Location: Mullaitivu District
Project: Ensuring the Rights of Children Through Empowering Women and Strengthening Communities
Partner: International Needs Lanka
Sri Lanka is rebuilding itself after 30 years of civil war. Amidst hope for the future are the persistent after-effects of the war, especially in the North, where the majority of casualties were. It is estimated that 100,000 people were killed and close to a million displaced. Mullaithivu district still shelters thousands of IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) due to unsettled land issues. The struggle and pursuit of safe, dignified lives continues. Poverty has significant impact on children and families. Allocation for housing is insufficient, and the majority of citizens only have ¼ to ½ acre of land, which is hardly sufficient for growing food. This leads to food insecurity, and is a major contributor toward irregular school attendance for children.
Project: Ensuring the Rights of Children Through Empowering Women and Strengthening Communities
Goal of the Project
International Needs Lanka is funded by ChildLink and SHE supporters.
To mobilise, motivate and equip the community to be proactive in addressing their identified issues. To improve access to information through reading, listening and searching capacities of children, adult women and men.
This will be done through the Self-Help Group approach:
- Increased income through improved livelihood options
- Increased food security
- Improved children’s school performance
- Improved access to safe drinking water and improve sanitation
- Eradicate violence against women and children
- Improved relationships within families and communities
- Increased the community’s capacity to handle community issues through improved leadership and management
Progress Update (from July ’20 until June’21)
- 20 Self-Help Groups (SHG) have been formed in 3 communities,
- The 20 SHGs are involved in savings activities. When they could not gather, the Social Mobilisers and leaders attended individual houses to collect the weekly savings and loan recoveries,
- SHG members are increasing their involvement in many social activities like cleaning the playground in the village,
- Child Protection Committees were active in monitoring any cases of Child Protection violations,
- The usual activities in children’s clubs were not taking place due to covid restrictions.