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Monday, 3 March 2014 01:56 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Commenting at the conclusion of his visit Ambassador Morhard said: “I was pleased to meet some of the beneficiaries of the projects supported by the Embassy and to learn the impact of these initiatives on day-to-day life. We are keenly aware of the challenges faced by communities living in a post-war environment, and hope these micro projects have tangible, long-term benefits on prevailing conditions.”
Elaborating on his meetings with Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran and Provincial Councillor Ananthi Sasithran, Ambassador Morhard said the frank exchanges covered political, economic and social issues as well as German funding priorities in the region. “I learned of the difficulties particularly faced by women in the North, the many administrative challenges and issues pertaining to the resettled.”
In 2013, the German Embassy funded micro projects in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu through four implementation partners. The Mahashakthy self-help group set up a coconut oil mill to assist woman-headed households in Konavil; the Rural Development Foundation renovated 32 wells in Manthuvil; the World Concern Development Organization built a playground and provided desks 
and chairs to 20 preschools in Mulliyawalai; the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) built a community hall in Alampil South. In total, Germany provided over Rs. 7 million in project funding last year. Ambassador Morhard also visited a dairy farming initiative by the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Program of GIZ. The project aims to improve milk production and income generation for dairy farmers in the Jaffna district. It is jointly implemented by Tetra Laval Food for Development Office, Cargills (Ceylon) PLC and GIZ.
