Paths to Progress

Paths to

Progress

Stories of Hope, Resilience and Par tnerships

Printed by SCF Printers & Publishers

A Publication of the United Nations Development Prog ramme in Sri Lanka

‘Paths To Progress’ published in 2015 shares a series of inspring stories compiled over the period of 2013 & 2014.

The publication is available online at www.lk.undp.org © UNDP Sri Lanka

ISBN978 -955-1031-49-7 United Nations Development Programme, 202-204 Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07, Sri Lanka Tel: +94 11 2580691 - Ext. 1500 | Fax: +94 11 2581116 | Web: www.lk.undp.org | Social Media: @UNDPSriLanka

Paths to

Progress Stories of Hope, Resilience and Par tnerships A Publication of the United Nations Development Prog ramme in Sri Lanka

We are grateful to the individuals and officials who shared their inspiring stories with us.

Their stories are a reflection of the unwavering resilience of the human spirit.

Foreword Improving lives of people by enhancing opportunities available to them and building their resilience to cope with disasters is at the heart of what we do in Sri Lanka. We seek to reach the most vulnerable communities by partnering with all key stakeholders to promote inclusive and sustainable development.

In Sri Lanka over the past 60 years, we have worked with partners and will continue to build and share solutions to some of the most critical challenges the Country faces. Responding to the Country’s changing development context, our work varies from providing direct support to communities as they looked to restart their lives after the end of the conflict, to building sustainable livelihoods and strengthening the skills of individuals and community organizations to help formulate supporting policies.

Our work, at both the policy and programming level, also focuses on enhancing public service delivery, improving access to justice, protecting the environment, responding to disasters and mitigating the risks they pose, and bringing together communities kept apart by conflict to improve interaction and understanding

between and among them. Women and youth are two groups that we have especially targeted, recognizing that they often face specific challenges in terms of economic empowerment and access to services.

This publication essentially captures the stories of the people; individuals, members of community organizations and government officials. They are stories of hope and resilience. Stories of positive change at an institutional and policy level and stories of partnerships and of sharing knowledge and solutions.

But, above all, they are stories of people empowered to build a resilient Sri Lanka.

This year started on an encouraging note, with the Country Office engaging into new areas of support and responding effectively to emerging opportunities for expanded collaboration with the Government of Sri Lanka. As a key development partner, we stand committed to working closely and in partnership with the Government of Sri Lanka, our partners and the people of Sri Lanka to make a positive contribution to the development of Sri Lanka.

Subinay Nandy UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative

Jorn Sorensen UNDP Country Director

Acknowledgements We are grateful to Razina Bilgrami, Country Director a.i. (May 2010 to August 2014) for her guidance during the compilation of this publication and for steering the team at all stages of the publication and also Lovita Ramguttee, our Deputy Country Director for her encouragement and support.

We would also like to thank Fadhil Bakeer Markar, for his vision and prowess in identifying as well as defining the key focal points of the publication. A special and sincere thank you to Madhushala Senaratne for her dedication and commitment as the lead author and manager of this publication.

Our appreciation is also extended to the talented team of writers, Taryana Odayar and Avindi Perera, who undertook the task of penning the stories in this publication and our team of language translators, Jegajananie Ravi, Vijayakumar Navaneethan and Prehashini Jeevaretnam.

This publication was possible because of the unstinted support and valuable input of many members of the UNDP team in Sri Lanka. We would like to acknowledge the generous support of Zoe Keeler in editing the publication and Amanthi Wickramasinghe, Dhanushki Abhayaratne, Kenosha Kumaresan, Randima Jayasinghe and Shermane Silva for their contributions. A special note of appreciation to the UNDP Field Office colleagues as well as the Programme staff who helped us connect with the individuals whose stories are depicted in this publication.

We are also grateful to the layout designer Hanim AbdulCader for breathing life into our publication.

Inside this Publication Recovery

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Community champions

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Producer organizations

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Enhancing public service delivery

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Strengthening access to justice

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Promoting social cohesion

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Strengthening emergency response

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Managing the environment

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Policy level engagement

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With the end of the conflict in 2009, there were still many individuals who had to face the grueling and uphill struggle of rebuilding their lives and regaining their lost livelihoods. During this time, UNDP supported these individuals through the restoration of infrastructure and the provision of financial assistance to restart their livelihoods. The following are the stories of these individuals, and their unique journeys towards self-empowerment.

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Recovery

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A Place to C all ‘HOME’ Subramaniam Logeswary, who lives in Thihilivettai, a small village in Batticaloa, was just one of the thousands of civilians who were displaced numerous times due to the conflict. Her plight was made even worse by not having her husband around, which meant that she was solely responsible for raising her young son.

“My son and I faced several challenges when we were homeless, and many times we felt that we just couldn’t find an easy way out of our problems,” recalls Logeswary.

Challenges kept coming their way. Returning to their village in 2008 when it was safe, Logeswary and her young son found themselves without a home, barely any money, and struggled just to meet some of their most basic needs.

Recognising that severe infrastructural constraints were holding back the social and economic advancement of the villagers in Thihilivettai, UNDP stepped forward to build permanent housing as well as to provide other community based infrastructure in 2008. For instance, through the Transition Recovery Programme, UNDP constructed housing units, roads, drainage systems and common wells, supported the restoration of livelihoods, offered micro-finance support, and even took on the challenging role of promoting post-war social integration and transformation efforts.

Specifically, under UNDP’s Community Rehabilitation Project - III, 47 permanent houses were constructed in the village, providing Logeswary and many others comfortable living conditions and a place to stay.

UNDP worked together with FAO, ILO, UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP in a unified move to construct and upgrade gravel access-roads and culverts for the villagers under the Recovery Coordination Initiative.

Today Logeswary has converted one of the rooms in her house into a rice mill and also bought herself a sewing machine; both of which have helped her generate sufficient income to support herself as well as her young son. Now a content and secure Logeswary tells us that her son’s future looks brighter, and so do the lives of the other displaced families and individuals whose stories have not yet been told.

Smilingly, she says, “Now, we all have a place we can truly call ‘home’.”

This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Transition Recovery Programme, under its Community Rehabilitation Project – III supported by the Government of Canada and the Livelihood Development Project, supported by the Government of Japan.

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The Road to Recovery Pilliyan Thambiappu and Ratnam Sodimuththu, who live in Thihilivettai in Batticaloa, have been engaged in dry-fish making and ground nut production for several years in order to meet their day-to-day needs. However, the lack of a proper access-road has made sustaining their already frugal income even more challenging.

“We faced many difficulties in accessing the market, and this was worse during the rainy season; the entire area would get flooded. Our houses would go under water and we could hardly walk along the road.”

In 2011, a much needed 1km-long, tarred access-road with 3 culverts was constructed in Thihilivettai under the Japan Livelihood Development Project of UNDP’s Transition Recovery Programme. The road not only enhanced access to markets and services, but also aided the safety of travelers using the road and provided a method of flood mitigation.

Thambiappu and Sodimuththu are particularly grateful for the road, and say that, “We can now go to the market with much ease, and as a result of that, our income has increased by 10 – 20%. Also, since the construction of this road and culverts, even with heavy rain, the area has not gone under water.”

The Untold Story of Kokilai’s Internally Displaced Persons The year 2011 saw many displaced persons entering Kokilai in the Mullaitivu District, having left behind their homes, friends and relatives.

UNDP supported the resettlement and rehabilitation of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of Kokilai and provided livelihood assistance. This included clearing jungles and areas of wilderness to make way for houses, establishing an internal road network, renovating the village’s water supply scheme and providing farm machinery to the Rural Development Society (RDS) and the Fisheries’ Organization.

As part of the livelihood assistance, UNDP also provided financial assistance to the Fisheries Cooperative in Kokilai, through which the Cooperative procured fishing nets.

Asirwaram Ashohan, a prawn fisherman, speaks of the changes in their family life following this assistance through the Cooperative. “I came here without anything and with this assistance, we were able to increase our income. Using our income, we were able to improve our standard of living, educate our children and use the money for their well-being. I also bought more fishing gear, net and ropes with the profits.”

Ashohan’s wife, Arulrani adds to this saying their three young children used to fall sick while they lived in temporary lodgings. “We built our own house with UNDP’s help.

The house gives us great comfort. The children can study there, and we have a proper place for shelter. With the livelihood support we got, we have been able to improve our home and even buy household equipment.”

Karthihesu Saravanamurthu, a farmer who was displaced for over 26 years, says that, “The RDS received a tractor from UNDP and it was rented to the society’s members.

