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OUR PROJECTS

$15,000 of $15,000 raised

Bore Wells for Livelihoods

Enabling 120 families to access clean water through the construction of bore wells that will be…

$40,000 of $40,000 raised

Back to Basics

Helping restore lives, health and dignity by providing toilets and tube wells for 32 families in…

Back to Basics

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal.

Helping restore lives, health and dignity by providing toilets and tube wells for 32 families in Kandasamynagar Village.

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?

The 32 families of this village were forced to leave during the 1990s and have only just returned after spending two decades in refugee camps in India.

“We had lived in the camps in India for 21 years. There, we had toilets in our home; here we do not. We try to eat fewer foods because we fear going long distances at night. When our relatives or classmates wish to come to our house, we are not in a position to invite them. We will not tell them that there is no toilet facility on our house. Everyday my sister is crying about this situation.”

– Sundareshwari, Resident of the village

Returning to their village after 2010, the 32 families found that their homes and land were destroyed, and they were left with nothing. They are currently living in temporary shelters with no toilet facilities and only one common well in the village that does not provide enough water for everyone.

The lack of access to water and sanitation causes many problems. Without toilets, the villagers have to go into the forest for this basic need. This is especially unsafe for women, young children and people with a disability.

Without an adequate source of water, sometimes the villagers have to travel more than 1-2 km to collect water for drinking. Also, the local Kallaru River is being used for bathing and laundering purposes. Ultimately, all these issues cause poor health and hygiene, many cases of water-borne diseases and environmental degradation.

Kumari, one of the mothers in the village shares that There is the school in front of our house and behind is the temple of Goddess Kali. Therefore, we need to go far away to the jungle, which is a huge threat. Most of the time, the men are going there for work purposes and we don’t have any privacy. A toilet will make a big difference for our family.

HOW THIS PROJECT WILL WORK?

Palmera will provide toilets, 2 additional communal tube wells, and training on health and hygiene to the 32 families in Kandasamynagar village.

As part of constructing the toilets, we will incorporate the needs of the 4 families that include people with a disability. The construction of the toilets for these families will be tailored to ensure disability access is provided. Additionally, bore wells will be constructed to ensure they can be used by people with a disability as well.

Training through our Health Awareness Program is essential to this project because it is education that creates long-term behavioural changes. Knowledge of health, hygiene and the maintenance of toilets ensures the villagers are able to experience better health for the rest of their lives.

Local employment will be hired for the toilet and tube well construction. This will create a sense of ownership of the project and provide much needed income to the villagers.

THE BENEFITS

By supporting this project you will be helping these villagers to rebuild their community. Specifically your investment will provide:

Access to clean water and sanitation so infection from water-borne disease will be reduced and the men, women and children of the village can lead healthier lives.
Better health so that children can spend more time at school, and adults miss less days of work. This means in the long-term, education and income will increase, and poverty will be reduced in this village.
Increased safety because water and toilets are closer to home. Travelling long distances into the forest areas alone is dangerous, especially for women and children.
Above all, access to clean water and sanitation means improved dignity, freedom and choice, as the villagers can take pride in their homes and community.

HOW DO WE ENSURE THE PROJECT IS SUSTAINABLE AFTER WE LEAVE?

The project was co-designed with the villagers, to ensure local needs are best being met.
A village committee will be formed to manage the maintenance of the bore wells. The first two years maintenance costs is included in this project.
Toilets have been designed with local weather conditions in mind, ensuring that they can withstand floods. Training on the maintenance of these toilets will be given to all 32 families.

$540,000 of $540,000 raised

Youth Vets

WHY ARE WE INVESTED IN THIS PROJECT? For many decades, due to the civil war, the…

Youth Vets

Thank you to all our donors, we have met our fundraising goal!

WHY ARE WE INVESTED IN THIS PROJECT?

For many decades, due to the civil war, the Northern parts of Sri Lanka was isolated from the booming Sri Lankan dairy sector.

Given this, it is no surprise that the Northern district of Mullathivu, the poorest region in the country where this project takes place, has one of the lowest annual milk production rate.

This is because techniques that help improve the breed of cattle and essential services for better cattle management fail to reach thousands of existing and potential dairy farmers.

Kumarani, one of the women dairy farmers, shares: “what is the point of rearing cattle if there are no vets and our cattle die?”.

This project aims to not only help Kumarani but over 9,000 other dairy farmers just like her.

Focusing on improving quality and health of the cattle, the programme will train thirty youth from the six divisions in the district. They will become ‘community vets’ and conduct artificial insemination and provide advice to the dairy farmers on best animal husbandry techniques. They will support the Provincial Department of Animal Production and Health (DAPH), who, although mainly responsible for developing the livestock programme, fail to reach the thousands of dairy farmers because of insufficient resources. They will also support existing Livestock Breeder Cooperatives, gathering dairy farmers, who have been severely impacted by the war and struggle to provide effective services to farmers.

By becoming ‘community vets’, the 30 youths will gain a secure job in a region where such opportunities are scarce. This is critical, especially as the prevalence of youth suicide in the North of Sri Lanka is one of the highest in the world.

THE BENEFITS

Milk yield in the region will be increased, contributing to an improvement of the dairy sector which is fast becoming the region’s and nation’s most important sector. And that increase in the amount of milk available will benefit the population of the whole district, especially the children.
Over 9,000 dairy farmers and their families will have access to services that will improve the quality and health of their cattle, increasing their income and enabling them to better stand on their own two feet.
Over 9,000 dairy farmers will have better access to a wider range of services to support their livelihoods through connections with critical public and private service providers.
Thirty young people will be trained as ‘community vets’ and run profitable businesses. They will receive a formal licence from the Government and will have the opportunity to gain a certificate on advanced artificial insemination technologies from a leading university in Sri Lanka.
Six Government veterinary offices and six Livestock Breeder Cooperatives will be strengthened and their capacity built to deliver timely and effective services to the farmers.

Some of the selected community vets

HOW WILL THE PROJECT WORK?

After their formal training in how to perform artificial insemination and learn about best animal husbandry techniques, the thirty ‘community vets’ will work alongside the Government veterinary officers, who will continue to provide them with on the job training. Their work will also be supervised by the Livestock Breeder Cooperatives, who have an in-depth knowledge of the community in which they will work.

Each of the ‘community vets’ has been assigned a set number of villages and they will visit dairy farmers in those villages on a daily basis to provide advice and information, answer their requests for artificial insemination, conduct vaccination campaigns, register animals and facilitate the delivery of other programs.

The thirty ‘community vets’ will keep records on the number of artificial insemination they perform and follow up to assess whether it has been successful. If it has, they will ensure the calf and mother are well looked after and that all necessary services are provided.

By conducting such services, the ‘community vets’ will be the arms and legs of the Government in the villages, enabling critical interventions to reach farmers even in the remotest areas and strengthening and supporting thereby the work of the veterinary offices. They will also promote the activities of the cooperatives and work collaboratively with them for the benefits of the farmers in each division of the district. The capacity of those Livestock Breeder Cooperatives will be further built by setting up a fund enabling them to provide revolving loans to farmers, which will allow the latter to develop their dairy farming activities.

HOW DO WE ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY

This is a three year project which Palmera and our local partner SLCDF will be implementing. The project works within the existing structure of the Government veterinary offices and the Livestock Breeder Associations who are extremely supportive of the project and see the benefits it brings to their organisation and the community. They have committed to work with the ‘community vets’ beyond the three-year period. The ‘community vets’ themselves will have a sustainable business in an area where job opportunities are limited. Farmers and their animals will continue to reap the benefits of the project well after project completion by accessing timely and effective services.

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