Mahakumbukkadawela The empowerment of Mahakumbukkadawela community by World Vision
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Glimpses of our 15 year
Journey of Transformational Development 2
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Most families now have access to clean drinking water, childrenarenowback inschoolandenjoying better health and nutrition.
I am pleased to send this message on the occasion of the closure of the Mahakubukkadawela (MKK) Area Development Programme (ADP). This long term (15 years) development programme is unique to World Vision, whereby the poorest and the most disadvantaged communities are empowered and transformed. Children are the primary focus of the programme where every opportunity is provided to ensure a brighter future for them and through them their families and communities are also touched. Mahakubukkadawela is the second ADP to reach closure after a successful journey of transformation and development over the last 15 years. Since 1996, in partnership with the community,World Vision has conducted a range of initiatives in the key sectors of Education, Health & Nutrition,Water & Sanitation, and Economic Development in MKK. Today, as we prepare to leave Mahakubukkadawela we do so with the satisfaction that we leave behind an empowered community with enhanced capacities. Together with our partners, we have brought a renewed sense of hope for many of the children, families and communities in MKK.Most families now have access to clean drinking water, children are now back in school and enjoying better health and nutrition. Children have a space for their talents and voice
and families have more sustainable livelihoods. In 1996, only 7% of the population has access to safe drinking water but today that figure has risen to an impressive 91.7%. Usage of water sealed toilet facilities has improved from 65% to 96.6%. The average family income levels have increased fivefold and 61% of families now have access to loans and 88% of these families have accumulated savings.The progress recorded in childrens health and nutrition and education is the most heartening of all statistics. Malnutrition statistics of children under-five indicate a significant improvement with those underweight reducing from 38.6% in 1996 to 11.8%, stunting from 16.6% to 10.8% and wasting reducing from18.4% to 12.7%. On the education front the number of preschools has increased from just six in 1996 to 27 today. The drop-out rate of school children which was 12% in 1996 is now zero – a remarkable achievement indeed. It is our fervent hope that the empowered communities and our partners in MKK will take ownership for their continued development and be able to sustain the progress made todate. The success of our programme in Mahakubukkadawela was due to the support we received from all our stakeholders including Government Ministries, Local Provincial Government, Divisional Secretaries, Government Agents, our sponsors, donors from Canada, our partners and the communities themselves. Our sincere thanks go out to all of them. I would also like to take this opportunity to recognise the dedicated efforts of our staff that have faithfully served the communities in MKK over the years to bring about the significant transformation we see today. My wish is that MKK and its people will continue its progress and remain at the forefront of development. SURESH BARTLETT National Director World Vision Lanka 3
We believe Most familiesthe nowempowered have access community we leave to clean drinking behind will lead water, children thenow community are back in to reapand theenjoying fruits of school transformation. better health and nutrition.
As World Vision prepares to take leave from MKK, I want to share with you some of the life changing stories of children and their families in MKK community, where we worked for the last 15 years. We started our mission in 1996 in MKK – at that time an under privileged, marginalized, rural community in the north western region of Sri Lanka. Our vision for this community was that the children and their families would experience life in all its fullness. We dreamed that they would enjoy good health, be educated for life, experience the love of God and cared for, protected and participating in all decisions that affected them. Today, after 15 years of service we are ready to bid good bye to the community with pride in the work that we have achieved. During the last 15 years we walked with girls and boys, men and women of this marginalized community in finding solutions for the root causes of poverty that prevented them enjoying the life that God intended for them – a life with dignity and respect. The journey we trod was not easy and smooth. There were moments of failures and discouragement but we had the courage to continue. Today, we are amazed to witness the changes that have happened in the lives of children and the community in
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MKK. Children who walked miles looking for water, now have access to water at their door step. Parents are able to provide education and health facilities to their children with the income they receive through their own income generation sources started with our economic development interventions. Children are fed with fresh & nutritious meals received from their home gardens. Children with whom we initiated the project in 1996 and who were trained as child society leaders today provide leadership to the community organizations that take decisions for the community. This is the transformation we experience today. The achievements we talk about here, in no way means that the mission is over. Sustainability of the changes matters a lot in transformation development. Community leadership and networking have been strengthened and community structures have been positively changed for the betterment of the community including children. What we have done here is only initiating the process for the transformation development and we believe the empowered community we leave behind will lead the community to reap the fruits of transformation.