Overall, with the help of the tractor, the villagers have ploughed about 200 acres of paddy and groundnut. When we resettled here, there were no livelihood opportunities.

The machines and water pumps that were given – that was what gave us the stepping stone to get ourselves going. We used the money from that to support our lives thereafter.”

Although many came to Kokilai as individuals, new bonds and long-lasting friendships have been forged within the community as a result of the improved security and livelihood assistance that the IDPs have received.

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Top: This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Transition Recovery Programme, under its Livelihood Development Project supported by the Government of Japan.

Bottom: This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Transition Recovery Programme, under its Vanni Rehabilitation Project supported by the Government of Canada.

Uplifting Livelihoods The Tharavai Kulam Tank in Batticaloa was first built in 1966, and was of vital importance to the farmers in Kiran who were heavily dependent on the tank water to cultivate their farmland. Later on however, the tank was destroyed, resulting in severe hardships for all the members of the Farmers Organization of Kiran who were now unable to grow their crops properly.

In 2012, UNDP’s attention was drawn to the necessity of restoring the Tharavai Kulam Tank. This resulted in a significantly improved water flow to crops in the area, thereby enabling farmers to cultivate highland crops and to even expand cultivation from 150 to 250 acres. The initiative also encouraged inland fishing, thereby increasing the individual income of fishermen as well as farmers.

Water for Remote Communities M. Udayakumar is the President of the Farmer Organization in Central Camp 2 in Navithanveli in the Ampara District, and one of the many farmers in the area who faced difficulties due to the lack of a proper irrigation channel. “The irrigation channel here was damaged so there was no proper water flow. So, adequate water did not reach the paddy fields at the end of the road. It took days for water to reach our fields. This resulted in irregular farming,” Udayakumar recalls.

In 2012, with help received from UNDP, members of the Farmer Organization took the initiative and mobilized other members of the community to renovate the irrigation channel and construct a 4 meter wide access road. Udayakumar tells us that after a series of discussions, everyone pitched in by generously providing their own machinery, and today, all of them continue to work together in cleaning and maintaining the road and irrigation canal.

For Udayakumar the benefits of these initiatives are many. For one, he has been able to cultivate more regularly, “Whereas earlier I was able to cultivate only 2 acres of paddy land, I am now able to cultivate 5 acres.” This has enabled him to substantially increase his income from Rs. 8,000 to Rs. 20,000. As a father of three children, he also cultivates a home garden. Udayakumar adds that with the additional income he now receives, he has been able to better support his family’s daily nutritional needs.

Much like Udayakumar, over 800 farmers in the area have been able to strengthen their livelihoods as a result of better water management and improved accessibility to paddy.

With the regular flow of water, Udayakumar says, “Farmers here have been able to cultivate during both the Yala and Maha seasons.” He goes on to add that the newly constructed access road has helped connect the village to the main road, paving the way for easy transportation and access to markets. “Children can also travel to school along a safer and easier route, rather than using the tedious by-roads,” he says, smiling.

Top: This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Transition Recovery Programme, under its Community Rehabilitation Project, supported by the European Union.

Bottom: This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Transition Recovery Programme.

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The following stories depict the struggles of individuals who beat poverty, and rose amidst all obstacles to completely transform not only their own lives but the lives all those around them.

UNDP is proud to have been a partner in both their struggles and their successes.

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Community Champions

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In My Shoes A. M. K. Riyaz’s story is a compelling one, and is best told in his own words.

“In 2000, I went to Colombo and served as an apprentice, studying shoe-making for two years and thereafter working in this field for eight years. After learning the trade and the know-how, I came back to my village and started to work on my own. I eventually started a small business in the Pavathkulam area. Earlier I was making shoes at home, but when I came back, I rented a shop and two or three people worked and trained under me. My production increased too; earlier at home, I was able to make only about 15-20 pairs of slippers. Now, I’m making 50-60 pairs.

When I was working on a small scale, UNDP visited me and gave me three days of training on business development and business planning. It was with this training that I was able to further develop my business. I was previously using a sewing machine to make shoes, UNDP provided me with Rs. 30,000 to buy a proper shoe-making machine. In addition to this seed money, I added some more money and purchased an even better machine. Now I am able to make more varieties of shoes. UNDP also taught me how to start something and finish it, especially in relation to my business, methodology and accounts-keeping. The three days of training included all these aspects, and after the training, I was able to calculate my profits and losses, which I didn’t know how to do previously.

Earlier, on average, my income was Rs. 30,000 a month, and now it has doubled. Earlier, I used to sell my shoes to only a few people. Now, I’m marketing it in the Vavuniya town. My future plan is to market and sell shoes in other areas and increase my manpower. My plan is to double my man power and use machinery.

However I am not only thinking about myself. I want to pass on this knowledge to another 5 or 10 people. Although I gained this knowledge in Colombo, I want to teach people in the local community.”

This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Transition Recovery Programme, under its Communities for Progress (C4P II) Project supported by the Government of Australia.

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Women Who Mean Business Following her husband’s death, Vaseedaran Sobha found herself playing the role of both father and mother to her young son in endeavouring to support him financially as well as taking care of his upbringing. Pressured to find a job and source of income, she turned to palymrah handicraft-making as a means of looking after herself and her child. However, as she found out, making palmyrah handicrafts was not easy.

According to Sobha, “I was making palmyrah based products at home as a way of getting a small income. I had no proper knowledge about it. Nor did I have any knowledge about running a business. I was given a basic training from the Palmyrah Development Board – this was the only knowledge I had.”

In 2012, UNDP initiated a project to provide better opportunities for palmyrah handicraft-makers in the Jaffna District. Initially, 42 female beneficiaries were selected from the Sandilipay, Pungudutheevu, Velalani and Madduvil areas in the Jaffna District to receive advanced training through the National Design Centre and the Industrial Technology Institute. The training sought to introduce new technology such as userfriendly chemicals for the treatment of “Olai” leaves, market-preferred colours, and diversified product designs. Sobha was just one of the participants of this training.

Sobha tells us, “Before the training, I didn’t know anything about designs. I only knew how to make the products, and even then we were very limited and I used only a few colours. At the training, I learnt about dyeing and new designs. I was able to think creatively. We also went to see other production places, which helped us improve our knowledge. The training has given me confidence and now I can make any design I am given.”

Equipped with new knowledge and a new found confidence, Sobha saw herself diversifying the products she was making and with it, increasing her income and improving her standard of living. Earlier, Sobha was earning a mere Rs. 5,000 a month.

Today, she earns over Rs. 20,000.

Sobha goes on to add, “Following the initial training, I was trained to be a Trainer of Trainers, and I was teaching in two places; in Illavathivu and Naradavei. I was able to share my knowledge with others, which was also useful for my own personal growth.”

In addition to the training, UNDP facilitated the establishment of a company for palmyrah-makers. As such, the Jaffna Palmyrah Handicraft (Guarantee) Limited, was successfully registered in 2012. Having battled adversity for most of her life, Vaseedaran Sobha is now a successful business woman who is the Secretary of the Palmyrah Handicrafts (Guarantee) Limited in Jaffna. She is also its Quality Controller, ensuring the quality of the products made by the members of the Guarantee. There is pride in her voice as she says, “I feel that I can do very well in this field.”

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This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Transition Recovery Programme, under its Rebuilding Agricultural Livelihoods Project supported by the Government of Canada.

Mentoring Heroes Just 27 years old, Jecindan Dharsha’s story is one of hope and resilience. Like many others of her village, Dharsha was displaced several times during the conflict and faced severe hardships. Following the end of the conflict she returned to her village in 2009, with nothing in hand. Since then, she has become an avid community leader and continues to be a source of strength and inspiration to many.

In 2010, UNDP provided her with a sewing machine, as part of its work under the Vanni Rehabilitation Project, enabling her to create a livelihood for herself. “I had already learnt to sew from my mother, so the sewing machine was very helpful. I started to sew from the second day itself. I was able to make saree jackets, sell them and earn an income,” she told us.

Later that same year, Dharsha was identified as a social mobilizer under UNDP’s Capacity Development for Recovery in the North (CADRIN) Project. Here, Dharsha followed a three month Community Catalyst Course at the University of Jaffna.

Thereafter, she worked as a Trainer of Trainers of Community Based Organizations, and subsequently went on to share her knowledge with others.

Today, Dharsha has been contracted through the International Organization for Migration to train fifty CBOs, on a broad spectrum of topics ranging from leadership to documentation, financial management and conflict resolution. In the future, Dharsha says she wants to improve her knowledge further and continue training others and supporting her community.

Dharsha is now happily married with her husband, Jeyraj, who is serving as the General Manager of the Kallaru Fishermen’s Cooperative Society. She has two children, aged six and four. Finding strength from what she has gained and learnt so far, Dharsha says she is now confident of a better tomorrow, as she looks to the future with new hope and optimism.

This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Transition Recovery Programme, under its Vanni Rehabilitation Project supported by the Government of Canada, and Capacity Development for Recovery in the North Project supported by the Government of Norway.

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Empowering Youth A few years ago, the Vocational Training Centre (VTC) in Ampara lacked resources.

“We didn’t have a proper building or facilities. We could barely accommodate 15 people per course and had only 3 courses,” says D. J. H. Kalyani, Officer in charge of the VTC. Today, the VTC stands tall just outside of the Ampara town centre and is abuzz with activity. More than 100 young students are enrolled at the centre taking one of the five courses offered here, including IT, beauty culture and mechanics. Kalyani says there are plans to introduce more courses and attract more students. The Centre also provides space for students to receive on-the-job training and career guidance. Furthermore, as Kalyani explains, “The establishment of the Centre, with financial support from UNDP, has also created an opportunity to obtain the nationally recognized National Vocational Qualification (NVQ), which enhances career prospects.”

The young students enrolled in the courses at the Centre are excited about their enhanced career prospects and their newly acquired knowledge. Sumithra Bandara shares her budding aspirations with us, saying that, “From my young days I have always wanted to study beauty culture, but unlike in the city, opportunities to study it here are rare and often we cannot afford to go to the city. The establishment of the VTC has been a great opportunity for me to expand my knowledge and gain the necessary qualifications to further my studies and improve my career prospects in beauty culture.

I am certain that the nationally recognized certificate I receive upon the completion of my studies will bring me one step closer towards achieving my goals.”

Other students speak about the pragmatic benefits of the skills development programmes on offer at the Centre. For instance, R. A. Majith Ratnayake says, “I’m learning about automobiles. What I want to do in the future is to improve my knowledge on this and build a career through it. When I came here I didn’t have any basic knowledge. It is here that I gained these skills and learnt how to move forward.”

Khavya Maduwanthi, another young person at the Centre, talks about her aspirations, “When I was going to school, I learnt commerce. So in the future I would like to pursue a career in accounting. In any office today you require knowledge of Information Technology. Therefore, I felt that this Centre was a good place to do a computing course. People who have come to the VTC before told me that this place is good, that they teach well and have good facilities. That’s why I decided to come here. I hope I can gain new knowledge and achieve progress in my career through this learning institute.”

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This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Transition Recovery Programme, under its Livelihood Development Project supported by the Government of Japan.

Inspiring Lives; Women Take the Lead As the Treasurer of the Women’s Rural Development Society (WRDS) in Navithanvelli in the Ampara District, V. Nalayini has a lot on her hands. Her tasks include drafting proposals for community development activities, conducting training for women in her village and managing the Society’s revolving loan scheme, set up with the help of UNDP.

who have received the loans, and directly addresses any concerns they may have. “This is essential. If there seems to be any challenges that households are facing, we provide them with advice, we help them, and work with them to move forward. This way they are able to progress,” says Nalayini as she heads toward the home of Vadevel Sivagini, as part of her regular monitoring visits.

“The needs of the people were high. The WRDS seeks to provide support for economic development of villagers, especially for women and youth. Now, the lives and conditions of the people are changing,” says Nalayini.

Prior to obtaining the loan, Sivagini engaged in sewing, whilst her husband worked as a wage labourer. With barely any regular orders, she earned an income of about Rs. 2,000 a month. “I hardly saved any money,” she says.

In 2011, UNDP provided training for WRDS members on setting up and operating a business, in order to help families in this village once torn by conflict, to restart their livelihoods. Following this training a revolving loan was set up by the WRDS, with financial support from UNDP with 28 women, mostly from female-headed households, obtaining loans amounting to a total of Rs. 485,000 during the first round. Once the loans were paid back and a total of Rs. 1,125,000 was made available again through the WRDS, 34 individuals were selected to benefit in the second round of loan conferring. To date, over 100 women in Navithanvelli have obtained loans and are engaged in varying business activities, such as cattle rearing, poultry and goat farming, running small shops and home gardening.

Through the WRDS, Sivagini obtained a loan of Rs. 20,000 in 2011. With this, she set up poultry and goat farming. After paying back this loan, she received Rs. 30,000 during the second stage, which enabled her to expand her farming activities. Since then, her income has increased to Rs. 5,000 a month. Although Sivagini still continues her sewing, she says, “This is an added income. I’m really happy now that I can save more.”

Once a loan is provided, the WRDS regularly monitors the business activities of those

Moreover, Nalayini tells us that the WRDS has perceived many progressive changes amongst those who have obtained loans, “There is more money being put into investment schemes now.” This positive development in the villages has even helped the WRDS itself to gain recognition. “The Divisional Secretariat has a lot of confidence in us. For example, when conducting Divisional cultural activities, the WRDS acts as the focal point,” Nalayini goes on to explain.

For Nalayini though, her story with UNDP began much earlier, when she participated at the Women’s Leadership Development Programme (WLDP) in 2010, where, with UNDP’s support, 27 women from Ampara were provided with capacity development, exposure and networking opportunities as well as seed-funds to initiate community development activities.

The WLDP helped Nalayini gain new knowledge on various aspects of developing a project, such as writing proposals and business planning. Indeed, it was part of WLDP that Nalayini write a proposal and implement a project for the villagers. Several months have passed since she first participated in the WLDP, Nalayini still draws on the knowledge, experiences and confidence she has gained through it even while getting about her tasks today.

“The training provided through the WLDP was helpful for us as individuals. But, what was more important was that we were also able to share this knowledge with the community,” says Nalayini. Indeed, Nalayini was able to share her newfound knowledge and expertise with numerous loan beneficiaries in Navithanvelli, where she conducted training programmes for them in a diverse range of areas, such as home gardening and animal husbandry. Undoubtedly, this spillover of information has resulted in making these beneficiaries more aware as to how best to utilize their loans, and thus enhance their day-to-day livelihood activities and incomes.

Today, Nalayini says she is happy to have contributed even in a small way, towards improving the lives of the people and the community in Navithanveli through the WRDS and its revolving loan. Looking forward, she says she will continue to help empower the people of the village.

These initiatives were implemented and funded by UNDP. 21

It is difficult to start up your own organization, but what is even more difficult is revolutionizing the way a pre-existing organization operates.

UNDP supports efforts to improve the skills of producers, connect small businesses with markets, as well as create value-added products and new techniques, in order to improve the quality of life of these individuals, their families and communities.

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Producer Organizations

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From Trials to Triumph The palmyrah toddy tappers in Pandaitharippu, Jaffna District, have been marginalized for years due to negative factors linked to the alcohol trade. Yet, fresh toddy tapping was the main source of income for many of these toddy tappers.

The Pandaitharippu Palm Producers’ Cooperative was established to support the toddy tappers in the production of sweet toddy, thereby helping them increase their income and improve their social and cultural well-being. Yet, the Cooperative had limitations in accessing many of the high-value markets due to lack of adherence to quality standards. This resulted in low income levels, wastage of toddy and high levels of alcohol consumption.

Today, the conditions of these toddy tappers are undergoing a transformational change.

As Sellaturai Reggie, the General Manager of the Cooperative says, the members see enhanced opportunities in sweet toddy production. As a result of strengthened production processes, value-addition and marketing capacities, through UNDP’s work under the Rebuilding Agriculture Livelihoods Project with the support of the Canadian International Development Agency.

“In 2004, we managed to produce only 6,000-10,000 bottles of sweet toddy, a year, that is 450-7,500 litres. We managed to increase this number in 2011, to about 45,000 bottles, and in 2012, we processed nearly 100,000 bottles of sweet toddy; that is about 75,000 liters. Currently, on a given day, we produce around 1,200 bottles of sweet toddy,” says the General Manager.

The Cooperative has also increased the production of palm sugar and jaggery, and sell their products at popular supermarkets such as Cargills. Constantly looking for ways to improve, they have also built new linkages with the Palmyrah Development Board and the private sector to facilitate further access to high-value markets. Additional employment opportunities have also been created targeting women and youth. The Cooperative today has 250 active members who supply sweet toddy on a regular basis, with the membership having increased by 30% alone in 2013.

