help-o january news letter 2013

7/29/2019 HELP-O January News Letter 2013

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HELP-O

NEWSLETTER-JANUARY-2013HOLDE WOMENS CO-OP

HOLDE Womens co-op is a co-operative society based on Galledistrict working for the housing& livelihood development in thearea. Womens leading socialservices are doing for povertyalleviation.

Environmental ethics believes in the ethical

relationship between human beings and the

natural environment. Human beings are a

part of the nature and so are the other livingbeings. We often ignore the fact that even

plants and animals are a strong part of our

lives. They are an integral part of the

environment and hence have a right to be

considered a part of the human life. On these

lines, it is clear that they should also be

associated with our guiding principles as well

as our moral and ethical values.

We are cutting down forests to make our

homes. We are continuing with an excessive

consumption of natural resources. Their

excessive use is resulting in their depletion,

risking the life of our future generations. Is

this ethical?

Thus human beings are disturbing the balance

in the nature. The harm we do, as human

beings, are causing to the nature, is coming

back to us by resulting in a pollutedenvironment. The depletion of natural

resources is endangering our future

generations. The imbalance in nature that we

have caused is going to disrupt our life as

well.

But environmental ethics brings out the fact

that all the life forms on Earth have the right

to live. By destroying the nature, we are

depriving these life forms of their right to

live. We are going against the true ethical

and moral values by disturbing the balance in

nature. We are being unethical in treating

the plant and animal life forms, which coexist

in society.

What is Environmental Ethics?

HELPO ECO GREEN LTD

HELPO ECO GREEN COMPANY iscompiling to assist & addressingwaste management, energyneeds and sanitation throughutilizing otherwise discardedwaste materials to upgrade thegreen productivity.

HELP-O

HELP-O is a NGO established in1992 under the Social Welfareact of Sri Lanka. It implementsmany projects for environmentprotection and programs for

the grass root level communityin Sri Lanka.


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Your valuable comments direct to: [email protected]

Galle District Housing & Livelihood Development

Womens Co-operative society organized a special

project activity of FAO (Food & Agriculture

Organization of the United Nations) & HELP-O to

enrich the nutrition level healthy of community by

conducting Kola Kenda (Herbal Porridge) hut in

morning of the day at Thotagamuwa Co-operative

branch.It was opened by the hand of Mr.Chathura

Welivitiya-Chairman/Chief Executive of HELP-O.

Although people believe that Kola Kenda is good

for them, The truth is even more pleasant. Kola

Kenda nourishes and rejuvenates the whole system

of the human body. It gives one clear, healthy and

glowing skin. It also stops premature graying and

encourages hair growth and prevents hair from

falling. These are the cosmetic benefits of Kola

Kenda.

Kola Kenda made with Gotukola, Mukunuwenna,

Erabadu, Polpala, Neeramuliya, Kohila,

Haathavaariya, Penela, Eramusu, Karapincha,

Olinda Kola, Yakinarang (for the cure of asthma).

Kola Kenda improves the digestive process and its

anti toxic properties make it a tonic for the whole

body & increasing immunity.

With the success of this Kola Kenda hut people

are having a habit to drink a glass of Kola

Kenda in every morning while they are going

for exercising or work. Other important thing is

that all the leaves from their home garden

which was cultivate by themselves under the

financial support of FAO project & now they

are earning from this valuable activity & save

for their community branches. They are trying

to expand these best practices to other areas as

well.

Kola Kenda is a refreshing way to start the day

it is an all-fresh and all-natural way to go.

FAO (Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)

Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO's efforts - to make sure people haveregular access to well enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. FAO'smandate is to raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural productivity, make better thelives of rural populations and contribute to the growth of the world economy.

HELP-O also joined with this program & conducting home gardening project in

communit level to ensure the ood securit .


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After the conclusion of the war, north eastern areas

of the country are growing with new development

projects in different sectors. Physical development

was highlighted to rebuild in new way to achieve the

development goals of national government. In thatsense, environment factor has less priority with the

trend of present development. However it is need to

ensure the balance development in every sector tofeel the success of sustainable development of the

country.

With that intention HELP-O is implementing Green

Bio Energy City Project in Trincomalee to find a

sustainable solution for waste management &

alternative energy need in city level. By now we

could complete major 03 biogas plant projects inTrincomalee & 02 biogas plants are working & other

major one will open in very soon to facilitate for the

market in Trincomalee urban area.

After completing the biogas projects, next step of the

project is to conduct a tree planting program within

city & conduct a workshop to aware the community

regarding the climate change & how can we find a

solution with new technologies. As a highly tourist

attracted area, Trincomalee is belong to eastern

province & waste generation possibility also

increasing. To find a solution for that situation we

proposed to implement biogas plants in every major

places of the city. It will make big impact to the

environment of the area.


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our valuable comments direct to: [email protected]

Sewalanka Foundation Organized a residential

workshop to promote sustainable agriculture in Sri

Lanka. HELP-O representatives were participating

for this workshop & there were key areas to study

such as social enterprises & good market concept.