MARCUS PERERA Mahakubukkadawela Area Development Programme Manager
Puttalam Mahakumbukkadawela
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WELL BEING OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
A place for their early growth… In 1997, when WorldVision first started serving in Dangaswewa village, there were only two preschools for all the surrounding villages. Dimuthu Preschool was one of them. “We had just six children under a small open and unprotected hut, sitting on the mud floor with no furniture. During the rainy days it was very difficult to have the preschool,” says Thilangika Ganga, the teacher who started the preschool and who is still the teacher in charge. “World Vision was quick to support us and soon the children were on a clean cement floor that did not get muddy. We received furniture and World Vision even cared about little things like developing the hut to have more covering and safety and a fence around our premises for more protection,” she says. “While those were really essential for the preschool, what we, teachers treasure the most is the training each of us received,” said Thilangika.
The parents meet with the teacher once a month to evaluate their child’s growth and issues and teachers have taken a personal commitment to visit the families and to get to know their living environments and to provide advice. “Parents come to me for advice on anything related to their children. I feel so proud,” smiles the teacher. She says that the training on identifying children with special needs was a big blessing to her as she has been able to help several children with speaking difficulties and slowness. The primary schools in the area have also reported that the children who enter school from World Vision supported preschools are more confident and active.Today the preschool teachers have frequent dialogue with primary school teachers to understand how to groom and support children and better prepare them for school.
“The trainings World Vision conducted for us are different from those we’ve had previously. They covered a variety of fields like early childhood care and development, nutrition and guidance in identifying and supporting children with special needs. They were very practical and effective as well.” “Because of these trainings we (teachers) have been able to help parents focus not only on their child’s physical and educational nourishment but also their psychological and emotional nourishment.”
Children access and complete basic education
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WELL BEING OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
PD Hearth: More than a gift of health for the child… Kanthi’s two year old son was her first born and the most precious thing in her life. However, from birth he was underweight and prone to illnesses all the time. No matter how hard she tried to feed him he never seemed to want to eat. He had other issues too; he did not speak and was afraid of people - if a visitor came home he cried until they left. Kanthi was worried and visited the village midwife frequently for advice but her only response was that he was underweight. “My husband didn’t like to move with others, so we lived in isolation in a small thatched house far away from the community, closer to the jungle. We had no neighbours.There were no other houses around ours.When my husband went for masonry work, I stayed alone. I was not allowed to associate with others and if I went out, he became very angry.” said Kanthi. “One day I was invited by World Vision to attend a meeting on nutrition.The World Vision Mobiliser (Volunteer) explained that the programme would greatly benefit my son, so I convinced my husband to let me participate. As he was underweight, my son was selected for the nutrition programme. World Vision insisted that both parents of the child participate in the programme.” “The camp taught us many things on food and nutrition and different ways of preparing locally available food in a way that our children would like to eat. I was so amazed and thrilled to see my son’s weight increase during the nutrition camp (itself). He even took a lot of interest in eating the food I prepared too.” exclaimed Kanthi.There were many other
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positives for Kanthi. At the beginning of the camp her son had cried constantly because he was afraid of people. But soon overcame his fears and began to feel comfortable with other people and children. He seemed very happy and even began to speak a few words too. Kanthi also noted a change in her husband after his participation in the nutrition camp. He learnt to interact with others and also took part in the sessions on happy family life, entertainment, spiritual growth and human and mental development. He now helps his wife in some of the housework and spends more time with his son. “We moved to a new house in the community. World Vision not only gave my son the gift of good health but my whole family a new and a transformed life.” said Kanthi her face aglow with happiness. Positive Deviance (PD) Hearth is a community based nutrition programme for children who are at risk of malnutrition. It has enabled hundreds of communities to reduce their levels of childhood malnutrition and to prevent malnutrition of its future generations by changing norms in child care, feeding and health practices. The “positive deviance” approach is used to find uncommon beneficial practices by mothers or caretakers of well-nourished children from impoverished families. Once identified, the goal is to spread these practices and behaviours to others in the community with malnourished children.
