2007 Annual Report - Alliance Development Trust

Livelihood Development & Vocational training

Micro Finance Loans

Livelihood Products The main emphasis of livelihood projects was on microfinance through Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Church Based Units (CHBUS). Beneficiaries formed Units consisting about 10 recipients and were assisted with micro-loans administered in stages based on their progress. The recoveries made from these loans were used to assist more units. In 2007 we have assisted 60 units (600 persons) island wide with loans and recycled loans. 42 new CBOs serving 423 beneficiaries were also established.

We are glad to note that through our livelihood programs 2,700 lives (540 families) have been directly impacted. Many families who have been in desperate poverty situations have been made self sufficient by this project.

Boat project - Ampara

Multiday Boat The Multi-Day Boat Project is a ‘soft loan’ project where the beneficiaries are given the boats to operate and maintain. The boats remain the property of NCEASL until the loan is paid off.

A 28 foot multi-day boat equipped with refrigeration facilities and fishing gear for deep sea fishing was given to 5 beneficiaries in a fishing community in Pottuvil, Ampara. They comprised Sinhalese and Tamil families, belonging to Buddhist, Hindu and Christian faiths. The boat can accommodate up to five people plus a load of up to 2.5 tons of fish. Brick Making

Block Making Project – Batticaloa, Kallar

In July, we implemented a cement block making project as an income generating project in Kallar, Batticaloa. To date we have two machines worked by 4 beneficiaries. The blocks are used for the Widow’s Housing project where 10 widows’ houses are being constructed by NCEASL. The cement blocks are also sold to outside customers.

Food and Non Food Processing Workshops

A practical training workshop for making Pappadam (a savoury wafer), soap, jam and candles was attended by 22 participants from Vavuniya, Galle, Gampaha and Colombo. The workshop was conducted by consultants from the Industrial Development Board and other private consultants.



