programme team, fellows had the opportunity to use constructed questionaries before they began data collection. Fellows collected data from their village and particularly from those who lost their livelihood or was adversely affected because of lockdowns. According to the assessment, fellows collected data, analysed them, prepared their analysis, and presented to the project team.
Proposal Development Based on the community needs assessment, fellows had been requested to develop proposals to propose solutions to their identified problems. They had to prioritise those issues which were directly or indirectly related to COVID. Secondary level feedback was provided on their assessments. They were advised to organize meetings with the respective communities to further confirm the identified problems in some districts. Fellows worked on finalizing their planned activities with the participation of government officers, stake holders and their local community. The finalized project templates were successfully submitted for approval.
Implementation of COVID Recovery Micro Projects Among many problems identified by Fellows, income generation was identified as a common priority for all districts. Therefore, the COVID Recovery Micro projects initiative focused mostly on economic and livelihood generation solutions. Apart from related work, Fellows were encouraged to consider community leadership in implementing activities to address the spread of COVID in their communities. They explored and implemented community sustenance programmes such as home-gardening initiatives, providing seeds, food preservation, coordinating medical and essential supplies delivery during lockdowns. Supporting the work of public health inspectors and authorities. Initiatives conducted by Fellows: l
S. Ravichandran - Promote home gardening and marketing facilities for individuals facing challenges in selling their products.
Shaginy created a network which included 20 families that faced difficulties in reaching markets. She worked collaboratively with the Agriculture Department to source standard quality seeds and technical support. In addition, she worked together with officers attached to the Divisional Secretariat to carry out the project successfully.
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S. Rameshkanth - Promote Palmyra products produced by widows from low-income backgrounds who lost their livelihood after the war and by COVID 19.
Palmyra products provides space for different self-employment opportunities. Mr Rameshkanth aimed to form a network to sell palmyra products across the country. He worked towards supporting widows who were affected by the war and then the effects of COVID-19 by providing them sufficient resources to continue and/or to start up their own palmyra production lines. The objective of this project is to strengthen their economy by working closely with the Palmyra Development Board and Lasksala branches to find these workers a market to sell their products.
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N. Muhinthan – Created a marketing network with his local community to process raw peanuts utilising machinery and selling to exporters.
Muhinthan supported local peanut farmers by introducing and linking them with the Agriculture Department and selected exporters to ensure they have a stable income. Muhinthan aims at approaching peanut farmers in
SUWODAYA Report March 2020 - March 2021
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