Through this monthly newsletter we will discuss

about good market concept.

What is the Good Market???

Farmers, producer groups, and social enterprises

throughout Sri Lanka have developed products that

are good for our health, our communities, and our

environment, but they often find it difficult tomarket these products domestically. At the same

time, there are many educated consumers in Sri

Lanka that dont want to feed their families

pesticides and preservatives. They are looking forhealthy, natural foods and household products.

They want to buy locally and support rural

communities.

The Good Market is a place for ethical producers

and ethical consumers to come together. It will be a

place to meet friends, enjoy a family outing, and

find a range of healthy, environmentally friendly,

ethical products that are not readily available

anywhere else in Sri Lanka. It is ideal destination for

all kind of gather.

The market will feature:

Poison-free fruits and vegetables

Artisanal food and snacks

Fair-trade crafts

Handmade original art

Natural health and beauty products

Non-toxic home and garden products

Live entertainment and more

The Good Market - Colombo EVERY THURSDAY at

the DIYATA UYANA market stalls next to theParliament roundabout and Waters Edge in

Battaramulla.

The good market Colombo offers Sri Lankan flavors

per excellence as typical local as well as Western

sweets, pickles, fresh vegetables, fruit juices and coffee

variations. Its the perfect place to find small presents

as coconut jewelleries, bags, bright colored various

clothes, organic tea.


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Good Market is a great initiative to not

only give consumers the choice to buy

organic and socially conscious

produce/products but also to provideadvocacy for a healthy and sustainable

lifestyle.

Meanwhile, Saaraketha, an agricultural

enterprise that empowers rural small

holder farmers to embrace sustainable

methods of production, is another keyvendor at the Good Market.

Prasanna Hettiarachchi, founder/Chairman

of Saaraketha, had this to say about the

market: The Good Market bearstestimony to a society that is evolving to

embrace a greater awareness of the circle

of life, a greater sense of inclusivity andunderstanding, on the choices we make

and the impacts they have.

Principals of good market

Fresh Fruits, Vegetables, Spices,Herbs, Grains, Legumes, etc

Eggs and Dairy Products Prepared Foods Arts and Handicrafts Health and Beauty Home and Garden Products Service Providers Events and Activities

All vendors have been screened according

to Good Market standards and the market

will feature more than 35 vendors Dairy

selling organic fruits and vegetables;

natural and artisanal food and snacks; fair-

trade crafts; natural health products; non-

toxic home and garden products; original

art and more.

The Good Market will be held every

Thursday from 12 noon to 8 p.m. The

market is a place for ethical producers and

ethical consumers to come together a

place to meet friends, enjoy a meal, and

find a range of healthy, environmentally

friendly products that are not readily

available anywhere else in Sri Lanka.

The Good Market is entirely a volunteer-

driven event, in partnership with the

market vendors.



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The second problem is that the fossil fuels

that are widely used today are harmfulfor the environment. In the early

seventies and eighties there were people

and even scientist who preach otherwise,

but today the negative effects are

showing. The earth warming is going up

and climate is changing. There are parts inthe world were there be more rain and

sunshine and others parts will become

dryer then they already are. Another

negative effect is that the ozone layer is

getting thinner which also leads to a

warming up the earth. These two effects

compliment each other and make it even

more crucial to make another step in a

different direction. This step will lead us

to the use of renewable energy.


Housing and Energy Education & Trade

Fair was organized by Ministry of Road

Development, Power & Energy &

Housing & Construction-Central

Province in 18th, 19th & 20th of January

2013 at Kandy City Center. HELP-O

participated for that by introducing

biogas technology.

This event organized to promote the

energy conservation concept &

introducing alternative energy

techniques among general public. The

need for alternative energy sources is

getting urgent, hence the development

of renewable energy is moving fast.Nationally and internationally various

individuals and research companies are

creating new and exciting energy

systems. Politician's world-wide are

drafting policies and are making

agreements to make greater use of these

energy sources.

The first problem is that the fossil fuels

are depleting in a rapid rate and are

harder to retrieve. The consequence is

that we can be facing an energy crisis in

the future if we are not careful today.

The energy prices will sky rocket andnot be available for many individuals or

countries. To avoid this doom scenario

we need to find alternatives and used

them to their full potential. Luckily this is

already happening.


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our valuable comments direct to: [email protected]

Another problem lies on the development of small economies. Because the energy

prices for crude oil are going through the roof, these countries suffer even more.

Many of these countries need crude oil for their electricity and means of

transportation. These high oil prices have their effect on almost everything. Themonthly electricity costs for households increase among others like transport cost and

prices for basic products. Hence, these high oil prices make it harder for these small

countries to grow there economies.

The solution for the above problems can be resolved by renewable energy. Our

beautiful planet gives us the opportunity to make proper use of sunlight, flowing

water, strong winds, and hot springs and convert these into energy. These energysources are abundant and free to use. We must be sure that we convert the energy

the right way, without causing other problems that can again hurt our environment.

Luckily the many efforts by individuals and companies show that this can be done.


