Reaching out to the needy

Earnest endeavour to eradicate poverty through Gemidiriya:

by Dhaneshi Yatawara

[email protected]

Another Sinhala and Hindu New Year has dawned - a new season, new thoughts and new hopes with loads of new blessings.

On top of it the amusement, the excitement that comes along attached to the ‘happy new year’ never fades away. A happy new year that is sweet as Kewum and crispy as Kokis is everyone’s wish. We Sri Lankans thoroughly enjoy the beginning of the new season - whether urban or rural.

Yet, we all feel, city is not the place for our Sinhala Hindu new year. Village is where we sense the true feeling of a fresh start.

Paddy fields harvested just few weeks ago, the greenery, picturesque patches of land, rivers and canals, flowers, animals have all freshened up with the seasonal rain. It is the unblemished feeling we all are seeking for.

Strength and courage

For a long time, our country has been a land of village communities. The average villager was a key stone of our nation, our culture and our heritage. Villagers are the people who treasure the deep rooted values of our nation. It is the sole reason to prioritize the village and its people in the development programs of the country.

Our ancestors brought up a self sustained village and a country building mega tanks and nourishing long stretches of paddy fields. They blessed the country with a harvest that fed every single villager - the harvest a result of their untiring efforts.

Through unity, trust, equality and humbleness they succeed in achieving their goals uplifting the country’s economy. Making the nation a self sustained one is not alien to our villager, they only need a good support since they are struck with poverty.

Poverty in Sri Lanka is a multi-dimensional phenomenon. In addition to low incomes that lead to an inability to satisfy the basic consumer needs, the poor have to contend with gaps in access to good education and healthcare, quality shelter, water and sanitation.

These in turn stifle individual initiatives and the drive for personal advancement. These are the qualities essential to break the vicious circle of poverty. These are the qualities once our villagers were blessed with and lost in the path to development as they were not given their proper place in the process.

In this backdrop the Government, understanding this long lasted laps in the development strategy, has now initiated to strengthen and empower formally organised rural communities active in the path to progress.

Gemidiriya (strengthening the rural) Community Development and Livelihood Improvement project was designed to assist the implementation of the Government Poverty Alleviation strategy. Presently it is implemented under the Ministry of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development.

The World Bank has agreed to provide facilities amounting to US$ 181 million for a period of 12 years for the implementation of the Project on successful operation of the model.

A grant of US$ 51 million has already been made available by the World Bank to the Government of Sri Lanka to implement the first phase of the four year project.

The project commenced in December, 2004 to scale-up the Village Self Help Learning Initiative (VSHLI) pilot project successfully implemented for four years in the Polonnaruwa District.

Gemidiriya Community Development program paves the way for the rural communities to get together, organize formally and plan village development by themselves with 50% women participation and 30% youth participation mobilizing self help and community contribution. The model focuses on proper insurance for livelihood activities ensuring village savings are reinvested within the village economy.

The objective

The development objective of the 12-year Gemidiriya program is to enable the rural communities to improve their livelihood and quality of life.

It is expected to assist the communities of Uva and Southern Provinces and Ratnapura district to build accountable and self governing local institutions in those village organizations and to manage sustainable investments during the four years by devolving decision-making power and resources to community organizations.

In return it hopes to strengthen selected local governments which demonstrate responsiveness and accountability to rural communities and work with federation of village organizations, the private sector and non-governmental organizations on economic empowerment to increase the size and diversity of livelihood options.

Communities pledge to follow - participation of all without discrimination, priority to the poor, women and youth, transparency, accountability and cost sharing. Basically Gemidiriya facilitates community driven development through removing root causes to poverty by providing opportunities with information, decision-making power and resource assistance to support self development.

Communities decide on

The uniqueness of the Gemidiriya project is its long term horizon in building sustainable local level institutions focusing on empowerment of village institutions, linkages with local authorities and private sector. It also focuses on increasing size and diversity of economic opportunities for federations, business enterprises and convergence with other programs.

The communities decide on capacity building, savings and credit, skill development for youth, social and community infrastructure development and investment to income generations.

Gradual devolution of power to local governments, direct transfer of fund to the communities, fixed budget envelope and milestone based disbursement, devolution of operations and maintenance activities to the communities, participatory activities targeting of the poor and simple and transparent rules of engagement are some of the other unique features of the Gemidiriya.

With the Gemidiriya project ‘a company’ for the villagers is established as an economic organization with legal acceptance and all families of the village can become partners.

All the important decisions will be taken with the participation of more than 80% of the families and over 50% of women at the General meeting.

In this the villagers will contribute 10% in cash and 20% in labour for infrastructure development.Since the day one of this project, it was proven beyond doubt that results produced by the communities are the key to attract attention of the stakeholders.

Communities need time to match conditions. Gemidiriya builds up trust and confidence in the communities when they are armed with the access to and control over the resources and the sense of ownership and easiness of operations.

Achievements (up to end of February 2008)

* Total savings mobilized amount to Rs. 151 million. A rupee a day savings amounted to Rs. 45 million and normal savings to Rs. 106 million.

* Rs. 710 million invested in income generation activities within the village economy.

* The interest income received from the loans issued is Rs. 60.9 million.

* 843 community infrastructure sub projects under implementation.

* The value of community contribution (cash and labour) amounting to Rs. 113 million.

* Rs. 223 million released to communities for infrastructure sub projects.

* 270 sub projects were completed and have started operation and maintenance work.

* 1047 villages formed Village Organizations (VOs) to follow Gemidiriya Community Driven Development Model.

* 971 VOs with legal recognition in seven districts and 54 divisional secretariat divisions.

* 20,215 small groups with 132,329 households as members in 971 village savings and credit organizations.

(Source - Gemidiriya Foundation, Ministry of Nation Building)

Within three years,

898,238 villagers living in 1000 villages, 118,311 families forming small groups, 797 Youth Circles Rs. 111 million community contribution to infrastructure projects, receiving Rs. 250 million development funds for 780 projects benefiting 568,329 community members, providing drinking water, village access and information communication facilities, saved Rs. 107 million investing Rs. 602 million in the villagers earning Rs. 47 million as interest income and maintaining 97% loan repayment rate; thereby enabling villagers to make the village a better place for them and their children.

The ten Golden Rules of ‘Gemidiriya’

1. Unity

2. Self Esteem

3. Accountability

4. Trust

5. Realism

6. Thrift

7. Transparency

8. Equality

9. Consensus

10. Sincerity