𝐈𝐧𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝐊𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐰𝐚 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐚 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞” 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 “𝐊𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐰𝐚 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭”
The inaugural ceremony of the “Kalewawa Gamiposha Food Processing Center,” funded by the Climate Resilient Integrated Water Management Project (CRIWMP) and CITI Foundation projects in the Puttalam district, took place successfully on Monday, November 13, 2023, at the Kaleweva Gamiposha Food Processing Centre. South Asia Partnership- Sri Lanka (SAPSRI), which is the implementation partner of the CRIWMP in Puttalam district, provided guidance, and the United Nations Development Programme – UNDP offered technical support for this initiative.
The event, attended by various dignitaries, featured the distribution of goods for the “Kalewawa Women’s Market.” Among the participants were the Deputy Director (Planning) at the Puttalam District Office, the Deputy Project Director of the “Wew Gam Pubuduwa” Project, the Agricultural Technical Coordinator of the UNDP for the “Wew Gam Pubuduwa” Project, the Chief Engineer of the “Wew Gam Pubuduwa” Project, the Assistant Divisional Secretary of the Nawagathegama Divisional Secretariat, chief officers of government and non-government institutions, and the field officers of the Kalewawa Grama Niladhari Division.
The project, designed to benefit direct and indirect beneficiaries across the 16 Divisional Secretariat Divisions of the Puttalam District, aims to ensure resilience, food security, and income for vulnerable farming families amidst the economic challenges faced by Sri Lanka.
The initiative focuses on ensuring food security through the cultivation of nutrient-rich grains in abandoned wastelands, supporting the establishment of community seed banks for major field crops, enhancing the technical capacity of grain processing, adding value to community-grown grains by producing value-added food products for the local market, and establishing a suitable processing unit in the community with the necessary machinery. The Citi Foundation project , completed in mid-August 2023, successfully achieved its targeted results.
Within the CITI Foundation project, 20 women entrepreneurs from Kalewawa village were selected to contribute to the development of nutritionally rich food supplements for children through the production of value-added products based on cereals. This initiative garnered high praise during the opening ceremony. Additionally, the “Wew Gam Pubuduwa” Project (CRIWMP) financially supported the distribution of electronic scales, polythene sealers, vegetable boxes, hangers, Regi-form boxes, and showcases for the Kalewawa Women’s Market.
