Ministry to empower needy families

Dharma SRI ABEYRATNE

The Child Development and Women's Empowerment Ministry will take initiatives to uplift the economic standards of each family unit by introducing various self employment programs, Child Development and Women's Empowerment Minister Tissa Karalliyadda said.

Under this program, the Ministry will assist family units to start projects aiming to establish better living standards by improving their economic conditions. Child Development and Women's Empowerment officers attached to the Divisional Secretariat offices will provide instructions and guidance in this regard.

The Ministry will identify the capabilities and available resources of each family unit.

"Having identified the capabilities of each family by the Women's Committee (Kantha Kamitu), the Ministry will introduce a suitable vocation for the particular family unit. There are families who have connected to the agriculture sector, they will be advised and guided in this field. The families who are keen on self employment will be guided in self employment ventures," Minister Karalliyadda added.

The Ministry will financially assist certain families to enter the livestock development sector while some will be assisted to take up agriculture. In addition a great number of families will be assisted to enter self employment such as making handicrafts and other fields.

However the selection process will be carried out by the Women's Committee. All women in the villages are entitled to be members of the Women's Committees in their villages.

The members and office-bearers will also be the women living in the village. The Ministry will perform only the monitoring process, the Minister said.