ILO’s RCI supports IDP camp returnees’ livelihoods

Ramani Kangaraarachchi

The pilot project of the International Labour Organization (ILO)’s Recovery Coordination Initiative (RCI) has supported the livelihood related income generation activities of returnees from IDP camps, demonstrating a stronger contribution towards community based economic empowerment of the people in the area, ILO, Country Director,Tine Staermose told Daily News Business.

She said that it has also strengthened social cohesion among returnees to support early recovery and socio economic stability of returnees displaying a cost effective support to resettlement.

The USD one million project was launched in July 2009 to provide training for women and youth for economic development and 2000 families in six Grama Niladari divisions were benefited by this project, she said.

ILO’s Senior Training Specialist Ramalingam Sivapragasam said that returnees who have suffered immensely in the past were very enthusiastic in participating livelihood in training programs and picked up their lives in a short period of time. They were provided with training on enterprise development following skills training such as sewing, masonry, carpentry, and farming during the phase one and those skills were upgraded during phase two.

One hundred and fifty youth were benefited by getting employment after vocational training and 192 families started group enterprises in the fields of producing dry fish, snacks and cordials and tailoring. Currently, the up-scaling of this coordination model is being planned in other locations in the district. There is both strong national and local government support for this process, he said. This pilot project was initiated by the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP).