In December, Sarvodaya was given a generous donation from an individual dedicated to improving the lives of women in villages in Sri Lanka. This money went directly towards a new program emerging in the Kandy district where there are women creating home gardens to provide for their community.
Earlier this year, Sarvodaya established a village society in the Kandy district. Within this society was a women’s ward whose main goal is to support these agricultural entrepreneurs. After creating this ward, the women in the village received training from government agencies on how to use the small amount of land in their area most fruitfully. Now, the women produce an amazing amount of vegetation, which they use to feed the people in their village. The women even generate a small amount of income on the excess flowers, fruits, and vegetables that come out of these home gardens.
On December 23 – 24, Sarvodaya used the aforementioned donation to host a gathering of 10 gardeners from the remote village of Waththegama. The director of Sarvodaya’s International Division teamed up with the District Coordinator in Kandy to provide the women with material and immaterial support. They conducted two short seminars on home-garden management and food security and presented the women with a gift of watering cans and various gardening tools. They were also provided with an instructional manual on gardening and vegetable cultivation
In the future, we hope to expand this program to reach women in all districts of Sri Lanka. This will hopefully encourage a larger push towards sustainable agriculture on both personal and commercial gardens throughout the country.
If you are interested, you may arrange a trip to visit one of these gardens in Sri Lanka. Please direct all inquiries to Sarvodaya’s International Division at sarvishva@itmin.net.