Yet, the triumphs of the palmyrah toddy tappers extend far beyond economic benefits.

Devdas Jenovava, one of the community members whose husband, a toddy tapper, is engaged in the production of sweet toddy for the Cooperative, affirms that the quality of life of individual producers, toddy tapping households and the community as a whole, has improved.

She goes on to add that the production of sweet toddy has given them a steady income, which has helped her family, especially their 10 children to improve their standards of living.

“We are also able to send our children for extra tuition now,” she says, adding that this is also partly due to the support they receive towards their children’s education through the welfare benefit scheme introduced by the Cooperative. The scheme also offers pensions and social infrastructure support.

The General Manager is happy that the consumption of alcohol has reduced significantly in the past two years with many toddy tappers using the raw material to produce sweet toddy and other value-added products. Further, with enhanced production, the Cooperative and the community as a whole are better able to control and make decisions that safeguard their business interests.

Currently, the Cooperative is working towards obtaining the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) certification for its products. They have forecasted a 50% increase in production between 2013 to 2015 and with better knowledge of production, markets and competition, members of the Cooperative are confident of surpassing any challenges they may face.

This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Transition Recovery Programme, under its Rebuilding Agricultural Livelihoods Project supported by the Government of Canada and later on through the Northern Livelihood Development Project supported by the Governments of Norway and New Zealand.

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Strengthening Agricultural Livelihoods S. Chandrasekaram says that there are many benefits of being a member of the Mullaitivu Livestock Breeders Cooperative Society Ltd (LIBCO). Chief among them are the facilities the Cooperative provides and the training programmes he was part of, which helped him better understand the techniques of cattle farming and increase his income.

“After we resettled, getting back into business was difficult. Even though the production of milk was high, marketing was difficult. Milk was also wasted. If we produced 30 litres of milk, due to poor marketing facilities, we were only able to sell about 15 litres, and that too at Rs.10 per litre. The remaining milk had to be thrown away,” he says, adding, “but now it’s different.”

In 2012, UNDP supported LIBCO to rebuild some of its infrastructure, including a storage facility, and provided training on financial and business management and modern farming practices. Women were also provided training in making value-added products.

Chandrasekaram recaptures the benefits of the training he attended. “I came to better understand hygienic farming practices such as the use of specified and separate spaces, ways of growing grass fodder for the cows, as well as the importance of providing them with clean drinking water,” he explains, adding that all in all he found himself rearing cattle in a more productive environment.

Consisting of around 620 cattle farmers, members of LIBCO have been able to double the quantity of milk they produce, while the quality of the milk has also improved significantly, says Subramanian Gnaneswaran, President of the Society. “Farmers are now able to sell their milk at a higher price of Rs. 50 per litre, compared to the Rs. 10 per litre they were selling it at previously,” he says.

He further adds that loans are readily available to cover medical costs of cattle, while the Cooperative has also diversified its range of value added products. “Currently, we have products like ghee, curd, milk toffee, and we hope to move into yoghurt making in the future. We can also store any extra milk at the storage facility.” Today, the Society earns over Rs. 42,000 as profits on a monthly basis, and as Gnaneswaran explains they are now working towards further improving these numbers.

This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Transition Recovery Programme, under its Rebuilding Agricultural Livelihoods Project supported by the Government of Canada.

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Looking Beyond Their Targets Established in 2002, the Mullaitivu District Integrated Farmers’ Thrift and Credit Cooperative Society (IFTCCS) was the main supplier of seeds to farmers in the district.

Yet, with the conflict, there was a severe shortage of seed supply, and after the end of the conflict, members of the IFTCCS were determined to fill this void. However, the lack of access to infrastructure and equipment hindered their progress.

“We used tractors and fans to process seeds, and used houses and public businesses for storing, but that wasn’t very good. We wanted to set up a seed processing unit for our society to ensure the continuous supply of seeds to our farmers,” says Saravanamurthu Maniwannan, Secretary of the IFTCCS. As such, discussions were initiated with the Department of Agriculture and UNDP. Subsequent to the discussions, a five year business plan was developed and with UNDP’s support several key infrastructure were constructed, including a processing unit, office building, a well and drying pan. UNDP provided further support to procure necessary small-scale equipment and conduct training. The training helped the members gain better knowledge on business planning, financial matters and seed processing, says Maniwannan.

“We now work with a business mind and have set very clear annual targets,” he beams.

Having set a target of Rs. 2.5 million, the IFTCCS recorded Rs. 1.5 million in net profits in 2013 and is working towards achieving their goal. However the recorded amount of 1.5 million is considered as an achievement within the first year having produced 847 bushels of seed paddy and meeting much of the seed requirement of the farmers in Mullaitivu, explains Maniwannan. In addition, 34,900 kilograms of groundnut was also produced, which was sold to the Department of Agriculture in Kilinochchi, FAO, ZOA and other distributing agencies.

Today, Maniwannan is proud that IFTCCS has become the main distributor for seed paddy and groundnut in the District of Mullaitivu. He adds that the members of the society are working hard to meet the increasing demands.

“This year, we cultivated 50,000 acres of seed paddy, next year our target is to reach 100,000 acres and increase it to 150,000 acres the following year,” he explains. The society is also looking at expanding the cultivation and processing of groundnut.

With all this he says, “Our goal is to meet the total seed paddy and groundnut requirement of farmers in the district. We are very confident that we can do this.”

This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Transition Recovery Programme, under its Rebuilding Agricultural Livelihoods Project supported by the Government of Canada and later on through the Northern Livelihood Development Project supported by the Governments of Norway and New Zealand.

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Revival In the early hours of the morning, the Kallaru Fish Collection Centre is filled with activity. The fishermen who have just returned from sea are busy weighing and storing their catch, before loading them into the cooler trucks to be transported to the market.

However this was not always the case.

Jeyaraj Jecindan, General Manager of the Kallaru Fisheries Cooperative Society recalls the early days, “We didn’t have proper facilities to store and transport the fish. The fish spoilt fast and we couldn’t negotiate good prices for the fish.”

In 2013, UNDP helped the Fisheries Cooperative Society to construct a fish collection centre and obtain a cooler truck, and the positive results of these efforts are just beginning to show, explains Jeyaraj. “More fishermen have been able to benefit due to the cooler truck, and the Society alone has earned Rs. 690,000 annually as net profit”, says Jecindan.

There is more to this initiative.

Jecindan explains that due to the Tsunami and the conflict, there were many femaleheaded households in and around Kallaru and as part of our support, 25 women were trained in dry fish processing. Manoharan Nandini is one of them who received training and currently works at the Centre.

Prior to working here, Nandini was processing dry fish at home, yielding little income.

“With the training, I was able to learn new methods like smoking and dry fish making in a dust-free environment,” she says, adding that as part of the training she also visited dry fish processing centres in Puttalam and Colombo which gave her greater exposure into the trade. In addition to gaining employment, Nandini is also one of the two women who serve in the Executive Board of the Kallaru Fisheries Cooperative Society.

Jecindan is confident that the Society will reach new heights in the future. “We want to buy an additional cooler truck as well as some boats, engines and fishing gear for our members. We are certain that we will be able to get these within the next year,” he smiles as he spells out some of their future plans.

This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Transition Recovery Programme, under its Rebuilding Agricultural Livelihoods Project, supported by the Government of Canada.

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The provision of public services is a crucial responsibility of every government.

Working with the Government of Sri Lanka, UNDP supports to improve access to these services and offer the citizens of Sri Lanka a stepping stone to self-empowerment.

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Enhancing Public Service Delivery

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A Pathway to Empowerment Nasendrah Thanaluxmy, who lives in Batticaloa, was displaced twice: first in the aftermath of the devastating Tsunami in 2004 and thereafter during the conflict. During this time, she lost all of her basic legal documents including her National Identity Card and birth certificate. Consequently, she faced many challenges as the absence of these vital documents hampered access to employment, education and other opportunities for self empowerment.

Yet, after reading through the Citizen’s Charter alone, displayed at the office of the Vaharai Divisional Secretariat in Batticaloa, Thanaluxmy knew exactly what she had to do in order to obtain a replacement of her birth certificate. For instance, she knew what documents she needed to produce and the process she had to follow.

Commenced in 2009, UNDP has been working with the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs to further develop and promote the Citizen’s Charter, which lays down a set of commitments by the Government towards the people on the standard of services it provides as well as the types of services, and how these can be accessed by all, through the offices responsible for delivering these services. Today, visibility boards like the one in Vaharai carrying these commitments and their details are displayed in over 14,000 Grama Niladhari offices islandwide.

