Top: Return on former property. Bottom: Road cleaning by cash for work

The project benefits and supports the entire population of the northern part of the District of Vavuniya comprising of the Vavuniya North administrative division and the northern part of the Vavuniya administrative division. It is being implemented in 15 GS Divisions (Grama Sevakas) / GN Divisions (Grama Nilhadari) with approximately 50 settlements (villages and hamlets).

Originally 5.000 families (25.000 persons) had lived in the project area but all were displaced at the end of the 1990s. Following the formal peace-fire agreement of February 2002 and even before the peace talks had ended, people began returning spontaneously. By January 2003 a large number of returnee families were already registered with UNHCR in the project area, 50% of these being IDPs from the Wanni (previous LTTE controlled area), 30% from welfare camps in Sri Lanka and 20% from other parts of the country or from abroad (mainly India). Now, by the end of 2004 a total of 3.200 families have returned to the area and are being benefited by the project. Most of the beneficiaries have been displaced repeatedly during the 20 years period of war.

Due to the long conflict there is an above average number of widows and disabled (war injuries). These are particularly needy sections of the target group and are being especially supported under the social and economic measures.

The population is mainly Tamil, religiously Hindus (90%) and Christians (10%). Only few Muslims and Buddhist Singhalese lived in the project area before displacement. These persons did not live in separate villages but were integrated in the Tamil communities.

Women in the villages and in the households are not considered as a separate target group. However, the project measures are being implemented in such a way that women can at least participate at an equal level. A larger number of men are involved with the reconstruction of the infrastructure (cash-for-work) so that the women are confronted mainly and directly with the daily challenges concerned with agriculture, nutrition, health, family, water supply etc. They therefore participate intensively in the training and awareness-building measures of the project.