TECH 2003 annual report, Kilinochchi
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The Economic Consultancy House (TECH) and the Projects Implemented by it
TECH was established in 1992 and has 60 life members, 180 active members, and 6000 associate members. It is a non-profit, non-governmental organization.
The main objectives are:
1. Formulating economically viable, technically feasible and socially acceptable projects to enhance the quality life of the people.
2. Ensuring proper implementation of projects of The Economic Consultancy house and other implementing agencies. (Other NGOs.)
3. Developing human resources in various disciplines
4. Providing consultancy services for community development projects and self-employment schemes.
It is managed by a governing council of 12 councilors, 6 of whom shall be office bearers and the others six shall be consultants. It is funded by local and expatriate Tamils, local & international NGOs, UN Agencies, the World Bank, ADB and the government of Sri Lanka. It has a Rural Development Bank which has five branches.
TECH was registered as an NGO at the provincial level under the Voluntary Social Service Organization Act of the NorthEast Province on 18th October 1995. (Registration Number J/DS/VSS/2) and was also registered as an NGO under a similar National Act on 8th September 2003, (Registration number L/734). It was also registered as a company under the Companies Act, registration number N (A) 1058 on 02nd February 2003.
The activities of TECH cover poverty alleviation, rural development, environmental concerns, provision of alternative sources of energy, entrepreneurship development and training, computer training, construction and repair of preschools and schools, provision of teachers, savings mobilization and micro-credit, disaster management and relief work, rehabilitation and reconstruction, gender equity, women’s empowerment, health and sanitation, and agriculture and livestock development.
The details of projects carried out in 2003 are given below:
A. Rural development programmes including provision of basic needs, education and health, construction and reconstruction of schools and other facilities.
1. Wells – 11 constructed and 3 repaired in 14 villages.
2. Construction of community halls – 2 villages.
3. Provision of roofing materials – 7 villages.
4. Construction of toilets – 7 villages.
5. Schools – 1 reconstructed and 3 repaired.
6. Preschools – 17 repaired.
7. Salaries paid to 19 teachers benefiting 300 students.
8. Repair of tanks and irrigation channels.
9. Assistance towards improvement of income by paddy and small grains cultivation and home garden, poultry house, goats, nutritious food production – 6 villages.
10. Poultry for rearing was given to people in 12 backward villages.
11. Loans for self employment, business and development were given to 14,000 persons who have made use of these loans to start savings programmes.
12. Alternative energy sources programme includes provision of solar energy free of charge to 40 schools and community halls at a cost of Rs. 357,000.00 to enable 3,135 poor students to study in the evenings.
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| Vinayagapuram Community Centre solar electricity generation |
Power generated by windmills is one of the research projects of TECH. Power produced by solar panels and windmills is collected together in 24 generators at the Vaddakachchi Integrated Model Farm and used to provide the power needs of the farm office, computer training center and the farm’s milk processing centre. This research project confirms that in future our people will be benefited by alternative sources of energy.
B. Income generation programmes
1. Training Programmes, to improve the earning power of displaced people, were implemented in their homes in 6 villages. The training programme included the components of the various cultivation practices of paddy, small grains, etc., home gardening, and livestock rearing. Poultry was issued to the families who were living under the poverty line in 12 villages.
2. Programme to improve the peoples’ income. Loans were given to improve their income, and at the same time instilling in them a savings habit for use in self-employment business and other ways to improve their income, Thus far about 4,000 such loans have been given.
3. Computer training programme commenced in 1997. Training is provided in 15 centers. Thus far nearly 3,000 students have been trained.
C. Under the salt production program, salt is produced in Elephant Pass and Kurinchativu. Arrangements have been made to export iodised salt produced at Elephant Pass.
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| Elephant Pass Saltworks |
D.Environmental programme includes,
1. Awareness programmes of environmental concerns.
2. Encouraging replantation of trees. Requesting replacement of materials that harm the environment with those that do not, such as in the case of Organic Farming. An environment awareness day was observed throughout 4 districts in the North. Seminars and Shramadana (voluntary work) activities were held.
The activities included, Tree planting programmes, distribution of seedlings, flags and leaf-lets took place. The effect of the felling of forest trees, nearly a million coconut palms, and 2.5 million Palmyra palms, indiscriminate use of chemicals and polythene bags, removal of sand and excessive use of water was explained in several locations throughout the districts.
E. Agriculture development programme includes the operation of a 385 acre Integrated Modal Farm at Vaddakachchi. The main functions of this farm are providing training to farmers; providing seed for paddy, small grains, seedlings for fruit, trees and vegetables, and fertilizers; artificial insemination through its centers, and thus making available better breeds of cattle and poultry; milk processing and marketing of milk products. Research is done on the prevention of animal and plant diseases, demonstration of wind-operated energy, using solar energy for water pumps and drip irrigation. There are approximately 35,250 milk producing cows that produce approximately 250,000 liters of milk per year. Due to lack of sufficient knowledge of the nutritious value of milk, and lack of enough milk collection centers and processing plants, a large amount of milk goes to waste. At the existing milk processing centers the following products are produced for sale and free distribution to improve the nutrition of children.
1. Bottled milk
2. Flavored bottled milk
3. Yoghurt
4. Curd
5. Ghee
6. Lolly
7. Butter
8. A kind of milk sweet (Paal gova)
F. The banking system was started in 1993 with the objective of providing loans to people. It was transformed to include savings systems and renamed the Rural Development Bank in June 2001. The bank has normal savings accounts, time deposits with increasing interest rates for longer time, deposits, and savings for children, and accumulating savings for agricultural capital needs. It gives loans against deposits, agricultural and self-employment loans and loans to improve business. Since inception in 1993 to end of December 2003, persons had borrowed a total of Rs.392, 562,900.00. At the end of 2003, the deposits totaled Rupees Four Million. At end of 2003, deposits had been made by 250 members of the Tamil Diaspora.
If more funds are available it is possible to establish additional model farms, more milk collection centers and more milk processing centers in all districts.
Originally published May 3, 2004