Mobile offices to accelerate support to tsunami affected enterprises

SUPPORT: Back to Business Project, in Association with RADA, CHA and Partnering District Chambers of the project will shortly launch in ?Back to Business Weeks? a week long mobile offices in strategic locations in all tsunami affected areas.

The first programme of the series will be held in Hambantota district beginning May 22 organised by the Hambantota District Chamber of Commerce.

These series of programmes plans to accelerate support to tsunami affected enterprises and bring back to business 10,000 enterprises and livelihoods by the end of the year.

?Tsunami catastrophe will complete 17 months in April 2006 but there are still many enterprises that need assistance to come back to business.

It is important to assist them in the shortest possible time and the ?Back to Business Weeks? are meant for this purpose,? Secretary General of FCCISL, Samantha Abeywickrema said.

The programme plans to register those enterprises and livelihoods that have not received any assistance so far, those who have already received assistance through respective Chambers but need further assistance and those who have been assisted by Government and or other I/NGOs but desires further support to come back to business.

Project Director, ?Back to Business?, Sam Stembo is confident that this programme will attract those enterprises and livelihoods that need assistance.

The project, through the Joint Evaluation Committees in partnering Chambers would view individual requirements for assistance within the comprehensive project framework to provide assistance.

The services of the project covers cash and commodity grants - commence and improve business, trauma and business counselling and business management training - to bring entrepreneurs out of ?tsunami? trauma and equip with improved management know-how, market / corporate linkage development for products and services.

This will help regain lost markets and secure new markets including strategies to serve such markets, procurement of tools, equipment and machinery for the enterprise - procurement is handled by the project adhering to a formal procurement procedure, transfer of technology for greater productivity - to assist enterprises to acquire new technologies for greater productivity and management of quality, facilitation of obtaining necessary loans - to assist enterprises in formalities, documentation and direct interventions in obtaining loans and related facilities from financial institutions.

Under the above operating framework the project could also assist medium and larger enterprises in obtaining loans from lending institutions.

Back to Business Project recently signed a MoU with the SME Bank Limited to facilitate financial assistance to ?tsunami? affected SMEs as well as other SMEs.