Children are well nourished reducing the prevalence of malnutrition
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EMPOWERED COMMUNITY
With my own eyes I’ve seen…
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WELL BEING OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
A new lease of life When Piyasena first came to know World Vision he was working as a daily labourer and struggling to provide for his family. His wife developed a mental disorder and every cent he earned was spent on her recovery. “ Despite my economic conditions, World Vision training programmes, especially the management and leadership trainings inspired and motivated me to find success in life. The trainings helped me identify the real potential within me,” says Piyasena.With a small loan from the Rural Development Service Society (RDSS) established by World Vision, Piyasena took a step from daily labour into construction business. His wife participated in eco-friendly home gardening and cashew
processing trainings. “Today I am a contractor in the building sector with 45 staff working under me in my construction sites. The leadership trainings helped me strengthen and widen social relationship with individuals and companies,” says Piyasena. “My wife is happy and grows vegetables at home and takes care of a poultry farm. She has enough time for the children and we get home-grown food to eat. My children are studying well and I am glad that we will be able to support them to reach the highest they can,” says Piyasena proudly.
Parents or caregivers provide well for their children
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EMPOWERED COMMUNITY
Stronger where they are… Mohoriya was a fragmented village with strong boundaries of caste and class. Every society and institution was heavily governed and influenced by the strong and the powerful despite the community participatory approach. The marginalised families remained marginalised from the development programmes. “We always focus on the negatives as a marginalised group and discuss the unfairness, the struggles and the pain. We united on our vulnerability but not on our strength,” says Shrimathie. “World Vision’s special family programme reorganised our minds and helped us to think differently of our situation and poverty.We were united as a group of the same class, but this time not on our vulnerability, but as people with strength and capability to support each other in life. I cried the day the group came together to build my house with their labor,” she says.
“We have also received other trainings including home gardening, poultry, dairy farming, perennial crop establishing, kitchen management, meditation, value formation etc. We are slowly beginning to be accepted in the village,” says Arunakanthi. Changing the caste and class boundaries will take time in Mohoriya, but meanwhile the marginalised communities will no longer have to stay weak. They are stronger together and are able to achieve many things in the community. World Vision’s Special Family Programme supports families who are economically and socially marginalized and vulnerable. With a special focus on livelihoods and food security, the programme directs them to make their own family business plan making use of different techniques in saving, investing and starting livelihoods. Over 100 families have benefited through this programme.
“We never realized that we too can save money despite our poverty. The accumulated saving and credit method that was introduced to us through the programme showed us that we have a great potential to improve our lives together by being disciplined in our saving. I saved Rs. 13,000/- in the first year and our group managed to save nearly Rs. 60,000/-,” says Mabel. “Nobody could have lent another even Rs. 1000/- during an emergency, but now our group lends up to Rs. 22,000/- to its members,” says Gnanawathee.
Children are cared for in a loving, safe, family and community environment
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To serve my own village… Chamila’s dream was to be a teacher when she grew up. But she knew it was next to impossible. The village school she attended not only had minimum facilities, it hardly had any teachers to teach them. Apart from becoming a teacher one day, it was already difficult enough to become even an average student. “Our school was situated far away from the main road and there were no facilities for the teachers to travel or quarters for them to stay,” says Chamila. “The teachers came late to school and left early. Every teacher who was given an appointment at our school tried to get a transfer to a school in the town almost as soon as they arrived. The children in my village who couldn’t afford to go to a school in town had no access to proper education. Lack of teachers was the biggest setback to education here.”
