Sewalanka Foundation’s Batticaloa district office is taking a new collaborative approach to creating active and effective government-supported community-based-organisations.

Pakkiyarethinam Chairman WRDS Murukanthivu, in discussion with S.F. Jaganathan.

The Batticaloa district office received support from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) in June 2003 through the Australian Community Rehabilitation Programme (ACRP) to meet the basic needs of four returning communities.

The villages of Pirampathithivu and Murukanthivu (Kiran DS Division) and Miltrikuddeiruppu and Kovilkuddeiruppu (Vaharai DS Divisions) are located northwest and north respectively of Batticaloa Town.

In accordance with the terms of the current Cease-fire Agreement both DS divisions remain under the control of the LTTE. All four vil lages are located adjacent to government controlled areas, which in the recent past made them extremely vulnerable during periods of conflict.

The destruction of housing and social infrastructure was widespread. Villagers displaced several times over the past twenty years, only began to return in the latter part of 2002. In May 2004, Vaharai was again the scene of conflict, which briefly resulted in villagers fleeing briefly from Miltrikuddeiruppu and Kovilkuddeiruppu.

Against this backdrop Sewalanka Foundation Batticaloa conducted participatory needs analysis with men, women and youth in the four villages in 2002 to ascertain village needs, prior to developing, submitting and securing project support from AusAID in Colombo. The ‘basic needs’ type project that emerged sought to improve shelter, access to safe drinking water and to kick-start each village’s economy through access to formal credit.

Tin sheets and cement floors are used by villages in Pirampathithivu to construct clean and dry shelters.

The project’s shelter component has improved the housing for 200 beneficiary families (primary beneficiaries: female-headed-households and widows), through the provision of tin sheets and cement floors. These have replaced the cadjan roofs and mud floors of the typical village hut.

Access to safe drinking water has been achieved through the construction of 18 drinking water wells in the four villages. The implementation of both shelter and drinking water project components have followed fairly standard implementation procedures; not so though the approach adopted to kick-start economic activity in the four villages”

Taking a new approach

Here, instead of setting out to establish its own community based organisations (CBOs), the district staff in Sewalanka’s Batticaloa office decided, pre-project implementation, to work with local government officers to develop and strengthen existing CBOs; in this instance four Women’s Rural Development Societies (WRDS - one in each village) and two Rural Development Societies (RDS - one each covering two villages).

The rationale for this approach was twofold; firstly, why if a CBO already exists in the village would Sewalanka wish to start its own Sewa Society. Secondly, they argued that the long-term viability of a government supported CBO (i.e. a RDS) is likely to be greater than that of an NGO supported CBO (i.e. a Sewa Society). The assumption here being that NGOs come and go, but government remains.

Tin sheets being transported to Murukanthivu & Pirampathithivu across the Valaichenai River.

To further support their argument in favour of working with both WRDS and RDS, Sewalanka Foundation’s Batticaloa office staff asserted that villagers were more likely to support the development and strengthening of WRDS or RDS than the establishment of a new NGO- mediated CBO. This contention was subsequently borne out, if only indirectly, when villagers in both Miltrikuddeiruppu and Kovilkuddeiruppu complained loudly to Sewalanka Foundation field staff about local and international NGOs arriving with project funds, establishing their own CBOs and departing as soon as the project-sponsored activities were completed.

Having reached their decision largely on theoretical grounds, the practicalities of working through government-supported CBOs have slowly revealed themselves over the past twelve months. To begin with, all six societies existed as ‘name only’ CBOs, the WRDS were not officially registered with the DS Office, neither had they opened bank accounts. Also, none of the six societies kept proper CBO records, held monthly meetings nor had established savings and credit programs. With the support of the respective Rural Development Officers (RDO) and Divisional Secretaries (DS), Sewalanka Foundation’s Batticaloa field officers began a series of institutional and capacity building exercises with each of the four WRDS and with the two RDS.

Although the processes have been fairly slow compared to establishing a Sewa Society. It has taken seven months just to register the four WRDS through the two DS Offices - Sewalanka Foundation’s Batticaloa office staff currently feel that they have been vindicated in their new approach, as members of the four WRDS:

–	are increasingly clear of the objectives and responsibilities of their CBO,
–	gained confidence in their organisations,
–	made efforts to join with neighbouring WRDS in collective protest (e.g. against a local ruling on ferry ownership), and importantly
–	placed increasing pressure on the DS office to deliver government services to their village. For example, the newly mobilised WRDS in Pirampathithivu and Murukanthivu successfully lobbied the DS in Kiran for NECORD funds to rebuild the village school.

These actions and initiatives are positive indications that even if Sewalanka Foundation Batticaloa staff were to withdraw its support at the end of the project time-frame, which is not planned, the WRDS would continue to function, supported by the DS office.

Savings made!

The delivery of formal credit (Target Beneficiaries: economically active families with young children) that concludes the project’s ‘project bound’ activities, provides an additional focus around which Sewalanka Foundation’s Batticaloa staff can further strengthen each of the WRDS.

Sewalanka Foundation Batticaloa has estimated that a WRDS member will ‘save’ in terms of reduced loan repayments Rs1,592.50 on a loan of Rs3,500 over six months. This is compared to the costs incurred in borrowing the same amount from informal credit sources. Formal credit made available to WRDS members through the WRDS (at 24% pa) contrasts starkly with informal credit provisions in the area, which is available at rates of up to 240% pa. Loans will be used for income generation activities.

Outputs achieved

Although the outputs that have already been achieved by the AusAID ACRP project - improved shelter for 200 families, access to safe drinking water and the delivery of formal credit - are all now contributing meaningfully to improving the immediate quality of life of more than 400 villagers in Batticaloa district, the progress that has been made in creating active and effective government supported CBOs will perhaps be the lasting legacy of the project.

Sewalanka Foundation Batticaloa staff wish to thank Nik Rilkoff at AusAID in Colombo for her support of the project’s implementation and the government officers in the DS offices in Kiran and Vaharai for their assistance in the successful implementation of the project.

>> For further information on Batticaloa district activities please contact:
Mr. G. Nagarajah on 0)65 222 4778