Photo exhibition and documentary on community development

‘Changing Lives,’ a photo exhibition and a set of seven documentaries, reflects the perseverance of communities in the north and the east of Sri Lanka. The display also highlights how the European Union funded Support to District Development Programme (EU-SDDP) has empowered individuals and assisted in improving the living standards of people.

The exhibition and the documentaries will be inaugurated on 8 June and will further be open to the public on 9 and 10 June at the Warehouse D, Park Street, Colombo 2.

The exhibition is a result of the work done by the European Union together with its implementing partners i.e. the United Nations (UN) and the International Finance Cooperation (IFC) in formerly conflict-affected districts in the North and East. In addition, cooperation with district government bodies and local communities has been instrumental in making both the programme and the exhibition a success. 

“The exhibition provides an insight into how the EU-SDDP programme has contributed to assisting communities in the North and the East. I am glad to be able to share today some of the results achieved and would like to thank the implementing partners, the local communities and the Government bodies who have been instrumental in ensuring that the interventions were successful,” stated Libuse Soukupova, Head of Cooperation for the European Union.

Synopsis of the seven stories:

Seetha Menike is one of the 10,000 women who received SME loans through the involvement of the IFC and SANASA Development Bank. The support enabled her to develop her plant nursery and therefore be financially independent.    

Wijesiri, a farmer in the Maha Wilachchiya area of Anuradharupa district is supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Department of Agriculture to grow onion true-seeds to boost the production of locally grown big onions which are in high demand.

Juliet Helen’s story reflects the women in Murungan, Mannar who did not possess skills to engage in profitable income earning activities, before the International Labour Organization (ILO) jointly with the National Youth Services Council (NYSC) trained and empowered them to set up a mini-garment factory and receive orders from various institutions.

The narrative titled ‘Beyond Books’ tells the story of children with irregular school attendance and high school dropout trends due to economic and social problems. Their lives however changed for the better through the work of the United Nations Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) Child-Friendly Educational Promoter programme with local partner OfERR.

Two stories about UNDP’s interventions portray how women with disabilities in Vavuniya were helped to enhance their skills in making leather and palmyrah products which has led to greater entrepreneurial skills and financial empowerment; and how youth from Vaharai were provided leadership and business skills to work with Government service providers to find solutions to community issues.

The ‘Clean-up for Good’ narrative shows how a significant garbage and health issue in the densely populated town of Kattankudy, was addressed by United Nations Office for Project Services through facilities and training provided to the Kattankudy Urban Council and community education on waste reduce, reuse and recycle. This resulted in successful solid waste management and income generation through compost production.  

These stories are presented through 50 photographs captured by the photographer Lekha Edirisinghe and seven mini-documentaries filmed by Ranga Jagoda. 

“I was able to get a glimpse into the lives of people who were directly affected by the conflict and witness first-hand the amazing transformation that has taken place as a result of the community development programmes,” stated photographer Lekha Edirisinghe. 

Jointly implemented by six agencies of the United Nations namely UNDP, UNICEF, UNOPS, FAO, ILO and IFC of the World Bank Group, EU-SDDP is a European Union funded development cooperation programme with a total financial envelope of EUR 60 million. Its objective is to contribute to poverty reduction and livelihood development in seven districts in the North and East to bridge the socio-economic gap with the rest of the country. The programme supports the conflict-affected districts of Batticaloa, Mannar, Vavuniya, Ampara, Moneragala, Anuradhapura and Puttalam impacting half a million people.