Thanaluxmy is glad that she was able to regain the documents she lost without any difficulties by following the guidance on the Citizen’s Charter, “Now that I have my legal documents of identification, I can apply for employment and enroll my children in school without any difficulties.”

S. R. Rahulanayahi, Divisional Secretary of Karalaipattu North, Vaharai, is happy to be able to provide a more efficient and comprehensive service to the community, “The Citizen’s Charter is playing an important role for citizens to be able to get the services they need through the DS office. What would earlier take hours or days, can now be done in a few minutes. Most of the time, the individuals do not have all the necessary documents. So for such people, the Citizen’s Charter provides useful basic information.” But above all, she is grateful for the improved quality of service and accessibility; there has been a significant increase in the mutual trust between the people and the officials.

This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Local Governance Programme, under its Capacity Development for Recovery in the North Project, supported by the Government of Norway.

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Bringing Services Closer to the People Working with the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs, UNDP first introduced the Citizen’s Charter at the District Secretary’s Office in Badulla in 2009. Today, officials in Badulla continue to further develop the Citizen’s Charter to reflect and suit the needs of the people in their locality.

“There are 567 Grama Niladhari offices in our district. Yet, the resources they have are not the same. This meant that the time taken to provide a service is not the same. Therefore, we took steps to develop the Citizen’s Charter to suit the context of each Grama Niladhari area, to address their different needs and challenges,” says R. C. Priyanthi, the Assistant District Secretary in Badulla. The Citizen’s Charter has also been made available in Sinhala and Tamil.

This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Local Governance Programme, under its Capacity Development for Recovery in the North Project, supported by the Government of Norway.

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Localizing the Millennium Development Goals Sri Lanka is well on track to achieve most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by the target of 2015, especially the social indicators, such as poverty reduction, health and education. However, disparities still exist at regional level.

Through its Local Governance Programme, under the auspices of the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs, UNDP provided training and financial assistance to village, divisional and district level officials in the Eastern, Southern and Uva Provinces to gather data on the various MDG indicators at the local level, such as access to housing, education, health and sanitation, and design targets and activities addressing these concerns.

Samanthi Ranasinghe, the Divisional Secretary of the Hali Ella Divisional Secretariat says that several community based activities were conducted in Hali Ella, subsequent to the training, aimed at raising awareness on some of the key challenges faced by many in the area.

She goes on to highlight an event that became quite popular among the community in Hali Ella. “Of the eight Millennium Development Goals, the sixth focuses on combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. However, what we realized in relation to this MDG at the local level was the rising concerns on the dengue epidemic. Therefore, we scripted a drama to address a concern that was urgent to us – raising awareness on combating dengue,” she explains. She goes on to add that while the street drama helped raise awareness, leaflets were also distributed sharing further information.

Moving further, several activities were also held in the neighbouring division of Ella, such as technical and vocational training for civil society organizations, career guidance to tackle unemployment, and programmes to reduce malnutrition of children below 5 years.

Today, village-based actors continue to use the knowledge gained through the training to identify challenges within their localities and design activities that addresses the most urgent needs of their villages, divisions and districts, thereby contributing to the national efforts of achieving the MDGs.

This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Local Governance Programme, under its Capacity Development for Recovery in the North Project, supported by the Government of Norway.

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It is only when we have lost something that we fully appreciate its real worth.

Having lost their identification documents during the conflict, the individuals whose stories are depicted here faced many adversities ranging from difficulty in obtaining jobs and school admissions, to opening bank accounts.

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Strengthening Access to Justice

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Making Sure No Citizen is Left Behind Leenappa Amaladas now lives in Delft, an island about an hour away by boat from the Jaffna peninsula.

During the conflict, like many other families, Amaladas fled with his wife and children to India in 1990. They returned to Sri Lanka in 2005, but his children did not have Sri Lankan birth certificates, and growing up, they were unable to obtain a certificate of national identity.

Much like Amaladas’ children, there were many, both young and old, who lost vital legal documents, such as birth, marriage and death certificates, during the conflict. Without such documentation, these people faced difficulties in accessing services, sitting for national exams, opening bank accounts, engaging in formal employment, obtaining a passport and exercising their right to vote.

Since 2004, UNDP’s Equal Access to Justice Project has worked with the Government to conduct mobile documentation clinics to support communities in the North, East and plantation areas to obtain vital legal documentation including birth certificates, citizenship certificates and national identification cards.

“With their citizenship certificates, my children have been able to sit for mandatory national exams and continue their education. My son is now enrolled at the College of Education. We also got our Identity Cards recently,” Amaladas says, as around him, his children proudly hold up their citizenship certificates.

This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Equal Access to Justice Project.

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A New Lease of Life Manickarajah Sulochana is part of a group of women entrepreneurs engaged in candlemaking in the Vavuniya District. Yet, a few years ago, Sulochana was waiting for the day her two sons and daughter obtained their citizenship certificates.

Sulochana returned to Sri Lanka from India in 2010, with her family, following the end of the conflict. “It was challenging for my children at this time because they didn’t have a Sri Lankan birth certificate or citizenship documents,” Sulochana says, adding that the main difficulty they faced was enrolling her children into a school.

However, these conditions are now changing. Sulochana was able to obtain the birth certificates for her children through the mobile documentation clinics, supported by UNDP’s Equal Access to Justice Project with financial assistance from United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security. Later, the children were provided their citizenship certificate, also through UNDP’s Equal Access to Justice Project. Equipped with the birth certificate and citizenship document, her children were able to gain admission to schools.

In addition, Sulochana says, “With these documents, my children were able to obtain their national identity cards.” She adds that one of her sons was recently able to leave for employment in the Middle East, after having obtained a passport with the necessary documentation. Sulochana is happy that her three children, now aged, 19, 21 and 23 are pursuing their dreams.

Reintegration S. Thangarajah has recently received a copy of his wife’s birth certificate from the Assistant District Registrar’s office in Puthukkudiyiruppu in the district of Mullaithivu.

Many people in Puthukkudiyiruppu displaced during the conflict, lost their documents.

With the financial assistance of the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security, UNDP worked with the Assistant District Registrar’s Office to create a database consisting of birth, marriage and death certificates recorded during the period of 1980 to 2008 in Puthukkudiyiruppu, thereby helping these communities to obtain the replacements for their lost documentation.

“With this facility, it was very easy and convenient to obtain our documents, otherwise we would have to wait for several days or weeks to obtain it. Also, one of my children was born in another district, so I would have had to travel there to obtain the required document. Now, however, this branch is able to issue it for us and we don’t need to travel,” says Thangarajah.

Overall, UNDP has supported the digitization in all four Divisional Secretariat Divisions in Mullaitivu District, thereby reducing transaction costs and time, enabling the regular service delivery channels to gradually meet the demand for lost documentation and in turn helping individuals increase access to justice and services through vital documentation.

These initiatives were implemented through UNDP’s Equal Access to Justice Project supported by the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security.

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A One Stop Shop for All S. Mangaleswaran is happy that she was able to obtain a birth certificate for her child.

Just a few feet away from her, I. Nallaiyah is only too glad to display the senior’s Identity Card she has just received, while a young couple is busily filling out an application form in order to obtain their marriage certificate. Around them, the legal documentation mobile service at the Karachchi Divisional Secretariat in Kilinochchi is filled with people, both young and old, submitting application forms to obtain documentation for the very first time or seeking the replacement of those which have been destroyed, registering missing civic documents and meeting with Government officials.

The mobile service was held on July 15, 2014 as part of a series of activities undertaken to mark Social Integration Week 2014 by the Ministry of National Languages and Social Integration in collaboration with the Kilinochchi District Secretariat and the Karachchi Divisional Secretariat. It was conducted with financial assistance from the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security under the UNDP supported Strengthening Enforcement of Law, Access to Justice and Social Integration Programme.

Mobile documentation services, such as the one held in Kilinochchi, act as a one stop shop for individuals to obtain vital civic documentation. It also enables people to obtain legal aid services through the Legal Aid Commission and meet relevant government officials, including the Grama Niladhari officers, Police, and Justice of Peace, receive support to complete, and submit application forms, register missing documents and obtain stamps and photographs required for legal documents, with the mobile service itself baring the relevant costs.

UNDP has been working with the Government of Sri Lanka since 2004 to conduct mobile documentation services in the North, East and the plantation sectors, supporting efforts to strengthen access to justice and services among thousands of people, particularly those most vulnerable and marginalized.

