LEADS champion rice mill project in Thoppigala

Tuesday, 21 April 2015 00:37 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In keeping with its philosophy, registered social service charitable organisation LEADS took initiative following an urgent community need to renovate the Thoppigala village rice mill with new machinery and fittings. Established in 1983, LEADS has been at the forefront in developing and implementing programmes to alleviate human suffering. “By the communities for the communities” is the philosophy that LEADS follows as they seek to guide the most vulnerable and marginalised communities in Sri Lanka. The rice mill was destroyed during the final battle in 2007 and all the machinery and fittings had been misplaced by the time the village was

resettled in 2010. In April this year, seven months since the inception of the project, the rice mill was officially opened by the community, along with representatives from LEADS. About 10,000 acres of paddy cultivation takes place annually in and around the Thoppigala village. Since Thoppigala and its neighbouring villages had no rice mill for the past six years, the villagers were compelled to transport the harvested paddy to the nearest town, Kiran, which is located 30 kilometres away. Renovating the rice mill in Thoppigala, will not only ensure 10,000 acres of paddy cultivation but will also enable the farmers to provide for the basic needs to families in and around the village. Children who are vulnerable to malnutrition will have a stable meal on a daily basis due to this initiative taken by LEADS. Commenting on this venture, LEADS CEO Roshan Mendis stated: “We are glad to note that the rice mill operation is functional after a lapse of six years. While approximately 120 families involved in farming from the Thoppigala village will be benefited through this intervention, another 350 families from the surrounding villages namely; Tharava and Muruthanai will also benefit. The Thoppigala community can avoid long hours of travel and can now seek to improve their economy as a village. The economic benefits reaped through this project will also boost the morale of the villagers, encouraging them to engage in more self-sufficient initiatives.” The village Rural Development Society (RDS) will manage, maintain and run the rice mill with the objective of sustainable development and equality. LEADS has been actively involved in carrying out interventions in resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons; integrated community development; child protection; prison inmate rehabilitation; community peace building and relief operations across Sri Lanka.