Trincomalee

The challenge

This project, a partnership between Empower Projects and Vanni Hope, aims to improve the livelihoods of a war-affected community in Sri Lanka’s Trincomalee District. This community currently suffers from economic hardship and needs assistance to improve their livelihoods. Agriculture is a key opportunity but a lack of capital, effective farming practices and value-addition limit their potential.

Our solution

This initiative will target 32 female household members of PUTHUMAI PANNAI PENGAL ORGANIZATION (PPPO), an existing agricultural cooperative within the community.

Access to finance

Specifically, this project will involve the establishment of a revolving fund within the cooperative to provide its own members with micro-loans to improve the quality and scale of their home gardens. The loan facility will be the equivalent of AUD 4,500 to support all 32 beneficiaries.

Specialised training and market access 

In partnership with local agricultural officers and expertise within our partner organisation, beneficiaries will receive agricultural training e.g. agroecological practices to maximise the growth of drought tolerant crops. We draw on our collective experience across similar contexts across Sri Lanka and Sub-Saharan Africa.

This will be complemented by training in agri-business in order to ensure that members have an understanding of financial management and value-added agricultural commodities that are in mind.

Support, monitoring and evaluation

This project will commence in Q2 2024. The core implementation period will be 12 months and be followed by a 12-month monitoring and evaluation phase to provide ongoing support and better ensure that the cooperative is functioning sustainably.