“I am honoured to be a teacher for the children of my own community. I want to thank World Vision for showing me the path to walk with love and care for the poor children in my village.” Chamila has now completed the teacher’s training programme and is in the process of completing an external degree from the University. When World Vision first came to Mahakumbukkadawela, the school dropout rate was very high. One of the main reasons for it was the lack of teachers.The Volunteer Teacher Scheme proved a success in filling the gaps of teacher scarcity since most of the recruits were from the village itself. The school drop out rate is now virtually zero.
Seeing their plight,World Vision launched a special programme with the education department to recruit volunteer teachers for the school. Young people who had completed their schooling and had a desire to teach were interviewed and provided teacher training. “This is my 12th year of service in the school in my village since then,” smiles Chamila. “I cannot describe in words the joy and the satisfaction I have in seeing these children from my village, learning and growing and getting through school with bigger dreams.”
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Children have hope and vision for the future
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TRANSFORMED RELATIONSHIPS
Dayawathi was very disappointed when her son was born with a mental disability. She couldn’t accept it and feared for his future. She wrestled with anxiety not knowing how to help him face life. “It was only after World Vision accepted him under the sponsorship programme that I began to see things differently. The organisation helped me understand that my child is differently able to face life and slowly I began to accept his condition. He was not only included in the health benefits of the Programme, but also in the child society and life skills development activities with other children,” says Dayawathi
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Today her son manages their little shop. “I have seen many changes happen in my community for the past 15 years. Poverty stricken families becoming economically stable; people supporting each other; children discovering hidden talents; youth finding new direction in their lives; and young children grow in to leaders. But the most amazing change for me is the change that happened within me,” she says, “It has strengthened me to motivate youth to find meaningful lives and to direct children into a life of dignity.”
Children grow in their awareness and environment that recognizes their freedom
WELL BEING OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Hope for the vulnerable... Pathmalatha (48) is a grandmother who was struggling to raise her two little grandchildren ever since her daughter went away leaving the children with her.
the two children and give them a good life. Then I planned my family economic plan for the next three years and joined in the home gardening programme.”
“I was already in a lot of economic hardship and I didn’t know how I could take care of the children. But I couldn’t turn my face away from the two innocent boys who were abandoned by both their father and the mother,” she says.
“Today the garden is the main source of income for me and my husband to bring up the two children and we are able to provide for all their needs. I also received 25 chicks to start a poultry farm and I managed to increase the number to 250 within the first year and I earn a good income from that too”.
Pathmalatha became a part of World Vision’s Special Family Programme. “Participating in the positive thinking workshop of the programme was a turning point in my life. I was motivated and I decided that I would somehow take care of
Pathmalatha’s home garden won the first place in the Division as well as the District and the Provincial level home gardening competitions.
Parents or caregivers provide well for their children
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EMPOWERING CHILDREN AS AGENTS OF CHANGE
Children have a hope and a vision for the future
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Dileepa and his wife did many things to make ends meet and take care of their little family.They slaved in a garment factory in the town for years and then returned to the village to start a vegetable business. Dileepa borrowed a block of land and tried cultivation but everything failed without much profit. He even switched to brick making. “World Vision identified my two children as being in very poor nutrition condition and we were given training to start a nutrition home garden,” says Dileepa, “I was not used to farming and the land we lived in had no good soil for cultivation. However, World Vision convinced us that if we use the appropriate technology the state of the soil could be improved. I did all that the programme taught us. World Vision also gave us seeds.”
for my family’s consumption. The home garden has turned in to an integrated farm and gives me a continuous and a substantial income with healthy food for my children,” says the happy farmer. “I never thought I could ever own a vehicle, but today I own a tractor. I am recognized in my community and most of the farmers in my village come to me for advice on farming.” Eco-friendly farming is one of the main approaches of World Vision’s food security and sustainable livelihood interventions in its economic development programme. High inorganic external input is one of the major issues in the agricultural sector in Mahakumbukkadawela which prevent farmers from reaching sustainable livelihoods.