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Galle Sambodhi Home establishes to serve for the

mentally and physically disabled as well as society's

discards. There are more than 60 different able

persons look after to give Hope for the SilentVoices.

HELP-O was really fortunate to help to them by

constructing a biogas plant for sustainable waste

management & providing alternative energy

source. After one year we have review about the

progress of this project & benefits for them.

It says that there is no LP gas usage & main energy

source for cooking is biogas. Biogas use to prepare

tea for 60 persons in three times per day & preparerice & curry for 60 persons in three times per day.

It is a considerable saving of energy for future.


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SriLankan Airlines, the National Airline of Sri Lanka, is an award winning carrier with a firm reputation as a globaleader in service, comfort, safety, reliability and punctuality.

Launched in 1979, SriLankan is currently expanding and further diversifying its wide range of products and

ervices in order to drive the country's ongoing boom in tourism and economic development.

The airline's hub is located at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, providing convenient connections

o its global route network of 60 destinations in 33 countries in Europe, the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast

Asia, the Far East, North America and Australia.

As one of the major service provider, Sri LankanAirline ltd could achieve different targets

through quality service providing for their

customers. In that way they are finding

sustainable solution for organic waste

management through biogas technology.

HELPO Eco Green Ltd introduced the biogas

technology for organic waste management &

plant construction almost finished now. It willopen in the near future to get more

environmental benefits.

They are hoping to use biogas for cooking

purpose in the main canteen. Expectations of

the biogas plant construction are to organic

waste management & to use the generated

biogas for heating waste incineration chamber.

This will be a better environmental friendlysolution & new experience to the world in a

way they are trying to use the biogas while

finding better answer for organic waste

handling.



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Islander Center of Sewalanka

Foundation is conducting wide range

of program including

3-month residential trainingprograms for rural youth leaders

Specialized training programsand workshops for leaders of

community organizations

Retreats for dialog and strategicplanning

Organic agriculturedemonstrations, experimental

plots, nurseries and seed banks

Representative from HELP-O has

participated for this 03 month

residential training on sustainable

organic agriculture, community

development & leadership training for

youth groups. It was a more important

opportunity for youth to expand their

knowledge regarding the organic

agriculture & its sustainability to

workout in village level development.

These programs include a mix of men

and women from different regions of

the country. Their full-time multilingual

staff provides facilitation and

translation support, so that participants

have an opportunity to share ideas,

build understanding and develop new

friendships across conventionallinguistic, religious and regional divides.

Sustainable agricultural practices are

fundamentally a

approach to raising food. These

practices are based on understanding

of, and respect for, ecological

principles. In such systems, growers find

themselves working with the ecology

of the system, rather than against it.

agriculture refers both to

economic and ecological sustainability.

Any farming system that is going to be

truly sustainable must be so in both

senses; a farmer cannot stay in the

farming business if the farmingoperation is not economically viable,

regardless of how fine it may beecologically! While there is

considerable debate about exactly

what constitutes sustainable agriculture,

in general it is defined in terms of

practices that not only allow for quality

of life and agricultural production for

this generation, but also for generations

into the future. Sustainable agriculturedoesn't necessarily mean "organic"

farming (farming without use of

synthetic chemical inputs), although

increased attention is paid to "organic

components," particularly in fertility

and pest control.

Such training are more valuable to

future program of HELP-O in related to

the home gardening & agriculturepractices in community level. This new

knowledge is helping to expand the

village level community networking

program & ensure the agriculture

sustainability to open the employment

opportunities.



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HOLDE Womens Co-op is pioneer community

network in southern province & it is helping for poor

by working with womens group. In every village they

are formulating small womens groups to worktogether. Each of group members is actively

participating for the progress of network to serve for

each other.

In that way we have find more success cases among

that community. Mrs.M.Deelika didnt have an own

house to live for their family & they lived in her

mothers home. After getting the membership in

HOLDE Womens Co-op she could construct an own

house for her family. She could get the loan facility

from HOLDE Womens Co-operative society in stage

by stage in housing construction.

At the first stage she applied for self employment loan

it was a help to start a new business in small level in

village. With the success of the small business she

began the construction of new house & she again

applied for housing loan facility. It was a support to

finish the half of housing construction. Second timealso she could get the housing loan facility & finalize

the roof construction also. Now they are living in this

house & this dream will not realize without the

helping hands of HOLDE Womens Co-op.


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THINK LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS

Let every individual and institution now thinks and act as a responsible trustee of Earth, seeking choices in ecology,

onomics and ethics that will provide a sustainable future, eliminate pollution, poverty and violence, awaken the wonder

f life and foster peaceful progress in the human adventure."

, founder of International Earth Day

HELP-O Newsletter

To subscribe to HELP-O newsletter or to sendcomments regarding the publication, contact HELP-O

communication unit

HELP-ONo364/18A,

Samagi Mw,Dangedara,Galle,Sri Lanka

T.P/Fax- (++94)91 4380121/ (++94)91 2226818

E-mail- [email protected] /[email protected]

Web-www.helpo-srilanka.org

Web-www.helpoecogreen.com

help-o january news letter 2013

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