The tsunami on December 26, 2004 killed an estimated 38,000 people in Sri Lanka and destroyed the livelihoods of many in Ampara district which bore the brunt of the impact. It left large numbers of school dropouts, widows and widowers with little means of securing income and basic needs.

This project aims to establish financial self-reliance for widows and school dropouts in Ampara. Currently, there is a shortage of qualified labour in dress making, food-processing and handicraft.

The project will deliver vocational training to enable people to work in food-processing, dress making and handicraft industries.

The vocational training project is designed to provide people who have been affected by the tsunami and the conflict with necessary skills to build their livelihood in dress making, handicrafts, and food processing.

Market analysis and in-depth consultations with the community show a promising market demand in these areas. There are many young girls and women are eager to learn and start working in dress making, handicrafts and food processing fields.

The vocational training courses will provide a unique opportunity for many girls and women to sew and cook professionally. 

One of the main outputs of the project is to match successful trainees to relevant industries either in Ampara or elsewhere in the country. Islamic Relief Sri Lanka will strive to establish links with businesses through the Chamber of Commerce and other business associations.

Project Objectives

The objective of the project is to help to build the self-reliance of widows, divorcees and school dropouts that have been affected by the tsunami and the conflict.

Project Activities

• Participants are trained in dress making, handicraft and food processing.
• Nationally recognized and accredited certificates will be issued to successful trainees.
• Trainees will be assisted to find work in the relevant industry or be given assistance to establish small businesses.

Beneficiaries

The project is targeted at school dropouts, widows and divorcees affected by the conflict or tsunami.

There are three vocational centres, with 60 students in each centre spending 3months in training. It is expected that around 480 beneficiaries will benefit from each centre in one year.

A total of 1,440 students will benefit from the three vocational centres every year.

"Islamic Relief is striving for a fairer world. Our mission is to help the poor and needy to live sustainable, self-reliant lives within safe and caring communities. Our work is guided and shaped by the core values of accountability, humanitarianism, neutrality and impartiality, inclusiveness, integrity and co-operation, all of which are also integral to the Islamic faith."
Dr Hany El Banna - Founder of Islamic Relief

Islamic Relief was established in 1984 and our unique approach is the result of these many years of hands-on experience.

1. Where possible we adopt a community partnership-based approach; encouraging community involvement, understanding and ownership of projects.
2. We run the majority of our field projects ourselves, giving us direct insight into the problems faced and how best to solve them.
3. We aim to empower those we help in order to achieve sustainable results.
4. Though our emergency response teams are quick to respond to emergencies around the world, we continue to support communities long after the initial media interest has died down.
5. We recruit staff locally to benefit from their local knowledge. This ensures that we are culturally sensitive and allows us to reach communities and areas other organisations cannot.
6. Where necessary we coordinate our work with other reputable aid agencies, local organisations and governments.

Millennium Development Goals

Islamic Relief is committed to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which have been agreed by the world’s leading development institutions in an effort to meet the needs of the world’s poorest by the year 2015. 

The goals:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

For more information about the MDGs, please visit: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/