Disaster Preparedness & Response Emergency Relief The year 2007 saw many disasters, both due to the war and forces of nature, which left thousands in need of emergency relief. The magnitude and severity of the humanitarian disaster created by war caused international concern and outcry. Reaching some of these victims who were caught in combat zones was a challenge. Highlights of our emergency relief projects: · A total of 1,260 families or 6,300 individuals affected by floods and landslides in the Southern part of the country were assisted with food relief during this reporting period. In the East, a total of over 7,000 people - most of whom were IDPs due to the war were assisted with food relief as well as with medical supplies. Although it was difficult to reach out with relief to people in the Vanni area (as it is in the heart of the war zone) we assisted a total of 375 families as well and helped four marginalized families relocate from Vanni. The local Pastors partnered us to carry out this very difficult project. Provided 200 IDP families affected by the war in Mannar with clothes. 600 children in Jaffna were given Nutrition Packs and approximately 500 children were helped with educational packs. NCEASL carried out a mobile medical camp to assist 1250 persons who were suffering due to the scarcity of medicines. NCEASL also shipped 250 boxes of essential food items to the starving people of Jaffna. Equipping Churches for Disaster Preparedness (ECDP) ECDP program was formed to equip the local churches to handle disasters in their locality, thereby making the local churches more involved with the society around them. It was also aimed at bringing teams of different churches in a locality together to address the needs of that locality in partnership amongst them, thus enabling us to unify the churches. The first ECDP had nearly 80 participants in 25 teams. The Tear Fund training Manual (translated into Sinhala and Tamil languages by (NCEASL) was incorporated into the program and its contents and the translated copies were shared. In the future, ECDP proposes to have over 5 workshops in order to build partnerships and to equip local church groups respond to local disasters.
Livelihood Development & Vocational training Micro Finance Loans The main emphasis of livelihood projects was on microfinance through Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Church Based Units (CHBUS). Beneficiaries formed Units consisting about 10 recipients and were assisted with micro-loans administered in stages based on their progress. The recoveries made from these loans were used to assist more units. In 2007 we have assisted 60 units (600 persons) island wide with loans and recycled loans. 42 new CBOs serving 423 beneficiaries were also established. We are glad to note that through our livelihood programs 2,700 lives (540 families) have been directly impacted. Many families who have been in desperate poverty situations have been made self sufficient by this project. *Boat project - Ampara* The Multi-Day Boat Project is a ‘soft loan’ project where the beneficiaries are given the boats to operate and maintain. The boats remain the property of NCEASL until the loan is paid off. A 28 foot multi-day boat equipped with refrigeration facilities and fishing gear for deep sea fishing was given to 5 beneficiaries in a fishing community in Pottuvil, Ampara. They comprised Sinhalese and Tamil families, belonging to Buddhist, Hindu and Christian faiths. The boat can accommodate up to five people plus a load of up to 2.5 tons of fish. Block Making Project – Batticaloa, Kallar In July, we implemented a cement block making project as an income generating project in Kallar, Batticaloa. To date we have two machines worked by 4 beneficiaries. The blocks are used for the Widow’s Housing project where 10 widows’ houses are being constructed by NCEASL. The cement blocks are also sold to outside customers. Food and Non Food Processing Workshops A practical training workshop for making Pappadam (a savoury wafer), soap, jam and candles was attended by 22 participants from Vavuniya, Galle, Gampaha and Colombo. The workshop was conducted by consultants from the Industrial Development Board and other private consultants.
Shelter and Infrastructure Development Under the Tsunami and IDP reconstruction program, in 2007 we proposed to construct/ repair a total of 721 houses. Of these, 125 houses are for war affected IDPs. 362 houses are under the Government’s Owner Driven Program where 50% of the cost of the house is subsidized by the Government and the balance was provided by NCEASL. However due to the ethnic crisis and security situation especially in the North & Eastern region and the scarcity of building materials, cement in particular, we could only completed 57% of the proposed houses, whilst a further 43% of houses are at different stages of construction.
Children & Psychosocial support The Change Makers’ Cub which is a child participation and development program and the *Pavement Project* are two projects with psychosocial tools to help traumatized children. Change Maker Club Activities More that 4000 children are ministered to through 44 Children’s clubs throughout the country, assisted by 121 volunteers. Weekly programs are organized by children with various activities such as plays, discussions, education sessions, and other special events such as tree planting, shramadhaana etc. A notable event in 2007 was the celebration of World Children’s Day. Bookmarks were designed and sold to raise fund for children’s clubs. Each club had their own way of celebrating this event, which ranged from visiting IDP centres (focused on IDP children) cleaning of church, hospital, school premises etc. But more importantly, the children had great fun and enjoyment as they engaged themselves in various activities. The volunteers – who are mostly teenaged youth continued to play a significant role in our projects. Another significant achievement is the launch of new Change Makers’ Clubs island-wide in the areas where NCEASL has its current offices. The Club in Ratmalana identified the need for proper sanitation in their own community and thus commenced building toilets for their community.
Water & Sanitation This project which is confined to Trincomalee was suspended for a few months due to the sudden outbreak of fighting. We focused on school seminars and installing retrofit wells and tube wells. More than 20,000 people directly benefited, from the 15 school seminars, 27 bore wells and 19 retrofit wells installed by NCEASL in Trincomalee. Through these projects we were able to educate the people in the area about testing the quality of water and on hygiene/sanitation. The project is implemented in cooperation with the local community. With the success of the project in Trincomalee, we have commenced initial preparations for the Wat-San project to be carried out in other regions, especially in Batticaloa and Galle. The Wat-San project plan at national level included well-cleaning, toilet building, hygiene seminars and provided safe water drinking (water purification). The participatory approach taken by NCEASL allowed the people to take ownership of the projects. Two training programs were held for 31 regional staffs and volunteers to educate them on our Wat-San project and other water related issues including sanitation and hygiene.
Project Positive - HIV/AIDS According to the government statistics, it is estimated that Sri Lanka has about 5,000 carriers of the virus. NCEASL continues to work closely through Local Churches, Government Agencies, and Community leaders in creating awareness about HIV/AIDS, reaching many people across the country. At most of the seminars Pastors were trained to counsel high risk people on HIV/AIDS and how to provide psychosocial support and care for people living with the virus. NCEASL has made significant in-roads into various social groups that are often not reached such as the visually handicapped, prisoners, the local government staff (GramaSevaka and Grama Niladhari) etc, in creating awareness about HIV/AIDS. NCEASL also works very closely with the Salvation Army, and commemorated the World Aids Day with a joint ‘Walk’ followed by a ‘United Service’. Further, we continue to carry out the Taxi Sticker campaigns in Sinhala and Tamil (with Tri-Shaws), poster campaigns, seminars and training of trainers. In November FIDA hosted a seminar titled ‘Breaking the Silence’ helping us to take necessary steps on HIV/AIDS care and treatment. NCEASL also translated a book (comic picture story type) in Sinhala and Tamil on HIV/AIDs awareness. A total of 10,000 Tamil and 10,000 Sinhalese books were printed and distributed. In the estate sector the awareness programme approach was different as we realized they lacked basic hygiene awareness. Therefore at the HIV/AIDS programme our team created basic awareness on personal hygiene, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections, ill effects of alcohol, smoking and malnutrition. HIV infected persons could lead a better quality of life if their knowledge and application to these aspects are addressed. NCEASL’s HIV/AIDS project Coordinator participated at the 8^th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP), where over 2000 delegates from over 40 countries in the Asia Pacific region participated.
Peace & Reconciliation A total of 26 peace building programs were organized in Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Jaffna, Vavuniya and Galle in areas where NCEASL has its children’s clubs. It was a strategic move to work with children, since we believe that they are the future agents for peace. These programs falling under the banner of “Building Peace” include games, poems, songs, dances, essay writing and drawing activities. For each program we invited guests – mostly from other NGOs or local govt. In our effort to promote Peace, 40 Sinhala youth from the South and 40 Tamil youth met in the North Eastern town of Trincomalee as part of the “Give Peace a Chance” program. The youth got a first hand experience of each other’s cultures and better understanding of the prevailing situation in the areas they represented. The youth engaged in several activities including visiting an elders’ home and cleaning the premises, and visiting a school for the hearing-impaired. The young people also had a time to seek forgiveness for their mistakes and pray together for reconciliation amongst their communities. The Peace Expedition helped to remove barriers and brought understanding, forgiveness, repentance and peace into the hearts of the young people from both ethnicities. Young Asia Television (YATV) provided media coverage for this event. The second phase of this Peace Expedition to enable youth from Trincomalee to visit the South had to be postponed due to the prevalent security situation. We plan to implement this phase in 2008.