10^th October 2024, Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. A delegation from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) visited Nuwara Eliya and Badulla districts from 7^th to 10^th October to monitor progress of the project Strengthening Socioeconomic Resilience of Communities Affected by the COVID–19 Pandemic in Central and Uva Provinces of Sri Lanka. This project, funded by KOICA with a grant of USD 5.5 Million, is implemented by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in close collaboration with the Government of Sri Lanka and Community Based Organizations in the districts of Nuwara Eliya and Badulla. The delegation was led by Deputy Country Director of KOICA Sri Lanka Office,  Ms.   Yunsoo Jeon and Ms. Songyi Jung, First Secretary of the Korean Embassy        KOICA Delegation monitoring the community water supply scheme in Talawakelle   together with senior KOICA Sri Lanka officers.

The delegation visited numerous project sites accompanied by UN-Habitat officers. During the visit, KOICA officially handed over several completed project outputs to the relevant communities and partner organizations. These included two Field Maternal and Child Health Centres (FMCHC) at Talawakelle and Welimada estates and school toilets at the St. Gabriel’s Girls College in Hatton. Services provided by the FMCHC include pre- and post-natal care for pregnant women and mothers; immunization of children and health clinic facilities and reproductive health sessions for youth. The Talawakelle FMCHC will assist 600 families while the Welimada FMCHC centre will support 340 families in the estate.

                      St.Gabriel’s Girls College teachers with the monitoring team

The team also visited a Community Water Supply Scheme in Meraya estate, Talawakelle, which once completed, will supply fresh water to over 125 families. Other project interventions visited by KOICA included a renovated fertilizer  store as well as newly installed poly tunnels that are used to cultivate high value crops such as bell peppers, thereby increasing the incomes of vulnerable communities. Several home gardens were visited where families had been provided with seed packs and training to cultivate crops such as chilies, beans, cassava, sweet potato and maize in order to improve their food security. At an event at the Agriculture Department in Badulla, KOICA handed over power weeders and a paddy seedling planter to a Farmer Organization to  support local farmers mechanize paddy cultivation. This initiative will assist 30 farmers to cultivate their paddy fields.

Home gardening participants

During the field visit, Ms.Yunsoo Jeon expressed her appreciation towards the communities, government agencies, partner organizations and UN-Habitat for the high quality of project interventions. In particular she noted the resilience and determination shown by the beneficiary families to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and other economic shocks.

This Strengthening Socioeconomic Resilience of Communities Affected by the COVID–19 Pandemic in Central and Uva Provinces of Sri Lanka project is being implemented from 2022-2025 through UN-Habitat’s people-centric, participatory approach in the Nuwara Eliya and Badulla

Family tending to capsicum plants in their poly tunnel

Districts. The overall goal of the project is to support and strengthen socioeconomic recovery of the and resilience of estate and rural communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.