Livelihood Development for Women
The Need
Following the civil war in Sri Lanka, women and children were found to be the most vulnerable to poverty as a result of displacement. Households headed by a female earned less income and were more likely, on average, to fall below the poverty line than male-headed households, While males can leave their town or country to find work in manual labour, carpentry, and government services, women were often left with limited opportunities for local labour and were reluctant to abandon their families for employment. Many young women in the villages and towns of Eastern Province are still struggling to find a source of income to provide a future for themselves and their families.
The Resources
Dr. Judy Ramesh Jeyakumar is a Medical Officer and Psychiatrist in the Valaichenai Base Hospital in Batticaloa, who also leads the Maternal Nutrition Program in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. With the leadership of Dr. Jeyakumar and the Batticaloa Mental Health Development Organization, IMHO Canada has been working to break the cycle of poverty via vocational training and livelihood projects in the most vulnerable communities of Eastern Province. The resources required for these vocational training projects were made possible through the contributions of several generous donors:
Anpuneri Canada
National Capital Region Tamil Association (NCTRA)
Addaledchumy Vivekanantharajaa
Mahalakshmi Magesvaran
Nanthini Tharmalingam
Sivajini Jegatheeswaran
The Solution
One of our many vocational projects provides tailoring classes for unemployed women at the Arogya Vocational Centre in Mavaddivembu. Women who complete the tailoring classes are then provided with sewing machines of their own. Some of these women take their sewing machines home, and those who were once unemployed soon start receiving tailoring orders from local areas for saree blouses, churidhars and men’s shirts. Demands for tailoring are high in these communities, especially during festival seasons like Deepavali, Pongal, and other temple festivals. Some women work in small tailoring shops that are managed by World Vision, where all recipients of the sewing machines are encouraged to pay back a small percentage of their earnings to the organization. This helps ensure that the machines are solely used to earn an income for these women, and not lent or sold for external use.
The Impact
Reversed land degradation from war and migration in recent years.
Increased agricultural opportunities and sustainable living for underserved communities in the area.
# of people directly benefited
# of people indirectly benefited
The Impact
Over the last two years, we have been able to provide fifty women with sewing machines in support of this livelihood development project. Previously unemployed, these women did not have a sufficient source of income and were unable to make ends meet within their families. the opportunity for a sustainable source of income. Families suffering from financial hardship and poverty in these areas could not afford the expenses of education or vocational training, causing them to struggle to find job opportunities that could support their families. Bringing these vocational training sessions and sewing machines directly to the unemployed women in Eastern Province has allowed these women to take up tailoring as an occupation and gain a sustainable income for their families.
Ensuring that the women in the vulnerable communities of Eastern Province have opportunities for vocational training has allowed them to establish a sustainable source of income. This project works towards the UN Sustainable Development Goal #8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth. This goal is to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, as well as full productive employment for all individuals. These tailoring classes and sewing machines will continue to provide and support a sustainable income for these women and their families in Eastern Province.