Economic Rehabilitation Program among Women Headed families

NAFSO works with women headed families as well as Internal Displaced People(IDPs) who were become as a result of the war especially in the North an East. So, NAFSO has significant experience and equitable information about the women headed families. We have analyzed existing situation in the community , income generation activities and potentials to be engaged with self employment ways. We are looking for any opportunity to assist women headed families for enhancing their economic strength.

In this situation, we have a golden space to assist women headed families through a new project called Economic Rehabilitation Program among women headed families. So, a introducing workshop about the new project for our district activators who are the responsible pilots in district level was held as the prior work at the Chithana Training Center in Nainamadama on 13/15 of March 2012.

It was planed to implement this project in Trincomali, Betticaloa and Mannar districts. we succeeded in

providing better understanding about the project for field activators and plan some necessary

basic preparations. According to that, we planed some activities to fulfill in district level as the basement of implementing this project.

Inceptive activities –

1. Discuss with field staff and prepare a rough plan

2. Reorganize the collected information about women headed families as sector wise

3. Update the existing records on women headed families

4. List out the women headed families who were already engaged with NAFSO through existing information

5. Find the information about the women headed families who did not engage with NAFSO using stabilized form

6. Maintain separated files for different sectors

Community facilitators related to the project have been recruited in each district so, they have started preparing basic arrangement on the project. We arranged a field visit to assess the progress of the basic arrangement on the project in Betticaloa district. We were able to discuss with district activators as well as women who are in Velikakandi, Thumpalahcholei and Kopaveli villages. We identified some income generation activities which can be started as widows in the regional level.

Those are

· Animal husbandry( Hens, Goats, Cows)

· Home garden

· Sewing

· Palm productions

· Food productions

We are considering and categorizing the information to implement the project successfully. We would like to assist more than 420 women headed families in Betticaloa as well as Trincomali and Mannar district on this project in near future.