North East Coastal Community Development Project (ADB Loan 2027-SRI)

The goal of the project was to reduce poverty and meet basic needs in coastal communities in the three districts (Trincomalee, Batticoloa and Ampara) of the eastern province and extendable to the districts of the northern province. The purpose of the project was sustainable livelihood improvement and sound management of coastal resources.

The project area comprised the 470 GramaNiladhari (GN) divisions in the eastern province on the open coast and around major lagoons, which has a population of about 550,000 people (one-third of population in the eastern province). The project beneficiaries included fishers, fisher-agriculturalists, and small-holder farmers. The project focused on women as the most disadvantaged among this target group.

The project comprised of the following five components:

1. Resource management in three special management areas;
2. Coastal resource planning;
3. Fisheries development;
4. Sustainable livelihood improvement; and,
5. Project implementation support (project management and monitoring and evaluation).