Workshops Help Families Transform Their Futures

by
Shelby Stapleton, World Vision
on
December 16, 2022
Partnership between the Australian Government and World Vision inSri Lanka enables a transformational program that is restoring hope to vulnerable families and helping them save for the future.

World Vision Lanka’s Gender and Disability Inclusive EconomicDevelopment Project (iLIVE), supported by the Australian Government through ANCP, aimed to economically empower 29,100 vulnerable people in the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka between 2016-2021.

Sivajini is eight months pregnant and lives with her husband Ahileswaran and five-year-old son Darusan in a small Northern Province village.Since the COVID-19 lockdown imposed by the government in 2020, Sivajini and Ahilan faced increasing financial and psychological difficulties.

Ahileswaran, known as Ahilan among his regular customers who hire his green tuk-tuk, was suddenly struggling to make ends meet. And just a month after the birth of their second son, the couple lost their child.

Losing the baby hit the couple hard – especially Sivajini. She stopped going out and socialising with people. “Whatever happens, or whatever Ido, the thought of the loss is always on my mind,” she says. “I completely avoided the room in the house where we used to keep our second son when we brought him from the hospital.” Often, she’d burst into tears.

With both parents heavily affected by the loss of their second child, Darusan suffered too. He was not getting the affection and love he needed from his parents, especially his mother. Little energetic Darusan broke down in pieces whenever he heard an ambulance siren. Without the support of immediate family, Sivajini and Ahilan suffered financially. They were forced to take outa loan for medical expenses.

But after a few motivating visits from project staff, the couple agreed to attend their first Journey of Transformation (JOT) meeting, conducted by the World Vision iLIVE project. Through targeted workshops and savings groups, JOT helps vulnerable families take charge of their livelihoods and save for their future. Men are also mobilised to support women’s economic empowerment and address inequitable gender attitudes.

Sivajini and Ahilan were indifferent when they arrived at the first JOT session. But, after sitting through till the end, Sivajini realised she felt happier and less tense. Appreciating the program’s worth, the couple finished all eleven sessions together.

Sivajini says the workshops helped lead her from a sorrowful and painful place, where she was not able to stop blaming herself, to a calmer mindset, where she could focus on their five-year-old son Darusan and the newest member of their family, due in a month’s time. “During the JOT session, they helped me realise that I need to change my lifestyle for the sake of my child.”

Mother and father are now committed to creating a happy and safe environment for their children.

“JOT sessions have also taught me the importance of saving at least a little amount from my earnings,” says Ahilan. “Now I do it religiously for my children’s future.”

He has also joined a Savings for Transformation (S4T) group, which was introduced to him by iLIVE staff. “I can rely on this for a loan if my tuk-tuk needs a quick fix,” he adds.

Little Darusan is slowly regaining a sense of normalcy, becoming active once more in his kindergarten. Determined to give him the best future possible, his parents are working hard to support his education.

“I want to give them the chance to study in a better school,” says Ahilan. “I am prepared to sacrifice anything in my life for the sake of my child’s wellbeing.

The savings initiatives in the iLIVE project have been successful in leading to a 120% increase in women’s financial literacy in the project for women like Sivajini. S4T also encourages groups to develop ‘social funds’,which act as social safety nets in time of crisis for group members.  99% iLIVE’s savings group membership was women and people with disabilities, and the findings demonstrated that S4T offered a practical system of organizing vulnerable groups to mobilize savings and strengthen their investment capacity their income generation activities.

The JOT sessions have resulted in significant attitude change around the role of women in their community – where there was a 21% increase in the percentage of men who agreed that it was perfectly acceptable for women to work outside of the home, alongside a notable improvement in women’s ability to make economic and financial decisions free of coercion.

World Vision’s partnership with the Australian government allowed 172 savings groups to be established, supporting 4188 people; and 762 couples like Sivajini and Ahileswaran to attend 668 JOT sessions to learn and deepen their relationships.