12 January 2010 06:59 am
The Government of Japan has provided a sum of Rs. 103 million for one demining project in Mannar and Vavuniya districts and three livelihood and development projects in Jaffna, Batticaloa and Matara districts to accelerate resettlement process and to improve the lives of people at the grass-roots level.
The first project is “the Project for Integrated Humanitarian Mine Action to Support the Return of Internally Displaced Communities in the North of Sri Lanka,” which will be implemented by Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD). Rs. 77 million is allocated to this project for mine clearance and this project will support to resettle Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Mannar and Vavuniya districts.
The second project is “the Project for Supporting Socio-Economic Needs of Returning Communities in Puliyankoodal Village, Jaffna District,” which will be implemented by Sewalanka Foundation. Rs. 11.3 million is allocated to the project for reconstruction of entire the village through rehabilitation of roads, construction of wells, improvement of preschool facilities, and provision of home gardening packages. This integrated project is expected to improve the livelihoods of 500 resettled families in Jaffna.
The third project is “the Project for Improving Agricultural Infrastructure at Resettled Areas in Batticaloa District,” which will be implemented by Lanka Jathika Sarvodaya Shramadana Sangamaya Inc. (Sarvodaya). Rs. 10 million is provided to the project to construct agro wells, rehabilitate roads and tanks in Eravur Pattu Divisional Secretary
Division, Batticaloa. These activities will enable resettled families to re-build their livelihoods.
The forth project is “the Project for Economic Empowerment of Women through Increased Production of Dry Fish in Matara District,” which will be implemented by Soba Kantha Environment Management and Community Development Foundation on a budget of Rs. 4.7 million. The project supports to provide 20 ovens and processing equipments and to implement quality control and marketing trainings for women communities in Kapparathota Village in Weligama Divisional Secretary division, Matara.
These four Grant Contracts were signed between His Excellency, Mr. Kunio Takahashi, Ambassador of Japan, and Mr. Marc Andre Farineau,
Operations Manager of FSD, Dr. Harsha Kumara Navaratne, Chairman of Sewalanka Foundation, Dr. Vinya Ariyaratne, General Secretary of Sarvodaya, and Ms. Nilmini Kanthi Mudalige, Chairperson/Executive Director of Soba Kantha Foundation, respectively, on 11th of January 2010 at the Embassy of Japan in Colombo.