The Educational & Livelihood Assistance project, aimed at helping Sri Lankan communities in need, was successfully launched in June 2014 by Chairman of Lycamobile Mr.Subashkaran Allirajah, Co-Founder Mrs.Prema Subashkaran and Mrs. Gannabigai Allirajah. The 1st phase of the project commenced with the implementation of a livelihood cash grant disbursement of Rs 100,000 per beneficiary. This went to 80 selected beneficiaries from 8 districts of north and east Sri Lanka.
The livelihood grant beneficiaries selected their own income generation activities and invested livelihood cash grant funds in many ways including:
Retail shops – stationery items, grocery, bakery, garments and more
Pottery manufacturing
Cash crop cultivation
Motorbike repair shops
Batik production unit
Cement block making units
Goldsmith workshops
Inland fishing
Catering facilities
Poultry farming
Livestock development – cow/goat rearing
Handicraft businesses
Home gardening
Carpentry workshop
Three-wheeler
The investments made by project beneficiaries on the above activities successfully increased the income generation and dramatically changed many beneficiaries’ lives. The success of the assistance provided is mainly due to the beneficiaries’ own selection of business activities and their commitment to obtain a return on the investments they made.