Sowing The SEEDS

Government welfare schemes are trying to bring thousands of recipients out of poverty. Experts however agree that welfare payments alone wont reduce poverty.

Micro finance provided by schemes like Samurdhi banks try to tackle this by getting aid recipients to set up their own business.

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But micro finance has its pitfalls. In the third in a series on poverty related issues we look at an institution taking a fresh approach to financing small enterprise.

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rnShan Enterprises turns out aluminum utensils. On a typical day at Shan Enterprises in Walpola machines start working from very early in the morning.

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rnStreams of customers are received in a small living room converted into a sales center at Ms. Shanika Dissanayaka house that owns the business.

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rnThe business is however still small with one machine and two technicians.rn

rnBut they are the official supplier of aluminum saucepans and cake trays to most of the shops and houses in the area.rn

rnThe business started small.