Non-Governmental Organizations in the Process of Empowerment of Livelihood Activities in Rural Areas in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Livelihood activities of individuals directly affect to the level of income and economic stability of a household. Therefore, it is significant to have supportive mechanisms in the community to empower the capacities and abilities of people in particularly in rural areas. Non – Governmental Organizations (NGOs) is one of significant alternative body in the modern scenario of development path. One of significant working area of NGOs is to empower livelihood of households. Accordingly, main intentions of this study were to identify the programmes of NGOs in the process of livelihood empowerment and to analyze the effects of programmes which have been implemented by NGOs for the uplifting sustainability of standards of living of the people. The empirical study was conducted in two Grama Niladari Divisions of Nawagaththegama Divisional Secretariat Division in Sri Lanka. This study has based on survey method and functional method. Data were collected from 50 households based on purposive sampling method. Questionnaires was used as primary data collection technique. Both open ended and closed ended questions were included in the questionnaire. Programmes related to paddy and crop cultivations, animal husbandry, employment, management of household expenditure and savings and also community effects of them were analyzed critically through this study. NGO programmes in the studied rural area to enhance the capacity and skills related to income generating opportunities had positively influenced to uplift economic stability of their household. Based on the findings, it has suggested that programmes related to empower human potentials and skills to sustain livelihood of people are significant to introduce rather than focusing social welfare and effective integrated approach between state and NGO sector is important in order to absorb full potentials of community members into development discourse. Finally, this study signifies the importance of introducing integrated intervention between government and NGOs with an approach to participatory development which offers concrete answers to the challenges related to livelihood of people