Battaramullah, 9 km from Colombo, was abuzz with activity from November 14 to 17 as it hosted the “Reflections of Sri Lanka” fair. Foreign delegates (who were in Colombo for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet), locals, buyers, and investors thronged the 16 tents that displayed Sri Lankan crafts, products from the rubber industry, and much more.

Jamuna Devi, a Sri Lankan Tamil from Jaffna, who heads Sarvodayam, an NGO that engages in village development was a participant. One of Sarvodayam’s projects, Jaffna Palmyrah Handicrafts (JPH), employs women and helps them make a living by crafting and marketing bags, mats, baskets and hats from palm leaves.

According to Sri Lanka’s National Human Resource and Employment Policy website, SMEs account for 80 per cent of the country’s businesses; over 190 SMEs had participated in the “Reflections” fair. However, says the website, there is a gender bias in this sector, where male workers dominate.

Efforts are on to correct this bias and get more women on board. Organisations such as JPH, which employ only women, are a minority.

Jamuna is from Pungudutivu, an island village west of Jaffna peninsula. She has seen the worst of the 30-year-long civil war that ravaged the country. “There were around 25,000 people in my village before the war but only around 6,000 remain today,” she says, adding that people are slowly returning.

It is easy to make several products out of palmyrah “and since resources are readily available, we can help poor families affected by the war”.

All 70 women who work with JPH are either widows, those who have lost their property in the civil war or come from a poor background.

Soba Vasidharan (32), secretary and trainer at JPH, is a single parent, and supports her parents and sisters with the money she makes at the JPH.

When it was established in March this year, JPH recruited war-afflicted women. With time, word spread and more women began to apply.

Before they are ready for use, the palmyrah leaves are plucked and dried for up to three days, depending on their moisture content. Small machines are used to cut the leaves, which are dyed and dried again and then woven by hand.

“Only women can do this as it requires patience,” says Soba. JPH, which is financially assisted by the UNDP, makes a 20 per cent profit, which is shared amongst its employees. The women workers had initially contributed from LKR 1,000-5,000 (INR 475-2,400), when the company started.

Earlier the women barely made LKR 1,000 a month; now their income has gone up eightfold. Jamuna is delighted with the good response at the event, and feels its success will surely encourage more women to join such initiatives.

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