Community meetings are an esstenial component of social mobilistation

The Social Development Division comprises three sections: Community Empowerment; Development Research; and Community Health Enhancement.

The Community Empowerment Section provides support to ensure that all Sewalanka Foundation projects adopt and practice participatory approaches in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The section has developed comprehensive training modules for the benefit of programme staff, CBOs and other development agencies. The areas covered in these modules include: social mobilisation; participatory development techniques like PRAs, PNAs, community action planning, and participatory monitoring and evaluation; application of logical framework approach; CBO management (leadership development, networking, documentation, contracting, financial management, revolving loans funds management); and conflict resolution.

The Development Research Section undertakes baseline studies, nutritional surveys, community health, socio-economic assessment, poverty assessments, marketing surveys, project impact monitoring, and evaluation. It works with internal staff but also utilises a team of experts from six Sri Lankan universities.

The Community Health Enhancement Section coordinates all community health related projects. This unit works with selected medical professionals and has a strong working relationship with the Ministry of Health. The unit designs training programmes based on the outcomes of needs assessments, for example in 2003/04 the unit conducted the following:
— Hygiene education for children and mothers
— Training of family health workers, pre-school teachers and mothers on nutrition, sexually-transmitted diseases and water-borne diseases
— Awareness creation workshops for community members on malaria and typhoid
— Prevention of HIV/AIDS and behavioural changes activities.

>> To find out more, contact:
Mr. T. Barman - Head, Social Development Division