With the produce of his garden, the nutrition status of his children changed positively and it was the turning point of Dileepa’s life. “I became passionate about cultivating and knew I had found a sustainable livelihood. I received a milk cow under the animal leasing programme and coconut plants and some perennial crops for the garden. However, the gift I value the most is the trainings I received on eco-friendly agriculture,” he says. Today Dileepa owns two milk cows which give him a daily income and fresh milk for his two children. “I started a poultry farm too. The coconut plants are also giving me a harvest now. I even started paddy cultivation
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Parents or caregivers provide well for their children
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A renewed hope... Poverty forced Dayawathi to leave her children in the care of her husband and go in search of employment abroad. She had no choice. Her husband sold fish in the village to earn a living but the income was not even sufficient to meet their daily meals. There were many days that they went hungry. “It was very hard for me to leave my children but there was nothing else to do. There was no one from whom we could borrow money to support our family even in case of an emergency.The banks did not approve any credit facilities for people like us,” says Dayawathi.
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“When I returned home, World Vision was already in our village and had taken my children into its sponsorship programme. I found that they were really benefiting from the programme. It was a great relief for me.The way they reached out to the poor and the marginalized in the community touched me. With the guidance of World Vision programme on business development and entrepreneur skills, Dayawathi started a small retail shop. “It has become our main source of income,” she says. “Today, my daughter is in the university and my son is still schooling. I am confident that I can continue to support their needs.”
Parents provide well for their children earning a consistent income to meet household needs
YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
A light to their path... Nalin and Geethani were among the many young people who were a part of World Vision’s life skills development programme for the youth. Nalin was trying different jobs to make a living and Geethani was slaving in a garment factory for a very low wage. “The life skills development programme gave us many opportunities to develop our knowledge, skills and attitudes. I studied masonry under World Vision’s vocational training for the youth.The programme empowered me and inspired me to start my own business in the village,” says Nalin.Today, he is a recognized mason in the village and a government registered contractor in the construction sector.
“Before working in the garment factory I had completed a course in beauty culture but could not use it to make a living,” says Geethani, “Under the Youth programme I participated in the entrepreneurship development training and it taught me many different things that are very essential for a successful life. Today she manages her own beauty parlour at home. “I also met my life partner - Nalin through this youth program,” blushes Geethani, “We both have the same understanding on success and meaning of life. We both like to participate in community activities and making a change so that our community is a good place to live in”.
Adolescents are prepared for economic opportunity
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SPONSORSHIP
My sponsor and I... My name is Amesha and I’m 15 years old now. I am the youngest in my family and I have an elder brother and a sister. When I was little, I didn’t have any friends. Children in school cornered me and made fun of me because I was really poor and my brother is disabled. No one wanted to be friends with me. My heart always hurt and I hated going to school. I couldn’t study. But I didn’t tell anyone in my family about it. We already had a lot of hardships. My mother had to take care of my brother and never had time to rest. My father worked hard to feed us and to keep me and my sister in school. Both of them were worried about my brother. In the meantime, World Vision came to our village and I didn’t understand what they did or know anything about sponsorship. Not until I was in grade 5, when I was told that I have a sponsor and that I must write a letter to him.
even my parents because I knew they couldn’t afford it. My classmates were surprised to see me that day and asked me how it happened. I told them about World Vision and about sponsorship. I told them about my letter to my sponsor and how he replied. Because my sponsor accepted me and cared for me, my classmates too began to accept me and I began to make friends. He supported my schooling – I received enough school books and stationery and everything else I needed. It motivated me to study hard and do well. My sponsor continued to support me and my family. Because of him we also have a safe home to live in, which would have never been possible otherwise. He is an angel in disguise for me and my family, who came to us during our time of need”. Today, Amesha is very popular in her village and is known as a girl who excels in every field. She is loved by the young and the old alike.