This initiative was implemented through the UNDP supported Strengthening Enforcement of Law, Access to Justice and Social Integration Programme with financial assistance from the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security.

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By bringing together different communities through exchange visits and shared infrastructure development initiatives, UNDP encourages individuals to put aside their differences and join hands in combating challenges and move forward on their paths to progress.

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Promoting Social Cohesion

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Supporting Efforts to Build Unity, Peace and Mutual Understanding The village of Pavatkulam in Vavuniya consists of Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim communities. A few years ago, the different communities here hardly met or interacted, bitterly divided over water resources and livelihoods.

H. Gunasena has seen much of the tension that existed between the different communities before 2009, just as soon as they resettled in this village.

“The tension was mainly because of the scarcity of water from the main channel. When one community started diverting water from the channel towards their paddy fields, the others didn’t have enough. Then, cattle belonging to the Muslim communities encroached our paddy lands and harmed our crops. These were just a few of the challenges the communities faced that was leading to mistrust and tension between each other and the tensions resulting from the conflict only just made it worse.”

In 2010, under the Communities for Progress Project, funded by the Government of Australia, UNDP introduced a number of initiatives that saw the communities come together. Key among them was the rehabilitation of the irrigation channel, which helped reduce the issues related to the lack of access to water. This also drew in support from the Community Recovery Project, funded by the European Union.

In addition to that, UNDP helped establish an integrated water management committee, a forum of Community Based Organizations in the area, to address issues caused by the unequal distribution of water among different communities residing along the banks of the irrigation channel. The committee, which consisted of members of different ethnicities, encouraged its members to resolve disputes and reach collective decisions through dialogue.

Fencing material was also provided for paddy fields in order to address the problem of encroachment of cattle.

“Through this Committee, we were able to discuss with UNDP and find solutions. For example, we managed to distribute water freely and in an equal manner among the three communities. We began to respect one another.”

Gunasena says, adding that this initiative also helped decrease tension between communities.

This was not all, says S. M. Majeeth, adding that all three communities also came together for events. One such example was in celebrating the New Year in April. Mainly celebrated by the Sinhalese and Tamil communities, the villagers of Pavatkulam held their celebrations at Muslim schools, while members from all three communities worked together to organize events.

There was also a strong focus on enhancing the opportunities for interaction among children, and with UNDP’s support the community was able to achieve this. Several exposure visits were conducted for the village through UNDP’s Twinning School Programme, where students from the village were taken to Jaffna. “Our children were not able to speak Sinhala, but they managed to communicate with each other. They learnt from each other: they are now thinking differently and have built new friendships. This was also a good starting point to promote peace,” says Majeeth.

C. Rasamelan is confident that they will be able to solve any problems the future may hold without many difficulties.

As President of the Women’s Rural Development Society, she is quick to explain the progress made by the community based organizations here through the trainings provided, such as in language, book keeping, management and conflict resolution.

“All these made our life much easier. 75% of the problems within the community have been solved, and I hope the rest will be solved soon,” Rasamelan adds, optimistic of what the future holds.

Gunasena and Majeeth, along with a few other community members go on to add that the different communities support each other now. “We live like brothers,” Gunasena says, to which Majeeth adds, “There is peace and better understanding between us now.”

This initiative was implemented through UNDP’s Transition Recovery Programme, under its Communities for Progress Project, supported by the Government of Australia, while support for the irrigation channel was under its Community Recovery Project funded by the European Union.

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Breaking Down Barriers Growing up, Selvaratnam Jeyavarnan from Anaicoddai in the Jaffna District did not have any Sinhalese or Muslim friends. Nor did anyone in his family. “There was fear when we spoke about people from other communities,” says Jeyavarnan.

Much like Jeyavarnan, there are other children from Ampara, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Vavuniya, who share similar sentiments. Many of these children who grew up in the shadows of the conflict, hardly met or interacted with students from other parts of the Country, especially from other communities.

However, all this changed for Jeyavarnana a few years ago. “When I was in ninth grade, our school became part of a UNDP activity and I got a chance to go to Ella,” he says.

Jeyavarnan was one of the students who were chosen to take part in UNDP’s Twinning Schools Programme. The programme pairs schools from different parts of the Country in order to promote understanding, tolerance and reconciliation between communities as well as provide opportunities for interaction, exchange and sharing of ideas. From 2005 to 2013, three successive Twinning Schools Programmes were initiated with the support of the Government of Australia, the programme brought together over 1200 students, aged 14 to 16 years, from 21 schools from the Districts of Ampara, Anuradhapura, Jaffna, Polonnaruwa and Vavuniya. Working with educational authorities, principals, teachers, facilitators and famous sporting personalities, the project used sports and creative performance arts to help conflict-affected children and youth to learn the values of teamwork, communication, non-violence and diversity.

It was here that for the first time, Jeyavarnan met and spoke with other students from the Sinhalese and Muslim communities. “On the first day, I found myself sitting next to a Muslim girl. We introduced ourselves and spoke about our interests. We became friends,” Jeyavarnan says recalling the early days.

Not only did Jeyavarnan make new friends, but he also learnt what it was like to work as a member of a team, set goals and achieve them. Before he came to Ella, Jeyavarnan was often gripped by shyness. “But, then I was suddenly asked to lead a group of students during one of the activities. I was also asked to perform during the cultural activities.

All these helped me get rid of my shyness and build my confidence,” says Jeyavarnan.

The Twinning Schools Programme which concluded in April 2013, brought together many of these students once again, providing them a platform to learn and develop a variety of new skills in sports, aesthetics and communications and to showcase their talents and strengthen ties with one another. The event culminated with the students boarding the Peace Train from Badulla.

Even though the programme has concluded, Jeyavarnan, now 17, says he continues to remain in touch with his new friends through phone calls and exchange activities that schools and larger communities have initiated and fund on their own. He was also able to improve his knowledge of Sinhala and is only too proud to show off his skills.

But above all, Jeyavarnan says the programme has helped him and many others change their long-held perceptions of each other and gain a new perspective on life.

This initiative implemented through UNDP’s Transition Recovery Programme is supported by the Government of Australia.

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UNDP works with National partners to support their efforts carrying out the emergency operations at National and Regional levels, thereby mitigating risks posed by disasters.

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Strengthening Emergency Response

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Image Source: EOC, Disaster Management Center

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Coordinating Emergency Response Sri Lanka is prone to a number of natural disasters such as drought, landslides and floods. The Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 destroyed much of the coastal areas of Sri Lanka. The aftermath of such disasters highlighted the urgent need for effective mechanisms to coordinate disaster response, be it dissemination of information or the organization of relief. Based on this identified need, UNDP worked with the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) to support their efforts in better carrying out their emergency operations at national and regional levels and minimize the number of persons affected by disasters.

One of the first steps that were taken was the creation of the national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). The EOC coordinates emergency response at national and regional levels. UNDP’s support included the provision of telecommunication equipment and providing support for a senior design expert.

At the national level, the EOC located in Colombo operates on a 24/7 basis, while it is also well-equipped to receive, analyze and disseminate information about disaster incidents in an efficient manner. The first real test of the EOC came during the floods of October 2006, when a three-member unit began preparing and circulating situation reports. Similarly, when a Tsunami warning alert was issued in September 2007, the EOC disseminated the warning across the island and ensured the evacuation of the coastal belt. Today, the Centre is managed by the DMC and is equipped with state of the art technology and communication links to all districts supported by specialist staff.

UNDP’s work in supporting the DMC to strengthen its emergency operations did not stop here. Working with disaster management officials at the local level, UNDP supported them in the development of district, divisional and village level disaster preparedness and response plans.

For instance, in Batticaloa, a district highly prone to all kinds of natural disasters, including floods, droughts and cyclones, UNDP worked closely with the District Administration to establish disaster preparedness and management plans. P. S. M. Charles, District Secretary, Batticaloa notes, “We needed to map out disasters and form a contingency plan, we needed to be better prepared to manage and mitigate disasters.” She goes on to add that as part of these efforts, UNDP also helped the citizens of Batticaloa to identify natural disaster ‘hot spots’ through hazard profiles.

Further, officials and vulnerable communities, especially those living in disaster prone areas, were trained on evacuating to the nearest safe locations. Safe routes were clearly marked in public areas to enable tourists and visitors to also evacuate to safe locations in case of disasters.

This initiative was implemented under UNDP’s Disaster Management Programme.

