GEMIDIRIYA

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GEMIDIRIYA
Comprehensive Approach for Rural Development Sri
Lanka Experience Gemidiriya Foundation Ministry
of Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure
Development
gemidiriya_at_sltnet.lk
www.gemidiriya.org
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About Sri Lanka
Gemidiriya In 7 districts

• Total Population - 19 million
• Below Poverty line 22
• Per capita income - US1210
• Current growth rate 6 - 7
• Domestic Savings Rate 19
• About Project
• VISHLI Pilot 1999
• Project Launched October 2004
• 1st phase US 69.8 1000 villages
• US 51.0 IDA-World Bank
• 12 years US 181 5000 villages
• 7 million
  people

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• The Challenges
• Reduction of poverty from the current 22 to 13
  by the year 2015
• Increasing the domestic savings from its current
  19 to 30 to achieve 8 growth rate
• Correct the current imbalance in resource
  allocation to the poor areas. (More than 50 of
  the GDP comes from one province)
• Proper targeting of the largest social protection
  program which reaches only 52 of the poorest

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Development Program
Aid
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Village Organization
Company Board of Directors


















Savings and
Credit Organization (VSCO)
Sub-committees
Cluster

• Small Groups
• Households

Gemidiriya
Peoples Company
Strengthened, empowered formally organized rural
communities active in the path to progress
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UNIQUE FEATURES OF GEMIDIRIYA

• Facilitates building sustainable Village
  institutions, link with local authorities and
  increase size and diversity of economic
  opportunities through private sector linkages
• Adopt five non negotiable principles
  Participation to all without discrimination,
  Priority to the poor, the women and youth,
  Transparency, Accountability and Cost sharing.
• Decision-making by Communities and village
  institution elected and managed by the community
• Participatory targeting of the poor
• Direct Transfer of Funds to the Communities

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UNIQUE FEATURES OF GEMIDIRIYA

• Fixed Budget Envelope and Milestone-Based
  Disbursement
• Devolution of O M activities to the Communities
• Community contribution upto 30 of capital cost
• Simple and Transparent Rules of Engagement
  (non-negotiables)
• Independence and Autonomy of the Guardians of
  Principles
• Gradual Devolution of Power to local governments

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Fund Flow to Peoples company for
holistic development of a village
Livelihood Improvement fund
Village Development Fund ( 100 )
55
Savings Credit Fund
10-12
35
85
One time Grant for the poorest
Capacity Building Fund
Infrastructure Development Fund
Skill Development Fund for youth
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10
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Kabillegama
Solution
Problem
Achievement

• Beneficiary Families 224 (All Families)
• Total Cost estimate US 47,000
• Community Contribution - US 4,699 In
  cash
• 
  - US 9,399 In labor

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Alugalge
Solution
Problem
From Infrastructure to Livelihoods
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Alugalge
After
Before
50-100 Increase Of business
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Overall Impact to date

• In three years, a population of 800,000 are
  benefiting, from improved road access, safe
  drinking water, village information centers,
  training and skill development to youth,
  employment opportunities for income generation
• Investments in Gemidiriya villages reflect 100
  of the needs and priorities of the community
• More than 50 inhabitants have mentioned that
  their economic and living standard improved than
  earlier
• The major government rural development program
  Gama Neguma is enriched on principles and
  practices followed by Gemidiriya covering more
  than 12,000 villages now and to cover all the
  villages next year
• Other programs such as NEIAP in North East have
  decided to adopt Gemidiriya principles and
  practices

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Lessons Learned

• Results on the ground produced by the
  communities are
• the key to attract stakeholders
• The trust of the community is built up when
  they have
• access to and control over resources
• Support to communities to internalize
  principles, rules and
• norms to communities, earlier the better
• more effective role in scaling up, improving
  quality and
• acceptance by the community
• Loan interest rate is not the deciding factor
  for acceptance
• Sense of ownership and easiness of operations
  matter
• Community needs time to match conditions
  required for
• engagement. Rushing on targets should not
  prevent
• learning and doing

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Thank you