Sri Lanka project fights for rights of disabled

Area:

countries outside the UK
UK-wide

Programme:

International Communities

Release date:

10 7 2012

A project that fights to reduce the poverty and discrimination facing disabled people in two post conflict areas of Sri Lanka is among nine charities today sharing over £4.4 million from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG).  

The funding comes from BIG’s International Communities programme, which supports projects tackling the causes of poverty and deprivation and the impact they have on people’s lives.

APT UK is receiving over £470,000 to support disabled men and women in Trincolamee and Batticaloa, two post conflict areas of Eastern Sri Lanka. The project works to secure rights and ensure their voices are heard. It will help them gain employment or start their own businesses and encourage and support them to participate in social and economic activities.

The project will also provide family counselling, awareness raising workshops and establish self help groups and disabled people’s organisations in areas where none currently exist.

Alex Daniels of APT UK said: "Disabled people in Sri Lanka are notoriously hard to reach because they are so marginalised. This funding will enable us to reach over 2,000 disabled people in two post conflict areas and support them to earn a living, become more independent and self reliant and to feel more included in their communities."

£500,000 also goes to The Welfare Association to develop their vital work supporting Palestinian refugees living in camps and gatherings in Tyre, Lebanon. Social workers will undergo training in issues including women’s health, parenting, psychological issues, disabilities and environmental health. They will then pass on their skills to community groups, building local capacity to reach marginalised people with support and advice. Access to clean water and the local environment will also be improved by training community water caretakers and by raising awareness of composting techniques.

Also receiving funding this month is Y Care International, who will use their £498,546 to work with young people aged 15-30 in Nicaragua, and help them to improve their livelihoods and provide better for their families. This will be achieved through training the young people in modern farming techniques so they can increase the yields of their crops and improve their food security. The project will also construct wells, rainwater collection tanks and drip irrigation systems to increase access to clean, safe water.

Peter Ainsworth, Big Lottery Fund Chair, said: “It’s great to see such a diverse range of projects receiving funding this month. They all have one important factor in common, the work they all do will have a huge impact on the lives of some of the most marginalised people, providing them with new skills, greater independence and the assurance that their voices will be heard.”

Further Information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours media contact: 07867 500 572
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Ask BIG a question here: https://ask.biglotteryfund.org.uk
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Find BIG on facebook: www.facebook.com/BigLotteryFund

Notes to Editors

• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since June 2004 BIG has awarded over £4.4bn.
• The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £28 billion has now been raised and more than 383,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.

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