Phase one of the Community Empowerment Project(Building the skills and capacity of Colombo's urban poor to lobby and work with government to improve their living conditions, 2011-2015) of City of Colombo was successfully completed with financial support from UK Aid through Reall. The project was implemented by SEVANATHA, engaging the Women’s Bank as a local implementing partner with full support from the CMC . All the planned project activities under this project were completed including the implementation of Service Improvement Demonstration Projects in 60 Underserved Settlements. The community leaders and members were engaged very actively in implementing the demonstration projects under the Community Contract method adopted by SEVANATHA in executing the demonstration projects.

Leveraging the impact of the above UKAid supported project an additional 40 communities are now being financial supported by the Commonwealth Foundation through Reall. This extended support program is known as phase two of the Community Empowerment Project which started in May 2014 and continues up to June 2017.

This phase two project also implemented by SEVANATHA, engaging the Women’s Bank as a local implementing partner with full support from the CMC. The Women’s Bank is engaged as a local implementing partner who promotes women’s savings and credit activity in the target communities. The project team of SEVANATHA is responsible for mobilising the target community, liaising with Reall, the CMC and other local stake holders in implementing the project activities. Phase two of the project will directly benefit 1,262 families who are living in the identified settlements.

The following specific project activities are being implemented under phase two of Colombo Community Empowerment Project:

• Establishing Community Development Councils (CDCs) in the settlements where the CDCs do not exist and strength poorly functioning CDCs.
• Establishing savings & credit groups with support of the women’s cooperative Society (Women’s Bank)
• Community-level peer exchanges to facilitate linkages and mobilization of new Community Based Organization’s (CBOs) and savings group members.
• Conducting training workshops on; Management of CBOs, Housing and Infrastructure Development, Financial Management and Leadership Training to the CBOs and Community Leaders.
• Creating community awareness on; Rights to Land, Adequate Housing and Infrastructure.
• Implementation of community level infrastructure improvement projects in target communities (Service Improvement Demonstration Project)
• Monthly review meeting conducted by the CMC involving the Senior Municipal Officials.
• Conducting quarterly review meetings with the CMC and other stake holders.

Activity Progress up 30th September 2015