New Technical Training Centre opened in January

The centre will be teaching useful vocational skills.

Sewalanka Foundation opened a new training centre for conflict affected coastal fishing communities in Gopalapuram, Trincomalee which accommodates 80 students. Sewalanka utilised funds from its long-standing partner Welthungerhilfe (WHH) to construct the vocational training centre which opened in January 2011. The communities in the Eastern Province suffered a major setback after the tsunami in 2004. WHH and Sewalanka, who proposed this project, have extensive experience in jointly implementing relief, rehabilitation and long-term development projects among conflict affected communities.

Mr. Jayantha Bandara, Programme Coordinator of Sewalanka Trincomalee, said the new building will expand Sewalanka’s youth services in the region. Without the training centre, the youths have to travel far for vocational training, “things will be better from now on”.

The training centre opens is the largest non-government vocational training facility in Eastern Sri Lanka. The centre is planning to offer technical courses in subjects such as agriculture, livestock, agro-processing, non-farm livelihoods and employment oriented vocational training such as carpentry, masonry, motor and electrical mechanics.

“This was a long cherished dream to provide technical knowhow to multiethnic coastal communities we work with in the East. The new training facility will help hundreds of students to get jobs in the public and private sector,” said Jayantha Bandara.