 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
|
Micro
finance |
|||
Sri
Lanka, on the one hand, was affected by the December 2004 tsunami, and
on the other, by the more than two - decade long internal conflict,
especially in the north-east parts of the country. Both have had a heavy
toll on lives, assets such as housing and fishing boats, and livelihood
opportunities. Undoubtedly, the communities in the north and east have
had a double blow, as roughly 80 per cent of Sri Lankans affected by
the tsunami were also affected by the man-made conflict situation. |
|||
In
the wake of disasters and/or conflicts, there is a clear need for reconstruction
efforts that follow the relief stage to focus on generating employment
and incomes among the affected communities. In this regard, micro finance
schemes to generate self-employment activities, have shown to play an
important and significant role, as it can greatly facilitate the rehabilitation
process of such affected communities as it can create employment opportunities
and increase or supplement the incomes of the affected families. |
|||
EMACE,
which has been actively involved in the field of micro finance since
the beginning of the 90s, is currently a partner in a project for income
generation and livelihoods assistance for tsunami/conflict affected
families sponsored by USAID and Geneva Global Incorporated. The project
is targeted at women, especially those in the category of women as heads
of households, and aptly titled “Building for the Future –
Sri Lankan Mothers Start Their Own Businessess”. It covers the
districts of Jaffna and Vavuniya in the north, and Kalutara and Matara
in the south. The project is group - based and implemented on a revolving
fund mechanism. The support would be mainly for financing capital requirements.
|
|||
|
