Photo exhibition and documentary on community development
View(s):
Stitch in Time (UNDP implemented project)
‘Changing Lives’ a photo exhibition and a set of seven documentaries reflects the perseverance of communities in the North and the East of Sri Lanka. The display also highlights how the European Union funded Support to District Development Programme (EU-SDDP) has empowered individuals and assisted in improving the living standards of people.
The exhibition and the documentaries will be inaugurated on June 8 and will further be open to the public on June 9-10 at the Warehouse D, Park Street, Colombo 2.
The exhibition is a result of the work done by the European Union together with its implementing partners i.e. the United Nations (UN) and the International Finance Cooperation (IFC) in formerly conflict-affected districts in the North and East. In addition, cooperation with district government bodies and local communities has been instrumental in making both the programme and the exhibition a success.
“The exhibition provides an insight into how the EU-SDDP programme has contributed to assisting communities in the North and the East. I am glad to be able to share today some of the results achieved and would like to thank the implementing partners, the local communities and the Government bodies who have been instrumental in ensuring that the interventions were successful,” stated Libuse Soukupova, Head of Cooperation for the European Union.
These stories are presented through 50 photographs captured by the photographer Lekha Edirisinghe and seven mini-documentaries filmed by Ranga Jagoda.
“I was able to get a glimpse into the lives of people who were directly affected by the conflict and witness first-hand the amazing transformation that has taken place as a result of the community development programmes,” stated photographer Lekha Edirisinghe.
Jointly implemented by six agencies of the United Nations namely UNDP, UNICEF, UNOPS, FAO, ILO and IFC of the World Bank Group, EU-SDDP is a European Union funded development cooperation programme with a total financial envelope of EUR 60 million. Its objective is to contribute to poverty reduction and livelihood development in seven districts in the North and East to bridge the socio-economic gap with the rest of the country. The programme supports the conflict-affected districts of Batticaloa, Mannar, Vavuniya, Ampara, Monaragala, Anuradhapura and Puttalam impacting half a million people.