Good News: Survivors of War Equipped to Become Entrepreneurs
Sri Lanka’s 25-year civil war devastated the northern part of the country. It destroyed communities, tore apart families, and left many women widowed. And while the war is officially over today, many communities are still working to rebuild.
Economic empowerment is a vital part of this rebuilding process, so we’re working with our local partners to create opportunities for individuals to start businesses, lift themselves out of poverty, and re-stimulate their local economies.
One way we're doing this is by providing Microenterprise Training. The training utilizes our brand-new Microenterprise Curriculum, which helps first-time entrepreneurs start small businesses.
Just a few weeks ago, 33 women in Vavuniya, a war-affected region of northern Sri Lanka, graduated from Microenterprise Training!
The training was conducted in partnership with Miracle Family Temple Church, based in Toronto, which has offered 12-month dressmaking, sewing, and handicraft training in this region of Sri Lanka for the past six years. However, as they began to train more and more individuals, they saw the need to equip their trainees with business and financial management skills.
Before participating in the Microenterprise Training, some of the 33 women had started their own small businesses but most had not. So, one objective of the training was to help them identify their unique skills and the business opportunities around them.
Another focus was on creating personal budgets. In the process, the women realized the importance of financial management and how increasing their savings will have a lasting impact on their families and their businesses.
As a group, they agreed to start saving at least 10% of their monthly income!
These 33 women are the first to complete Microenterprise Training in Sri Lanka. But together with our local network, we hope to train 4,000 other aspiring entrepreneurs—including war-widows—over the next three years. But we need your help to do it.
Will you make a gift to help us serve more aspiring entrepreneurs in 2019?
This story of Good News is only possible because of financial partners like you. We invite you to continue this momentum and spread Good News into 2019 by making a gift today!
Your support creates economic opportunities for those who need them most—getting us one step closer to a world without poverty!
December 31, 2018