SoC from Sri Lanka: A livelihood that empowers and sets us free (REN)

Title: A livelihood that empowers and sets us free

Storyteller: Dhanushi Kumari Menike
Location: Weragala, Payagala
Project: Kalutara Group Enterprise - Rural Enterprise Network (REN)
Collected by: Kumarage Sugath Daminda – REN Enterprise Development officer
Collected on: 25th May 2007


I am Dhanushi Kumari Menike. I live at School Road, Weragala, Payagala. I have served as the Manager of the Regional Institute of Agro Products since 8th March 2006, It is a group enterprise networked with the Rural Enterprise Network (REN).

Before I joined this organisation, I worked for a NGO as a monitoring and evaluation officer. I received a substantial wage but had no freedom or leisure. My family life and children began to suffer as a result. Eventually the pressure of these problems was so great that I had to leave that organization.

Soon after, I heard about a group enterprise which was set up recently (September 2005) in my village by an organization called the National Pre-school Development Foundation- Lighthouse Christian Centre for Child Sponsorship and Community Development Programme (funded by Christian Children’s Fund of Canada). The enterprise was run by a 7 member executive committee (all from within the village) and had started with producing Kitul treacle and jaggery and were now about to start production of dehydrated vegetables. I was also told that they were looking for a manager for this enterprise and that the working hours would be flexible. At the beginning I was a bit apprehensive as to whether I could handle the responsibilities as manager of such an enterprise as I had no knowledge about running such as business or what vegetable dehydration involved. The REN officers made the group members aware of the potential for dehydrated vegetables in export markets, provided us with a dryer and trained us on the technical knowledge required to operate it as well as how to maintain quality. The enterprise was to purchase Jak and bread fruit, dehydrate these and then sell the products to REN who was willing to take on the responsibility of selling these in export markets. REN also gave us a training on bookkeeping, and how to manage the business. I gained a lot of knowledge from the training and felt more confident about taking on the job of manager of the group enterprise.


Although the salary I receive is less than what I had got at my previous workplace, now I I am less stressed out so I have greater peace of mind. Because of the flexibility of working hours I am able to attend to the needs of my husband and children as well as contribute to the family income. Now the group has a membership (shareholders) of about 60 and 14 members are employed by the organization to carry out production of dehydrated products. Since all 14 employees are also women the flexibility in working hours is something that we all value.

Before vegetable dehydration was introduced to our village jak fruit and bread fruit use to go to waste as these had no commercial value. The introduction of vegetable dehydration in the village turned things around completely. Now villagers have realized the value of these fruits and what use to go to waste is being converted into a source of income. We can get about Rs. 340-350 /kg of dehydrated jak of bread fruit. Thus this group enterprise has not only benefited a few group members, but the entire village. I feel that this is truly an achievement.

The team spirit within the group is something which could improve. Sometimes disagreements cause rifts between members. These disagreements sometimes get extended and can affect their relationship as neighbours. The sense of ownership for the enterprise too needs to be further strengthened. The other problem is that sometimes members work at night, either because they have to meet a deadline for an export order or because they prefer to work nights because they attend to the needs of their families during the day. However their families tend to object to this. We have tried to minimize working at night but I think it is essential that we build up a good family support system. It is only then that we will be able to continue this enterprise successfully.

There are also some other problems we need to resolve if this enterprise is to be successful. We require advisory services on how to rectify the defects that occur sometimes in the dehydrating machine. We also need advice on how to manage the enterprise better. A system to ensure an adequate raw material supply is also required. In the past, unnecessary expenditure was incurred by the organisation. We have now managed to reduce this to a great extent. There are also quality problems with regard to jaggery. Not too long a go a large batch of jaggery was returned due to poor quality and fugus growth. We have got advice from REN on how to avoid such problems in the future. However it is still necessary to make the raw material providers aware of the importance of providing the right quality of Kitul treacle if we are to maintain the quality of our jaggery.. During the seasons we average a production of about 1500kg of dehydrated Jak fruit and bread fruit a month. It would be good if the price for dehydrated Jak fruit could be further increased as this would give us an impetus to increase production.


Working for this organization has not only given us the flexibility required to balance our roles as housewife, mother and supplementary income earner but also provided the opportunity and freedom to take part in making decisions regarding how to improve the enterprise in the future. We have control over our future. This is something that we don’t have the opportunity to do if we work for a big private organization. We also have the opportunity to improve our skills and abilities to run an enterprise. The more successful we are the more profits we will have to distribute among ourselves. It is my intension to give my 100% to develop the organization and make it a success. I feel I owe this not only to myself and the members but the whole village.



Domain : Change in psycho-social wellbeing


Reasons for selecting this story:

- Highlights the value placed on flexibility to attend to family needs over economic gains
- Has made use of previously unutilized resources (Jak fruit and bread fruit) and given a monetary value to it
- Evidence of learning, commitment, dedication to improve as a person and further develop the organization
- Is open about the problems faced by the organization and what needs to be improved. Shows a clear grasp of the areas for improvement.