“We grew up relying on the resources of the forest. We found things there that we could not find anywhere else,” Nilanthi remembers, describing how her father used to return from the woods with large baskets of wild mushrooms. "Now we protect the forests"

“I was not always independent and self-confident. Quite the contrary; I was extremely shy. But now I make a conscious effort to advocate for equality in our society. Someone has to stand up!” says Sumangala, a YLDP Participant.

Today, these women work day in and day out to provide the best quality dishes that are a definite favorite in the area. After all, who can refuse the taste of traditional goodness prepared with a spoonful of love?

AusAID, UNDP and other partners initiated “Strengthening Disaster Management Capacities in Conflict Affected North and East,” a project to create village resilience development plans for vulnerable communities in Sri Lanka.

We are greeted by an array of colourful products, made out of palmyrah, found in abundance in Northern Sri Lanka, as we step into the sales center of the Palmyrah Handicrafts (Guarantee) Limited. The sales centre was established this year and is today bustling with activity. And, there is much that the crafters of these products can be proud of.

The village of Pavatkulam, in Cheddikkulam, Vavuniya District, consists of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities. A few years ago, the different communities here hardly met or interacted, bitterly divided over water resources and livelihoods.

In 2011, UNDP, under its Transition Recovery Programme undertook a market and producer assessment of the Pandaitharippu Palm Producers’ Cooperative. The assessment found that although there was a demand for palmyrah-based products, the Cooperative had limitations in accessing many of the high-value markets due to the lack of adherence to quality standards.

Mrs. Bernatheth is a 53 year old widow with three children living below an income of Rs. 3,200 per month. Although she has received government and donor support for the construction of her house destroyed during the war, she has been unable to complete the remaining construction work due to her low income. At times, she had had to depend on her children dropping out of school to help her earn an income through casual labour.

In Ampara District in Eastern Sri Lanka, 27 women are doing remarkable things for their communities. K. Lalith Kulanayake ran for local elections recently, and made history as the first female to serve in a local government body in the remote division of Lahugala. A.M. Mahira lifted the lid on the taboo subject of child abuse, and her awareness-raising efforts saw a drastic reduction in the number of incidents reported over the past six months in the division of Akkaraipattu.

Fishermen in Mullaitivu District, Northern Sri Lanka, have been living off the sea for decades. However, years of conflict and displacement have disrupted their livelihoods and caused large scale damage to the economic and social infrastructure.