Livelihoods

Our Livelihoods projects for the people of Seenigama are incredibly important and one of the key areas that generous donors and supporters contribute towards. To date we have given over 400 livelihoods. This includes staff working in our Brush Block Factory. The reason this particular area is so important is that we are dedicated to providing the villagers with alternative incomes and helping them as best we can to move on from the coral mining of the past. 90% of the villagers were dependant on the illegal industry of coral mining for generations which is highly detrimental to the environment. Since then the focus has been to move the villagers towards more sustainable and rewarding means of employment. Nothing before made them give up not even the laws of the land, the tsunami has discouraged them as they know that coral mining was one of the key reasons why the village of Seenigama was hit so badly when the sea water traveled up to 2km in land.

We have helped with many new self employment opportunities and new industries. Sri Lanka’s cricket bowler Chaminda Vaas handed over the keys to M Sarath for a new tuktuk, Kokila Premarathna (who has lost the use of his legs) was given a tuktuk to help him to deliver the lottery tickets he sells, and A H Sirani Puspalatha was given help to open a new café. Rumesh (below) used to earn his money from coral mining but with his new machine has instead started up a spray painting business.

These are just a few stories of the many livelihoods we have donated with thanks to all our supporters for their kindness, thoughtfulness and never ending generosity.

Our livelihoods programmes so far have included:

• A Cement Block Operation Plant to supply building material for use in the village
• A Coir Yarn and Brush Handle Factory as means of providing income to men and women in the village
• A Handicraft Centre at the MCC Centre of Excellence, which sells locally produced art, garments, gifts and also items created by the women at the Women’s Enterprise Division, providing income to these village women
• Employing and training youth from the Seenigama region
• Canal Clean-Up Projects which employed hundreds of villagers
• The USAID and Mercy Corps clean-up projects

Hosting professional an academic consultant groups who provide villagers with entrepreneurial skills and business ideas.

Requests for Livelihoods