire that is sought after by members of her community - abayas and salwar kameezes. She cuts the fabric herself and charges Rs 100 (US$ 0.98) for tailoring an outfit, which typically takes her one day.
Sulaiha Umma is a 63-year-old woman whose family lost its house and property in the tsunami. When the tsunami stuck, her husband was casting his net for fish. The shock traumatised him so much that he became seriously ill and died.
Despite receiving Rs 5,000 (US$ 49) as an SSGF grant, Sulaiha spent most of it on food, because she had no other means to survive. When she had just Rs 1,000 (US$ 9.80) left, she met some ladies who make coconut oil – and, using that money as an initial investment, bought a few coconuts. That was the commencement of a cottage industry for her.
Sulaiha cuts coconut kernel and dries it in the sun. Thereafter, she takes the ferry to the neighbouring village, where she personally supervises the grinding to ensure that her coconut oil is free of adulteration. Finally, she returns to her village, where she boils the oil and sells each bottle of pure coconut oil for Rs 130 (US$ 1.27). Demand is good, but business fortunes vary based on the availability of coconuts. Sulaiha’s ambition is to start a shop selling coconut oil and other provisions, for which she needs Rs 50,000 (US$ 490).
Kinniya, a small peninsula accessible by ferry, is located fifteen kilometres South-West of Trincomalee. The small town, which was badly affected by the tsunami, has a 100,000-strong population consisting predominantly of Muslims (97%).
A K F Rishana, who is in her early twenties, mobilized a team of ten seamstresses who already knew some tailoring. Each of them received an SSGF grant of Rs 10,000 (US$ 98) through an NGO called ASAD (Association for Social Activities Development) Foundation. The money was used to buy six sewing machines and necessary materials like fabric, buttons and bows. This CBO has enough work within the community of women around them itself; there is no need to prospect for work. The girls are conservative, contented with tailoring the abaya and hijab, and have no intention of diversifying into fashion garments.
Talking of her experience, Rishana says, “Although I knew a little tailoring, I did not think of it as a profession. But when we lost everything, it was time for me to start contributing to the family’s coffers. We formed this CBO because the team concept is better than doing it as an individual. I am grateful to SSGF and the ASAD Foundation who gave us training, machines and textiles. I am proud to have received management training in accounting and marketing techniques, which has helped us to do this business.”
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