The devastating ethnic conflict of around 2 decades and the terrible destruction of the tsunami in 2004 have ravaged the beautiful island of Sri Lanka. A land of beauty and natural splendor with a friendly, warm and charming people, Sri Lanka has faced more than its share of man made and natural disasters.
I have visited Sri Lanka several times including its capital Colombo and have seen with my own eyes the sufferings of the people due to the tsunami. It caused havoc of epic proportions that had to be seen to be believed. Fishing has always been a lucrative profession on the island but 80% of fishing boats in Sri Lanka were destroyed by the tsunami. The country lost a national source of nutrition and around 170,000 fishermen lost their means of livelihood.
Mahinda de Silva, a fisheries expert, has estimated that the country needs 12,000 of the 21-footers, plus nets and other equipment, to get the industry functioning again. They cannot be constructed locally, as most of the 50 plants for small boat manufacture have also been washed away by the tsunami. A massive restoration plan is needed to rebuild the fishing industry after the disaster. Macro loans for factories and micro loans for fishermen are needed to aid the recovery process.
Jayathilaka has been a fisherman all the 46 years of his life and does not know any other skill. The tsunami literally wiped out his way of life and left him and his family of 7 members in all, in a state of shock. There were no boats, no tackle, no nets, nothing at all to go out to sea and catch fish to feed themselves and sell for sheer survival. There was no way that he could get a bank loan as he was too poor to provide collateral.
It was a microloan from a finance company that saved Jayathilaka and his family. Armed with Rs. 25,000, he bought a 2nd-hand fiberglass boat and some fishing nets and the next morning bright and early, he went out to sea. The very same sea that had caused such destruction and loss, but it was a bond that could not be broken as Jayathilaka was wedded to the sea. Things could only get better after this; slowly but surely, he began to make profits and returned the initial loan amount. Now he is planning on buying his 2nd boat and also sending his 3 younger children back to school. His eldest son accompanies him on his fishing trips.
Microfinance is an effective way to help the poor and marginalized in many countries to generate income and finding a way out of grinding poverty. Club Asteria finds a ray of hope in such stories of revival and will continue working for such communities around the world. We trust you will join us on this voyage of discovery to support the many that
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