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Climate Threads

Dec 23, 2019
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Under the Climate Change Adaptation Project of the UNDP, communities in Walapane in the Nuwara Eliya District and Medirigiya in the Polonnaruwa District, become more climate-resilient

The following story is about one of many individuals who have overcome challenges due to the effects of climate change. The report by the United Nations Development Program was exclusive to the Daily Mirror for the Sustainable Nation Column.

Through community enterprises established under the Climate Change Adaptation Project of the UNDP, communities in Walapane in the Nuwara Eliya District and Medirigiya in the Polonnaruwa District, are now more climate-resilient.

The project is implemented by the former Ministry of Mahaweli Development and Environment and is supported by the United Nations Development Programme and the World Food Programme, with financial assistance from the Adaptation Fund.

Janitha’s Factory “At first I had a small garment factory with only five employees. During this time I joined a training programme that provided me with the knowledge and skills to run my garment factory. The programme was conducted at a training centre in Thunhitiyawa and another in Walapane with over a hundred students participating. A leadership-training followed with 25 of us participating. Of the 25 who took part in the training, 14 are currently working in my factory.” This is the journey of Janitha Dissanayaka, a 35-year old woman managing a team of 14 in a garment factory in Walapane, Nuwara Eliya.

Strengthening livelihoods The training was an initiative under the Climate Change Adaptation Project that strengthens livelihoods of communities affected by climate change by introducing them to alternative sources of income. While Janitha is the manager of the factory, she is also an experienced designer. Among her team, Janitha is the only one with any prior experience working at a garment factory. For the rest of them, this has been a new journey.

Janitha’s factory has helped uplift the lives of its employees by giving them a stable occupation with a steady income. The people who work at this factory were previously engaged in agriculture and were severely affected by the effects of climate change. Drought conditions have severely damaged crops and negatively impacted their income.

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