I wrote to him about the difficulties of my family, about my brother, my worries, and hurts. Since I did not have any friends to share, I began to tell him everything and I wrote to him in my language. He wrote me back and encouraged me to study hard and do well in life and promised to support me. I still remember the day I went to school in new shoes and a new uniform, riding my new bicycle that he had sent me. It was my childhood dream to go to school by bicycle but I never told anyone – not
Children enjoy positive relationships
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TRANSFORMED STRUCTURES AND SYSTEMS
Water for Farming Kiula is a remote farmer settlement, situated far away from most of the essential services like schools, hospitals and markets. Infrastructure was poor with no electricity or proper roads. However, the biggest issue the community faced was the lack of water for farming with just one agriculture tank for the 29 farmer families. “The tank was very small and could hold very little water which was only enough for 15 acres of paddy cultivation,” says Siriwardena, a farmer from the settlement, “We requested many officials and organizations to renovate and expand the capacity of the tank.”
A society formed under the name Ekamuthu (united) Farmer Organisation oversees the maintenance of the tank. World Vision also helped the community build rain water harvesting tanks, ponds, canals and other small agro tanks to ensure the availability of water round the year. “Today, we also have enough water for bathing, animals have water for drinking and it has also raised the ground water levels in the surrounding areas,” says Senarathne, another farmer. “Moreover, we no longer have to buy rice from outside to feed our children,” he says.
“All of us 29 families totally depend on this one tank for our living.There was only enough water for one season and each family could cultivate only ¼ acre of rice, our staple food.The harvest was not enough to sustain our families and we had to seek other avenues of income earning” he says. When World Vision began its work in the community, ensuring water availability and accessibility to the farmer families was one of the top priorities. With the full and enthusiastic support of the community, the little tank was expanded to hold enough water for all the acres of cultivation field. “Now, during the rainy seasons the tank gets filled and holds enough water for us to cultivate all through the year,” smiles Siriwardena, “Because of the united effort of the farmers, everyone has the same ownership for the water and the cultivation”.
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Parents or caregivers provide well for their children
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WELL BEING OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
All the way to my dreams‌ My name is Mallika. My father left me and my mother while I was still very small. My mother had to work hard since then to take care of me. She went for daily labour to find money to feed me. I saw how much she struggled to support me. She was like God in my life. But the money she earned was not enough to send me for extra study classes or to buy me extra books. After World Vision included me in the sponsorship program I received a lot of support for my education. I was given a special scholarship for my studies; I received all the necessary school stationery. World Vision also equipped my school
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library with a lot of academic books and it was very useful for my studies. Our school was also supported with voluntary teachers and they provided extra evening classes. I am very grateful to the sponsors and the sponsorship programme since it paved the way for my university education. It is because of their support I am where I am today. I am also very grateful to the child society programme. It was the place where I learned to compete and accept defeat and victory; where I determined to reach the life target; where I understood the reality of life.
Children access and complete basic education
TRANSFORMED RELATIONSHIPS
Healthy mind in a healthy body Like every mother, Nadeeka’s dream for her little daughter was good health. She was very distressed when the mid wife told her that her baby was underweight. For three months she did everything possible to help her gain a little weight, but nothing changed. “During this time I had the opportunity to participate in the PD Hearth nutrition camp conducted for mothers and children by World Vision. By the end of the camp my daughter had gained 500g and I was so amazed,” says Nadeeka. “The programme made a big difference in my life. I learnt many things about early childhood care and development and its importance for the growth of the child. I felt very bad that I had no knowledge about
the physical and the mental health of my child. A lot of changes took place in my way of thinking, the way I treat, nurture and feed my baby,” she says. “There is a change in my little girl too. She is eager to wash her hands with soap before eating and the food she used to refuse to eat before, now she eats without a problem.That is because of the new way I learnt to cook,” says the young mother. “Even my husband appreciates the evening sessions that he participated with regard to the family relationships and nurturing children. He supports me more than ever in preparing meals and he also changed his way of treating us all at home. I am very thankful to World Vision for giving us this opportunity”.
Children are well nourished
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WATER
Water comes home.... “He is a very lucky boy,” smiles Swarna watching her son play in the water from the pipe,“when we were children, we never had the chance to enjoy water like this.There was no water.” Families in Dangaswewa village suffered for generations without water. The community travelled 2-3 km to fetch water for their basic needs and even then the water they used were not safe.
