World Food Programme (WFP) has renewed its partnership with Sri Lanka in helping rural communities withstand climate change.
The Government of Sri Lanka, in collaboration with the United Nations WFP and Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), recently launched a three-year, LKR 106 billion (US$ 6 million) project to build resilience of communities against the impact of natural disasters.
“The damages caused by the current dry spell and the preceding years of cycles of floods and droughts, clearly demonstrate the need to build capacities of rural farming families against climate shocks,” said Brenda Barton, WFP Country Director.
This year Sri Lanka has been officially recognised as an upper middle income country, marking a new stage of prosperity and development for the country.
However, KOICA shares the same concern with the Government of Sri Lanka regarding the small pockets of poverty still present in the Island,” said Kang Youn Hwa, KOICA Country Director in Sri Lanka.
The project, “building resilience against recurrent natural shocks through diversification of livelihoods for vulnerable communities”, consists of key activities such as building household water harvesting and storage facilities, rehabilitation of irrigation schemes and skills development for youth in agriculture.
Some 21,600 people in Moneragala, Matale, Mullaitivu, Mannar and Batticaloa districts will take part.
This project builds on an existing partnership between the Government of Sri Lanka, KOICA and WFP, which has provided resilience building and livelihood support to communities in 13 districts over the past two years.
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