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A group of students from The University of Nottingham are to travel almost 8,000 miles to help the victims of Sri Lanka’s civil war rebuild their lives and communities.
Through their charity, Future for Jaffna (FFJ), the students aim to help widows set up their own businesses, enabling them to secure a sustainable income to provide for their families.
The team have already helped 24 widows to quadruple their income and now plan to help another 70 women when they arrive in the northern city of Jaffna this summer.
Geography and Chinese Studies student and FFJ trustee Umesh Kumar, explained: “We at FFJ teach, train and mentor widows, helping them to develop the soft skills and business knowledge needed to run their own profitable businesses in fields such as tailoring, food production and basket making.
“Working with partner organisations CORD Sri Lanka and the Norwegian Refugee Council, we are engaging with projects that are changing the lives of people in need in the third world. By giving 24 women the skills to set up their own business we have helped 103 people move above the international poverty line. This summer we hope our support will help another 400 people in Jaffna to do the same.”
Vital Funding
The trip has been made possible after the students were awarded a grant of £9,000 for flights and accommodation from the University’s Cascade Fund. Created by donations the fund was set up to help projects that will enhance the skills, confidence, social awareness and employability of students, while making a significant impact on communities, both locally and globally.
Sarah Sullivan, Donor Relations Assistant at the University, said: “Since 2007, thanks to the generosity of our donors, more than £1 million has been shared among over 100 student projects.
“This project really demonstrates the fantastic enterprise of our students and how the Cascade fund can support those who are willing to get out there and make a crucial difference to the lives of people less fortunate than themselves.
“Alumni and friends who support the fund will be delighted to know that through their donations, our students are being helped to use their business skills to assist war widows in Sri Lanka.”
Ambitious plans
Eventually the students hope to set up an Entrepreneurial Academy in Jaffna to provide local children with the skills to become business leaders of the future.
Umesh continued: “Through creating business for those who need it most and encouraging the entrepreneurs of tomorrow, Future For Jaffna will stimulate further economic growth within the region and provide a future for Jaffna and its people.”
To find out more about FFJ, visit: www.futureforjaffna.co.uk.
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Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham, described by The Sunday Times University Guide 2011 as ‘the embodiment of the modern international university’, has 42,000 students at award-winning campuses in the United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. It is also the most popular university in the UK by 2012 application numbers, and ‘the world’s greenest university’. It is ranked in the UK's Top 10 and the World's Top 75 universities by the Shanghai Jiao Tong (SJTU) and the QS World University Rankings.
More than 90 per cent of research at The University of Nottingham is of international quality, according to the most recent Research Assessment Exercise. The University aims to be recognised around the world for its signature contributions, especially in global food security, energy & sustainability, and health. The University won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2011, for its research into global food security.
Impact: The Nottingham Campaign, its biggest ever fund-raising campaign, will deliver the University’s vision to change lives, tackle global issues and shape the future. More news…