“No words can tell how thankful we are for this water project. It has saved us a lot of time and we have extra time for our children and they have more time to study and play,” says Swarna. The Water Project named Randiya (golden water) by the community itself, is managed and maintained by community members.The water scheme supplies safe drinking water for 161 families and for the village school.
“I remember how my mother sold our hen and bought me a small aluminium pot, so that I could go to fetch water with them,” says Swarna. “We used to hate it when relatives come to visit us because we have to make extra rounds to the lake,” chuckles Swarna, “When a visitor comes the first question my father would ask my mother is if we have enough water in the house.” The village school had no water either. Each grade was assigned on different days to fetch water in the afternoon from a tube well a little distance from the school. Each child got just one glass of water to drink and the toilets were cleaned only once a day. When World Vision offered to help solve this water problem, the whole community of Dangaswewa came together in support. Men and women of the village, all laboured in the scorching sun, clearing the ground, digging canals to lay the pipes from the tank to their homes and watched the water project become a reality before their very eyes.
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Children are well nourished
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INTEGRATED FARMING
From weeds to vegetables… Shanika did not come from the agriculture community in Mahakumbukkadawala. Her husband worked as a daily-waged labourer to put bread (in this case rice) on the table. With no farming land, cultivation was the last thing they thought of as a livelihood. “I had never grown anything in my life. The land we live in is sandy and dry nohing good grew in it. It was purely curiosity that made me take part in the home-gardening project,” chuckles Shanika.“But the gardening techniques they taught us, especially how to prepare the soil and convert infertile soil, challenged me. I began my first home garden with the vegetable seeds I received at the programme,” she adds. Initially, it was difficult. Shanika had to fetch around 25 cans per day to keep the vegetable patches from drying up in the scorching heat. With lack of water resources, she made several rounds to the lake during the day, but it was solved by the rainwater harvesting tank she was helped to build at the back of her garden.Shanika began to transform every nook and corner of her garden and until 65 different varieties of vegetables were growing in it. “We haven’t bought any vegetables from the shop since the home-garden,” she says, “Earlier we could afford only one curry with our rice, but today we have several curries and I can choose from a variety of vegetables in my garden. Most of all my family gets to eat chemical-free vegetables.”
enough for home consumption. I earn an additional income of about Rs. 3000/- every month from it,” says Shanika. The enthusiastic lady farmer has also moved onto animal husbandry and received a milking cow under the Project. She has enlarged her farm to include two cows and poultry, rabbits, ducks and quail. She earns an income by selling the extra milk and eggs too.“I no longer have to go to the fields to collect cow dung. I have the necessary natural fertilisers’ right here at home now.World Vision has linked us with the Milco company and we have a collecting centre close by where we can sell the extra milk,” says Shanika. Shanika maintains a progress report for her garden. It includes a step-by-step detailed guide to home-gardening. She also prepares new seeds for fresh cultivations and shares them to encourage others to commence home-gardens.Meanwhile, her little son Shanuka (5) has taken after the mother and has begun his own cultivation in little pots. He knows every vegetable in his garden by name.All 65 of them! He also wants to have a bigger ‘zoo’ than his mother’s when he grows up. Around 70% of the population of Mahakumbukkadawala (MKK) are from the agriculture farmer community. But with low ground water levels and long periods of dry spells force the community to search for labour work during the off seasons of cultivation. The Home-gardening project seeks to not only support the economic activities of the community but also to ensure food security at all times. families have benefited through this programme.
While we don’t spend anything on buying vegetables, we also receive sufficient produce to sell in the market after keeping
Children are well nourished
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WELL BEING OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Quality education for Sembukuliya children Situated in a very remote village in Mahakumbukkadawala, Sembukuliya Primary School is the school of the poorest of the poor children in the village. The parents who could not afford to send their children to a better school several kilometers away, sent them here. The school classes up to grade 8 and a total of 125 children. Despite its lack of facilities, the Principal, W A U R Kumara gives his best in making it a place to help these children get a good education. “It was very challenging at times to continue this school,” he says, “The children are from the poorest families and often missed out on school due to their own family struggles and backgrounds. It was very difficult to convince the parents of the importance of a basic education for the children.”A lot of the time the parents had to choose between educating them and feeding them. “The teachers who were appointed for the school were also often from far and do not want to stay for a long time in this school due to many reasons. The school is in the interior and there is no proper transport service. There was no water for drinking or for other needs.There was no space in classrooms. Some classes were conducted under trees and during the rainy season it became difficult.”