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With an Emergency Operations Centre set up, a key challenge remained in bringing together different stakeholders working in disaster management so as to define roles and responsibilities as well as standardize operating procedures to ensure a more coherent response in disasters. The National Emergency Operations Plan (NEOP) identified key disasters affecting Sri Lanka and the roles of key agencies in managing these disasters.

It covers 23 disasters that affect the Country, including cyclones, droughts, coastal erosion, floods and landslides. The NEOP is set to form an integral part of the next phase of the Country’s Disaster Management Programme from 2013-2017.

This initiative was implemented under UNDP’s Disaster Management Programme.

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Image Source: EOC, Disaster Management Center

Acting as One in Disaster Response

Early Warning Systems Sri Lanka is highly prone to landslides, with heavy rainfall being the main cause for it.

Yet, the lack of facilities to gauge rainfall on a real-time basis, especially in areas most vulnerable to landslides, seriously impact the ability to forecast impending disasters, and disseminate early warning messages in a timely and efficient manner.

UNDP partnered with the Meteorological Department of Sri Lanka and the National Building Research Organization (NBRO) to strengthen the Country’s early warning systems. A key initiative was the setting up of automated rain gauges in critical landslide prone areas.

R. M. S. Bandara, Head of the Landslide Division of the NBRO, notes that with the setting up of automated rain gauges, rainfall levels can now be calculated on a real-time basis, which is especially vital in areas mostly vulnerable to landslides.

“We can now warn people in these areas early in case of any impending disasters,” he says.

The first automated rain gauge was set up in Ratnapura.

crucial, that alone was not enough. In fact, early messages need to be crystal clear so as to ensure that the general public is aware of what exactly is happening and what they need to do.

As such, while calculating the rainfall on a real time basis, a system was also designed to provide early warning messages more effectively and clearly.

“For example, if according to the gauge, rainfall levels are over 25 millimeters, an automated audio warning is transmitted through the village noting, ‘watch’. If rainfall is over 100 millimeters, the audio warning says, ‘ready to evacuate’, and should rainfall go over 150 millimeters, an ‘evacuate’ warning will be issued to villagers,” Bandara explains.

Building on this success, UNDP supported the Meteorological Department of Sri Lanka and the National Building Research Organization through financial assistance, to establish 30 rain gauges during the period of 2012-2013. These rain gauges were installed not only in town areas, but also inland and in forest areas. UNDP also provided technical expertise in training officials of the Meteorological Department and the National Building Research Organization in better monitoring rainfall.

Yet, Bandara goes on to add that, while having an early warning system in place was

Partners in Progress A key aspect of UNDP’s work in strengthening emergency response is supporting efforts to build greater cooperation between different actors engaged in disaster management to ensure a more coordinated response to disasters and facilitating responses at the local level.

One such example was in Menik Farm.

With the end of the conflict in 2009, as many Internally Displaced Persons as possible took temporary shelter at the Menik Farm complex. Keeping them safe during the monsoon season later in the year was an urgent challenge that needed to be addressed.

“The first issue identified was the lack of a drainage system in this flood-prone area.

Many were concerned that their temporary shelters would go under water once the monsoon season began,” says G. A. Chandradasa, who was serving as the Director of Mitigation of the Disaster Management Centre during the period 2005 to 2012. Having identified this need, UNDP provided technical assistance to the Disaster Management Centre to address this concern.

UNDP coordinated the efforts of the different actors to design and install a fully operational drainage system within a span of three months, just ahead of the monsoon.

However, while progress was being made in terms of installing a drainage system, the lack of proper sewerage systems was also posing a serious threat. Therefore, in addressing this concern, Chandradasa says, “We immediately began constructing a storage system in a close by area and UNDP supported this by providing technical personnel. We had a very close coordination with the National Water Supply and Drainage Board who provided the designs for the system. With these designs, and coordination from UNDP, we were able to complete the system, setting up six tanks within three months.”

Looking back on the progress made in Menik Farm in terms of the drainage and sewer systems, Chandradasa beams as he tells us that he is proud to have partnered with the UNDP in this endeavour, remarking, “That year, at the end of October there were heavy showers and nothing happened; no shelters were affected and the waste drainage system worked very well. There were no outbreaks of any epidemics because the sewerage system was also fixed.”

Yet, Chandradasa goes on to explain that what was significant about this response was that it brought together different actors already working in disaster management in the Menik Farm area, specifically, the Disaster Management Centre, the National Water Supply and Drainage Board, other UN agencies and Non Governmental Organizations.

This initiative was implemented under UNDP’s Disaster Management Programme.

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UNDP extends its support to better manage the environment, prepare for disasters and meet best global practices to help achieve the goal of a safer and greener Sri Lanka.

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Managing the Environment

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Developing Hazard Profiles Over the years, Sri Lanka has seen an increasing trend in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. In order to ensure better preparedness for natural disasters to achieve the goal of a safer Sri Lanka, the Disaster Management Centre along with UNDP and a large number of agencies such as Coast Conservation and Coastal Resource Management Department, the Department of Meteorology, the Irrigation Department, National Building Research Organization, Natural Resource Management Centre, Department of Agriculture as well as the Faculty of Agriculture and Engineering Design Centre of the University of Peradeniya, joined hands to develop profiles of hazards that commonly affect the Island.

The hazard profiles contain information about the nine major hazards that are prevalent in Sri Lanka, namely coastal erosion, sea level rise, storm surges, tsunamis, drought, floods, landslides, lightning and tropical cyclones. Furthermore, these profiles also carry other vital details, such as where these hazards are most likely to occur and what actions need to be taken to respond to such hazards.

The hazard profiles are today being used by decision makers for short and long term planning so as to minimize the impact of disasters as well as integrate risk reduction into development processes. For example, the landslide hazard profile is used to plan infrastructure and other development activities and facilitate building permit processes in landslide prone areas, such as in the Central, Sabaramuwa and Southern provinces.

The hazard profiles are reader-friendly and can easily be understood by anyone, making information about such hazards readily available to the greater public.

This initiative was implemented under UNDP’s Disaster Management Programme.

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Every Drop Matters The Kelani river basin is the source of drinking water for 85% of people in greater Colombo, and supports industries, urban centres and many livelihoods in the area.

Yet, activities such as the discharge of waste and sewage into the environment from industries and households as well as the release of agro-chemicals and excessive sand mining in the Kelani river area were seriously threatening the quality of river water and having an adverse impact on the life forms that depended on it.

“One of the major reasons for environmental pollution was the improper disposal of liquid and solid waste, both from households and industries. This threatened the safety of the river,” says Lalith Nanayakkara, Community Development Officer of the Kaduwella Municipal Council.

In 2012, UNDP therefore partnered with Government officials, the private sector, schools and young volunteers to initiate Every Drop Matters, a project aimed at bringing people together to jointly improve the environmental conditions around the Kelani river basin.

“One of the key aspects was raising awareness among communities on water pollution of the Kelani river and the health hazards resulting from it,” explains Nanayakkara.

“We went from door-to-door educating communities. UNDP provided us necessary equipment and resources towards this end. In addition, programmes were conducted on managing solid waste specifically focusing on e-waste, Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) and plastic and polythene that have long term adverse impacts on the environment,” he adds. Furthermore, digital notice boards were set up around Kaduwela, detailing the environmental condition of the Kelani river basin.

The results of these efforts are indeed encouraging, says Nanayakkara. “Earlier, people would just pile up all sorts of waste together. But now, they are able to segregate waste, for example, they would put e-waste separately. Also, previously, people would just throw away equipment, such as mobile phones, now this is not the case. They are better aware of what needs to be done,” he adds.

This initiative was implemented under UNDP’s Disaster Management Programme, through the UNDP and Coca-Cola ‘Every Drop Matters’ partnership.

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Guidelines for Farmers for Drought and Flood Management Sri Lanka faces drought and floods resulting in the loss of livelihoods every year. The vast majority of affected people are farmers. With inadequate agriculture extension services available in the Country not many farmers have access to scientific knowledge on drought and flood management for their cultivations.

To address this issue, UNDP together with the Sri Lanka Council for Agricultural Research Policy and the Disaster Management Center (DMC) developed a Practitioners’ Guidebook on the Best Cultivation Practices for Drought and Floods. The guidelines amalgamated the best practices (traditional and modern) into one in order to overcome and minimize the agricultural damage due to excessive dry and wet conditions. As a result, farmers today have access to scientific knowledge on drought and flood management.

This initiative was implemented under UNDP’s Disaster Management Programme.

