What do we actually do?

We have had a bunch of emails and comments from people asking “ What exactly are you doing?” I know that when we left we were pretty light on details and were eager to learn about our jobs for the next year. We obviously have a lot to learn about our roles here. I (Scott) am the Project Manager for all of the LIvelihood projects here on the East Coast. Generally what that means is that we are looking for initiatives that provide an income for the local folks. Many of these projects were livelihood recovery initiatives. Many of these people lost any way of generating an after the Tsunami. Currently we have 60 poultry farms that were started and we are monitoring. We also started 15 different agricultural projects where we helped farmers build fences, put in water pumps to generate crops that they can sell.

Currently we are in the process of opening five different sewing training centers. For each of these centers we have selected 24 women who will participate in four months of sewing instruction. Each group of 24 will have 2 teachers who have had success in sewing and marketing their handmade goods. If the women faithfully attend the classes they will receive a sewing kit which includes a sewing machine that is commonly used out here.

I remember that my grandma used to have one of these stored in her basement. In the future I will tell you some of the individual stories that these ladies have. It is unreal to hear them talk about how their lives have been changed because they now have a life skill and can help support themselves.

In the village of Amirthakali the women who have been selected have basically all been abandoned by their husbands and have had no source of income for some time. Many of these women are trying to take care of multiple kids. One woman has 8 kids and her husband is disabled. Needless to say the plight of these women would be bleak without some sort of intervention.

It is not only the women who have a story to tell labout their plight. One of the pastors who has helped us in this particular village has a tough story to tell. You only need to visit with him for a very short while to realize that something is not quite right. During one of the government advances he was taken and thought to be a tamil tiger. As a result he was detained and tortured for a period of six years. As a result, when you talk to him you can tell he has never fully recovered.

It really has been heart wrenching to hear stories from the average Sri Lankan. Their stories are about the Tsuami and its total devestation but also about a country that is suffering the ravages of civil war. It really is an honour to be able stand in the midst and try to bring about some change.

In the next couple of weeks we will launch several cottage businesses with folks as well as some goat raising projects. I will keep you posted and give you more details as they are fleshed out. Hopefully that gives you a little more insight into what we do.