Army helps Jaffna widows in self-employment
Sandasen MARASINGHE
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Army providing support to widows in Jaffna
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The Army has taken measures to provide support to widows in the
Jaffna Peninsula to start self-employment ventures through livelihood
development projects.
Initiating the first stage of this project livestock and other
necessities worth nearly Rs 1 million was distributed among 35 widows at
Navathkeri in the Jaffna district. Another group of 35 widows will be
provided with livestock and other requirements this month.
An officer of the Jaffna Security Forces Headquarters said that the
Civil Affairs Office of the 511 Brigade identified 75 families in Kopai
in the Jaffna District of which the breadwinners were women. The 511
Brigade after a research conducted based on information provided by the
Kopay Divisional Secretariat found that husbands of those women were
either dead, totally disabled or had deserted their families.
He also stated that these widowed breadwinners requested for cows,
goats, poultry and building materials while some others requested water
pumps, sewing machines and financial support to start businesses.
The officer stated that at the initial stage of the project, 12 cows
were given to 12 women at their request. The total value of the 12 cows
was Rs 516,000.00 Each cow was worth Rs. 43,000.
Another 23 women who opted to raise goats for a living were provided
with sheets, cement and other material necessary to construct sheds for
this purpose. Those families were donated building material worth Rs
400,000.00. When the construction of their sheds are over, they would be
given animals worth around Rs 500,000.
The officer stated that this project is funded by an NGO and the Army
hopes to continue with this project parallel to the government's
projects to uplift the living standards of the people in North and East.
He added that if there were donors, this project could be easily
conducted.
Commander 511 Brigade Brig. Keerthi Costa graced the ceremony to hand
over the donations as chief guest at the Mahathma Gandhi Montessori
school in Puththur. |
