Community Development and Livelihood Improvement 'Gemi Diriya' Project

closed

The development objective of the proposed 12-year program for the Community Development and Livelihood Improvement "Gemi Diriya" Project for Sri Lanka, is to enable the rural poor to improve their livelihood and quality of life. The objective of the proposed first four-year phase of the program would be to enable the communities of Uva and Southern provinces to build accountable and self-governing local institutions and to manage sustainable investments by: (i) devolving decision-making power and resources to community organizations; (ii) strengthening selected local governments which demonstrate responsiveness and accountability to rural communities; and (iii) working with federations of village organizations, the private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on economic empowerment t o increase the size and diversity of livelihood options. The project comprises the following five components: Component 1, Village Development, strengthens village organizations (VOs) and funds priority sub- projects. Component 2, Institutional Strengthening, builds the capacity of local and national agencies and supports organizations to respond to community demands. Component 3, Innovation Seed Fund, pilots innovative ideas that need experimentation, learning and incubation. Component 4, Project Management, facilitates overall coordination, implementation, and management of the project. (v) Component 5, Village Self-Help Learning Initiative Pilot, completes implementation of the ongoing pilot in Polonnaruwa district.