Trade Fair draws crowds in East
Over 5,000 people attended the first ever Trade Fair was held in
Mutur in the Trincomalee District on April 9 and 10. Organised by the
Enterprise Resource Centre (ERC), a project of Muslim Aid Sri Lanka and
its partner AmeriCares, in time for Sinhala and Hindu New Year the trade
fair featured 18 stalls selling books, clothes, confectionary,
handicrafts and screen prints.
Many of the stallholders had been trained in entrepreneurship
development at the ERC while some were also receiving microfinance to
expand their businesses.
“The fair gave an opportunity for people to see what is being
produced in the area while offering small businessmen a chance to sell
their goods and establish a customer base,” said ERC manager Ismail
Azeez.
Certificates were awarded for best stall, best customer service and
best marketer while essay, t-shirt design and poster competitions were
organized under the theme “Live With Dignity”.
The ERC was established September last year in Mutur where MASL had
already assisted the people to resettle and rehabilitate after being
driven out of their homes by the separatist conflict in August 2006.
During the 15-month project, the ERC will train 400 small entrepreneurs
and is providing microfinance to a selected number. It is expected that
100 new enterprises will be created in the Trincomalee area.
The ERC is providing entrepreneurship training and consultation,
facilitating market linkages, and providing microfinance for enterprise
development. |