residence with all the facilities, providing a place to stay for the teachers who traveled from far. World Vision’s Voluntary teachers’ scheme was a big blessing in solving the issue with regard to the lack of teachers and the education programmes and seminars for children proved immensely beneficial for the students.” “When I first came to this school no children passed the Grade 5 scholarship examination. But today 40-50% of the children get through the exam every year. That is a huge achievement. This is mostly due to the evening extra classes that are conducted by the teachers who stay in teachers’ residence,” says Kumara. “I am very thankful to World Vision for building the residence. It gave me a place to stay and to remain in this school for the last 10 years.These children are very innocent and poor. I enjoy serving them and being with them, teaching them extra hours in the evening and seeing their happy faces after passing the competitive examination,” says K Ajith Prasanna, a teacher.
“World Vision played a very significant role in providing for the education needs of the children in this school. We received a safe school building for the children and a Teachers’
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Children access and complete basic education
35
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WELL BEING OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
Care for their early years… When Swarna MaIanee started her journey as a preschool teacher in 1979, there were very few pre-schools in Mahakumbukkadawala at that time. “The parents had no knowledge on early childhood care and development and did not see preschool education as useful,” says Swarna, “The pre-schools functioned with minimum facilities. There was no proper place to keep the children; no toilets; no playing and learning tools; and the teachers were not trained”. “There was no focus on the health and nutrition and the physical and mental development of the children; children had no uniforms and no proper learning environment. The preschools were merely a place where parents left their children when they had to go for cultivation or their daily labor,” she says. Since there were only about 8 preschools for 75 villages, not all children had access to schooling. Most parents didn’t want to spend time traveling a long distance to drop their child at the pre-school. Some had no proper transport and had to walk long distances and others had to use unsafe paths to get to them. As a solution they kept their elder children at home to look after the younger ones.
area. Parents are now well aware of the need of the early childhood care and development.World Vision had equipped the pre-schools with learning tools, facilities, infrastructures and a child friendly environment.” “World Vision also empowered the teachers with the best trainings on the subject, developing our knowledge, skills and attitudes to mould these children with love and care, knowing that they are the future of our community.” “We also won the efficiency award for the best pre-schools in the province last year. It is proof of the change that World Vision has made in the district and I am proud to be a part of it,” Swarna says. Swarna Malanee is the secretary of the Pre-School Teachers Association, established by World Vision to continue the access of quality preschool education for children in MKK. It is now registered under the MKK Divisional Secretariat as a voluntary organization and governs all the preschool. PSTA has collected a fund of LKR 1.3 million to continue its mission.
“But World Vision intervened in establishing and ensuring pre-school education in the area,” says the teacher, “Today there are 22 pre-schools with over 450 children learning in them.That is more than 83% of the preschool children in our
Children access and complete basic education
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FACTS AT A GLANCE Description Safe drinking water( From protected sources)
Then (1996)
Now (2011)
7% in 1997
91.7%
Access to drinking water with in 30 mins.
97%
Usage of water sealed toilets
65.7%
96.60%
Nutrition - under weight
38.6%
11.8%
Stunted
16.6%
10.8%
Wasted
18.4%
12.7%
Availability of home gardens Preschool education - Number of preschools
6
27
Preschool supported by ADP
16
Average distance to preschool
1.1 Km
School drop outs ( primary education)
12%
0%
Schools supported by ADP
12
Number of children societies Percentage of children having membership in child societies
22
Family income (monthly)
75% 75% of families 25$
141$ ( average families)
Access to loans
61.50%
Savings
88.30%
Additional income generation activities 38
72.1%
53.1% families
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WORLD VISION LANKA 1119/2/1 MARADANA ROAD COLOMBO 8