Bonding labour in the hills

By Ruth Sutton

It's a project about unity and relationship building between the Tamil estate community (from the Keenasena division of Keenakelaya estate) and the Sinhala villagers. It's about people working to help themselves and each other to attain a better standard of living. 

Still in its infancy, this 18-month-old project started with the concept of shramadana , and the recognition that anyone, though poor in material terms, has something to offer the other community - such as labour, skills, knowledge, and through this, friendship and understanding. 

"The relationship (prior to this scheme) between the village and the estate was a very destructive one," says Premadasa Bodinayake, chairman of the UFDF, Jangulla. "The only contact that existed was between the men, and it was of a negative nature. The estate men would come into the village on pay day to buy the liquor brewed by the villagers. The only other contact was through trade and here too there were disputes often." 

The Uva Farmers' Development Foundation had been working with the villagers of Udawela for many years, as well as with the estate workers of Keenakelaya. Under this project, the UFDF is providing support and a forum for problem solving in matters requiring mediation while Oxfam's role is one of neutral assistance, offering training and financial support. 

Volunteers from each community were initially selected to mobilize families and individuals to work in each other's fields, learn about each other's trades, and to engage in common work for mutual benefit, such as building a road shortcut from the estate to the village. At first it was a very slow process to encourage people to share their ideas and work together, but with the pressing need to solve common problems such as access to the town, environmental concerns and protection of the water sources, the generations-old suspicion began to crumble. 

Subramaniam, a Tamil estate worker with "green fingers" says his role with the shramadana campaign began when he worked in the paddy fields of Udawela . 

His efforts have been rewarded not only with a successful crop, but with the hand of friendship across a divide. He has now been given his own garden in the village, and he cultivates his own, and his Sinhala co-workers' crops side by side with the villagers. 

At first the shramadana was just about getting the job done and those involved would go back to their respective homes after the day's labour. 

But as trust has grown, the communities are eating together, discussing problems and getting together in small groups to apply for loans. 

Oxfam and the UFDF give grants to small groups of combined Tamil and Sinhala families to set up businesses, buy cattle or invest in seeds or transport. 

These mixed savings groups also contribute to a common fund which can be drawn on for instant financial aid, should one of the members request help in a medical emergency. Even non-members can approach the groups for a loan, and together with the UFDF the poorest people from both communities are finding a voice and strength in their unity through these schemes. 

Periasami and his wife Sandraleela are part of one of these "small groups" comprising four Tamil and two Sinhala families. With the loan, they have bought a cow, constructed a shed, and share in the rearing and feeding of the animal. 

The milk brings Periasami an extra 500 rupees income per month, but more importantly, he has invested in a cross community project that all parties have an interest in maintaining. 

This subsequently sows the seeds of co-operation and understanding. " Now we can live without fear," he says. 

"It is a long and difficult process to bring people together and eradicate the prejudices," comments Bodinayake. "Children absorb the attitudes of the parents, and integration at the youngest possible age is essential to overcome the prejudices." To this end a mixed race pre-school has been set up, led by the women from the two "sides". Not only does this provide a place for the children to play with each other in a safe environment, but the process of starting up the pre-school has been a vehicle for the women - many for the first time- to meet other women from the two communities. 

"The children are starting to grow up together," comments Pushparaj, a Tamil estate worker married to a Sinhala village woman, "and as a result of this, as well as the shared work, we are living like friends. The children came together, and now for everything we get together."

This positive contact has led to shared workshops on nutrition, health care and finance as well as women's groups. These enable women to become members of the small loan groups in their own right. It is an evident trend - the shared work and relationship building is empowering the women of both communities to mobilise against the scourge of alcoholism, a voice, participation and a hand in their destinies.

The focus of the philosophy behind shramadana is the impetus for change, but obviously there is a long way to go. Oxfam has started to introduce the idea of conflict mapping, sharing of problems and training in negotiation skills, and the UFDF has taken this to village level. 

As a result, the initiative for a recent resurfacing project of the road to the town came from the joint community members. They organized a meeting with Thirupadhi, the local Pradeshiya Sabha member, who secured the funds to repair the road with common labour. 

The future for sustainable development and peace is not an easy one to secure. "There are forces whose interests are better served by keeping the communities divided and fighting," says Thirupadhi, "but my work is to unite them." He states emphatically, "If we can address this issue, we can build this community together."

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