National Microfinance Study of Sri Lanka: Survey of Practices and ...

This type of situation is seen throughout the extension services to the primary
industries and includes the Industrial Development Board (IDB) that is nationally
charged with training and technology transfer to industries other than agriculture,
livestock and fisheries.
The buildings and clerical staff for all these departments are present in abundance,
as they are in the provincial and central government offices, but there is a lack of
technical expertise and commitment to actually working ‘in the field’ with the
entrepreneurial population.
The IDB officers in Vavuniya and Jaffna admit that they cannot undertake the
essential work required to give support to the development and growth of local
enterprises with the resources that are presently supplied by the government. They
instead have looked for support from international organisations including IT
equipment and software, transport facilities and other resources and are acting as
technical support to interventions funded and resourced by these organisations.
Overview of the International Community in the North & East
The international community and NGOs are in the main substituting for a
significant amount of the GoSL’s normal responsibilities in health, education,
vocational training and social welfare, either through grants or direct interventions
at the community level.
The international community is also involved in assistance to the conflict affected
populations through both relief and rehabilitation, with a view to establishing
development strategies for the longer term.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are the main emergency and
‘protection’ agencies within the region. They provide a ‘watching brief’ on
human rights including the visitation of conflict accused political prisoners and
tracing those reported ‘missing’ in the conflict affected areas. ICRC is based all of
the regional districts and acts as a neutral entity between the protagonists,
providing medical assistance and the handing over of the bodies of those killed in
the direct fire zones of the conflict.
The ICRC also manages a ship that transports hospital patients and certain classes
of passenger and goods between Trincomalee and Jaffna on a weekly basis.
UNHCR is based in the districts of Jaffna, Vavuniya, and Trincomalee and the
area known as the Wanni. UNHCR undertakes the work concerned with the
welfare centres for the displaced population and is assisted in this by some other
agencies and international organisations. During emergencies, such as the
displacement in Jaffna in mid 2000, the international agencies and organisations
act in concert to provide emergency assistance for the displaced populations.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has a physical presence
throughout the region and in the main oversees relief and rehabilitation initiatives
focused on vulnerable families and children that are implemented through the
GoSL and NGOs. The initiatives include sectors such as Health, Nutrition and
Education and recently microfinance for income generation activities for widows.