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Sanjeevi: Solving food insecurity and malnutrition

support an innovative enterprise that uses food technologists and local women leaders to end hunger

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Sanjeevi: Solving food insecurity and malnutrition

Sanjeevi: Solving food insecurity and malnutrition

Sanjeevi: Solving food insecurity and malnutrition

Sanjeevi: Solving food insecurity and malnutrition

Sanjeevi: Solving food insecurity and malnutrition

support an innovative enterprise that uses food technologists and local women leaders to end hunger

support an innovative enterprise that uses food technologists and local women leaders to end hunger

support an innovative enterprise that uses food technologists and local women leaders to end hunger

support an innovative enterprise that uses food technologists and local women leaders to end hunger

Aaranya Rajasingam
Aaranya Rajasingam
Aaranya Rajasingam
Aaranya Rajasingam
1 Campaign |
Colombo, Sri Lanka
$1,295 USD 22 backers
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Overview
Malnutrition and food scarcity disproportionately affects women in rural areas. Women often go hungry to feed their children. But what if a local enterprise run by women can change that? Sanjeevi is an effective social enterprise that gives women sole-providers the skills & resources to produce highly nutritious meals at very low cost to sell for a profit as well as feed their families. Sanjeevi is in danger of shutting down without adequate funds, we need your help to make it self sufficient!

Our Story:

Sri Lanka, a teardrop shaped island-nation on the Indian Ocean, was ravaged by three decades of violent conflict. Among the unheard survivors of this war are more than 90,000 women heads-of-households in the North and East of the country.

Women, both young and old, such as single women; widows, women whose husbands are victims of enforced disappearances or who are disabled, or women who were simply abandoned; all faced a sudden harsh reality; to single-handedly provide their families and themselves with food and shelter.Global research identifies that when there is a shortage of food, families allocate more to men and boys, causing disproportionate starvation in women and girls. In this vulnerable state, with lack of access to ethical financing or capacity building, they face extraordinary challenges on a daily basis. 

Then came the birth of Sanjeevi. An innovative social enterprise made up of community women leaders. 

It evolved from the “One-Dish-Meal” initiative we implemented with funding from World Bank in 2014 (with funds from the Government of UK and Australia). 

Together with a food technologist, we fortified local recipes with nutritious additions as well as introduced more efficient practices. The resulting meals cost less that USD 0.50, take less time and space to prepare and use fresh, natural, local produce. These measures also use less fuel and stimulate the local economy. These recipes were called “One-Dish-Meals”, as a reminder that many of these women could only afford one full meal a day.

The Impact!

We soon realized that this was a means of not just improving their health but also providing steady income! Their meals regularly sold out at mobile stalls in 7 Districts and we established the first shop in Trincomalee.  

This had an extraordinary impact on the villages we went to. The women were encouraged to be creative and develop new skills. Not only did this make them stronger, their children were becoming more healthy and staying in school. These women also gained the respect they deserved in their localities for preserving community health.

 Source: World Bank report-  see more

We need your help...

Sanjeevi began as a pilot funded from our own resources. But due to a shortage of funds we are in danger of having to stop it. We need your help to make it self sustainable and independent. 

Without your support Sanjeevi will be forced to shut down

Your contributions will pay for resources (kitchen equipment), rent, electricity and water in not one, but three districts of the country! We need your help to keep the stove warm and the door open.

It’s also going to help us train more women, provide business mentoring support and facilitate more campaigns for their rights. Join us now on our mission to transform lives!

 

Why support us?

  • The “One-Dish-Meal” is an original concept that was replicated in other South Asian countries to end food insecurity.
  • Sanjeevi promotes 5 of the Global Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 (UN SDG’s)
  • Demand for fresh locally produced ingredients promotes diverse organic produce
  • Availability of Nutritious and affordable meals for malnourished women and children
  • Multiple job creation
  • Access to equal wages for women where they traditionally earn less than half of their male counterparts

We are a non-profit organization. All contributions  will go to the community to build their capacity and give them resources and opportunities.

 

More about us...

Viluthu is a non-profit, non governmental organization which was started in 2003. We empower vulnerable and marginalized people and groups to participate in democratic reform and peacebuilding.

We have a committed team that works in 8 districts (3 Provinces) of the country.  As a legally registered entity in Sri Lanka, we have annual financial and programme audits, which ensures our transparency and accountability to our partners and donors. Our donors over the last decade include USAID, National Endowment for democracy, Fokus Women, Diakonia, Unicef and World Bank. A lot of our work has also had the invaluable support of volunteers from all over Sri Lanka.

We at Viluthu: Centre for Human Resource Development, have been working with marginalized women for the last 14 years. Through our partnership, providing capacity building and resources, these women have gone on to achieve incredible things; from mobilizing to campaign for their rights, to informing policy.

In December 2015, we created a platform on which 17,500 women heads-of-households came together to raise their voices for their socio-political and economic rights. For the first time in South Asia, a charter was presented to drive policy-making to protect the interests of widows.

More ways you can help!

  • Donate, empower women to help other women
  • Share this widely and ask others to share. You will be doing us a huge favour by doing so.
  • Volunteer with us. Contact us at maithreyi@viluthu.org for new opportunities
  • Help us network and broaden our groups in the region and beyond- in solidarity and support!

Be part of the change you want to see!

 

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