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Partners in Progress Climate change has been mainstreamed as part of disaster risk reduction and innovative approaches to solving climate change have been piloted. The Kindiliya Drought Mitigation project is one such initiative. Together with the DMC, UNDP initiated a viable model to overcome agricultural drought by introducing comprehensive tank renovation guidelines for participants. A pilot project was carried out on the Kindiliya tank in the Thanamalwila Division in the Moneragala District, one of the most drought prone areas of the Country. This was supported by the Natural Resource Management Centre of the Department of Agriculture as well as other agencies affiliated to the Department of Agriculture, and targeted 60 families that reside in the catchment surrounding the tank.

Adaptation Technology to Improve Paddy Production Paddy is the staple food crop in Sri Lanka, and is a major employment avenue in rural areas. The Country aims to increase the present annual paddy production to 4.5 million tons by 2020.

“We have had to change the way we farm as the soil here is salinated when compared to where we lived earlier,” said W. D. Premachandra, a farmer, adding “We do not have any experience in farming on this type of soil and we had to learn to do things differently.”

However, the productivity of most of the paddy growing lands in Sri Lanka declines every year due to increased soil salinity – this is primarily a result of changing climate conditions affecting the livelihoods and resilience of farming communities. Currently about 100,000 hectares of paddy lands in Sri Lanka are affected by high salt conditions or salinity.

The new practices introduced include delaying of the time for transplanting seeds, draining water from paddy fields on a more frequent basis to reduce salinity levels, application of more organic materials to the soil in land preparation, and establishing a nursery for transplant paddy instead of seeding, as seed germination is sensitive to salts. Furthermore, UNDP worked with NGOs to promote the use of seed varieties that can withstand harsh conditions such as floods and droughts, as well as seeds with a higher nutritional value. According to Premachandra each successive season helped them to better understand improvements and adjustments needed. Most farmers were uncertain at the start, however, having witnessed the success of a few champions who obtained higher per-kilo prices for their produce, the farmers’ participation increased in subsequent seasons.

Given the urgent need to provide a solution to improve the productivity of salt-affected paddy lands, UNDP and the Disaster Management Centre of the Ministry of Disaster Management joined hands with the Rice Research and Development Institute (RRDI) and the National Federation for Conservation of Traditional Seeds and Agricultural Resources to implement a climate change adaptation pilot project.

The area selected, “Angithgakulam Yaya”, in Puttalam District, a dry zone, is home to hundreds of agricultural families, resettled as a result of an expansion of an irrigation development project. Due to the inability to cultivate the paddy lands given to the resettled community and the resulting economic hardships, the settlers were determined to move back to their previous lands.

This pilot project, carried out between 2008-2010, was successful and the findings were used to establish best practices of paddy cultivation in salt-affected lands in Sri Lanka. During the project a selection of proven traditional and improved rice varieties recommended by RRDI and the Department of Agriculture was used to test the performance of different varieties under salinity-affected paddy fields.

The results of this project were encouraging and revealing. Both traditional and research developed varieties of rice performed better than the national average, partly due to the increased attention and training of farmers. The average yield of improved rice varieties cultivated using business-as-usual practices in this area was about 520 kilograms per acre, where, following the introduction of new practices, the yield increased to about 2,800 kilograms per acre with enhanced soil, residue and water management in the same area. National average for the same varieties is around 1,700 kilograms per acre.

Following its success, the Department of Agriculture now incorporates these new practices into their programmes.

This initiative was implemented under UNDP’s Disaster Management Programme.

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UNDP works with partners to better identify and support positive policy reforms and actions, and has been particularly involved in policy level engagements on key development issues. As such, UNDP supports evidence-based research that would help the Government of Sri Lanka and our partners in better understanding context-specific development challenges.

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Policy Level Engagements

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Bridging Regional Disparities for Human Development It was in 1998 that UNDP worked in collaboration with the Government to produce the Country’s first National Human Development Report (NHDR), titled, ‘Regional Dimensions of Human Development.’ This Report assessed the extent of human development disparities at regional, provincial and district levels. Building on this, a second NHDR for Sri Lanka was produced in 2012 themed, ‘Bridging Regional Disparities for Human Development.’

With the Country entering a new phase of development following the end of the conflict, NHDR 2012 examined the social and economic disparities across Sri Lanka’s geographic regions. It highlighted that Sri Lanka’s human development had increased by 28% from 1980 to 2011, however, disparities at the sub-national level remained a concern and bridging regional disparities was key for human development and

UNDP Sri Lanka publication.

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addressing inequities. It particularly assessed the health, education, employment and governance sectors and put forth a set of policy recommendations to help overcome gaps. Following its launch, workshops were conducted in Batticaloa and Badulla, engaging Government officials, local authorities and decision makers in these areas in sharing the findings of the report and encouraging dialogue and discussion to look at ways to address key regional disparities, thereby enabling Sri Lanka’s people to contribute to and participate in its overall socio-economic progress.

Youth and Development: Towards a More Inclusive Future Addressing the specific needs of youth is a critical challenge in Sri Lanka’s postconflict development efforts. In 2011, the Country’s youth made up 22% of the total population. However, youth are seldom recognized as a distinct group for their pivotal role in shaping the future. More than any other group, today’s youth will impact on how Sri Lanka progresses in the 21st century.

Yet, some of the key challenges faced by the Country’s youth are lack of access to quality education, health services, on-the-job training to access the labour market, opportunities outside of traditional livelihoods and high unemployment. These challenges limit them from realizing their full potential. There are, however, opportunities to address these issues and constructively engage youth as important assets for the development of their communities and the Country as a whole.

It is against this background that UNDP began work on the National Human Development Report 2014 (NHDR 2014) focusing on youth and development. Human

Development Reports, prepared at the global, regional and national level, are flagship publications of UNDP. The principle objective of these reports is to raise public awareness and trigger action on critical human development issues.

NHDR 2014 explores the challenges of youth and development, in the areas of, education, employment, health, political participation and social integration, while gender dimensions cuts across all these areas. It highlights the positive impact of prevailing youth policies and aims to generate public debate around two kinds of gaps in the public policy on youth; gaps in implementation of policies already in place, as well as gaps in policy in addressing challenges. Moreover, in sharing the key findings of the report, NHDR 2014 will look to engage and hear from young people through a series of youth-led workshops that will invite youth to take forth the recommendations of the report and look for innovative ways to address some of their key challenges.

UNDP Sri Lanka publication.

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UNDP Would Like to Acknowledge Government Partners

Development Partners

Government Agents Local Council Biyagama Local Government Authorities Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs Ministry of Disaster Management Ministry of Economic Development Ministry of Environment and Renewable Energy Ministry of Finance and Planning Ministry of Industries Ministry of Justice Ministry of Land and Land Development Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils Ministry of National Languages and Social Integration Ministry of Public Administration & Home Affairs Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms Ministry of Small Industries Municipal Council Kaduwela Urban Council Avissawella

All India Disaster Mitigation Institute American Red Cross Coca Cola Company Delegation of the European Union Global Environmental Facility Government of Australia Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, Government of Canada Government of Japan Government of New Zealand Government of Norway International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies OXFAM Great Britain UNDP Bureau for Policy and Programme Support United Nations Agencies United States Agency for International Development

Other Partners Export Development Board Industrial Services Bureau National Design Centre National Enterprise Development Authority Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration Department of Co-operative Development Industrial Development Board Attorney General’s Department Bar Association of Sri Lanka Bio Diversity Secretariat CEFENET Sri Lanka Central Environmental Authority Climate Change Secretariat Department of Divinaguma Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Department of Livestock and Agriculture Department of Meteorology Department of National Planning Department of Prisons Department of Project Management & Monitoring Department of Registration of Persons Department of Wildlife Conservation

Disaster Management Centre Forest Department Government Analyst’s Department Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Industrial Technology Institute Judges Training Institute Judicial Service Commission Legal Aid Commission Legal Draftsman’s Department National Aquatic Resource Development Authority National Building Research Organisation National Committee on Women National Ozone Unit Registrar General’s Department Sri Lanka Police Sri Lanka Standards Institution Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority Universities of Colombo, Jaffna, Moratuwa, Peradeniya, Rajarata, Ruhuna, Sabaragamuwa, South Eastern and Uva Wellassa Wayamba Development Authority Women’s Bureau of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs

Key Contributors to the UNDP Core Resources Norway United Kingdom USA Japan

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Sweden Switzerland Denmark

Netherlands Australia Finland