93613 SAFANSI The South Asia Food and Nutrition Security Initiative SANJEEVI: AN ENTERPRISING SOLUTION FOR FOOD AND NUTRITION IN SRI LANKA The landscape of Northeast Sri Lanka is similar Manusher Jonno Foundation in Bangladesh to so many countries emerging from conflict. and Tarayana Foundation in Bhutan—seeking After more than two decades of civil war, the funding from the South Asia Food and Nutrition family structure has been severely disrupted. Security Initiative (SAFANSI), to explore the Many families are either living in or are just role of women in boosting the food and nutrition returning from refugee camps. Many households security within their communities. Since its are headed by women, either due to the inception the BEES Network has become a strong death of a husband or out-migration. Beyond knowledge-sharing network that advances good the household, communities and markets practices across South Asia. are similarly damaged, with formal financial services rare and most agricultural fields, SAFANSI is a multi-donor trust fund that institutions, and markets destroyed by violence. finances analysis, advocacy, and capacity As is common in post-conflict situations, beyond building activities to improve food and nutrition the physical damage, the psychological impact security and address the South Asian Enigma— of such an extended conflict has negatively the intractable and chronic malnutrition despite affected how people relate to each other and high economic growth. SAFANSI tackles these the extent to which they are willing and/or able challenges by fostering the cross-cutting to work collectively. actions that will improve food and nutrition security. Before SAFANSI funding for Viluthu, Advocacy for war-widows its advocacy only extended to empowering women through counseling and training, leading Viluthu is a civil society organization (CSO), democracy-building initiatives with the media, established in 2003, that aims to improve and performing street theatre to promote social governance and strengthen civil society by accountability. Promotion of nutrition was not building the capacity of youth, vulnerable a part of that program even though it was women, local government, the private sector desperately needed. However, within six months and the media in those areas of Sri Lanka of receiving the SAFANSI grant, Viluthu not only most significantly affected by war. In the Tamil provided nutrition training for Tamil war widows, language, Viluthu means “the hanging roots of but also established a nutrition enterprise called a Banyan tree.” Just as the hanging roots of Sanjeevi. the tree support and nourish the tree’s branches to spread wide and grow, Viluthu supports and Through the BEES network and SAFANSI funding, strengthens those in the network it serves. Viluthu was able to conduct a nutrition survey and implement resulting recommendations. In 2011, Viluthu joined the BEES Network to work In this context Viluthu has provided various on enhancing women’s economic empowerment forms of outreach to help women learn about throughout South Asia.1 As a member of BEES, the foods that grow locally and seasonally, and Viluthu came together with two other CSOs— how they can incorporate them into their meals, January 2015 South Asia Region thus, increasing the bioavailability of nutrient- After the results of the survey were finalized, rich foods and nutrient intake. The effects this Viluthu took a two-pronged approach to address is having on positive nutrition behavior-change the issues of malnutrition and the lack of are immense. opportunity for women to earn a living in Mutur. Viluthu established a small enterprise called How Food Secure is Mutur? Sanjeevi that would recruit and train women through a mobile nutrition training program, Mutur is a town in Northeast Sri Lanka, home to and then help these women market the one- approximately 65,0002 people, many of whom dish meals they had learned to prepare. are war widows. It is in need of much support given that it is a part of the country that has Sanjeevi Mobile Nutrition Training been deeply affected by conflict. Viluthu’s work in the area focuses on providing support to The survey results highlighted a clear need for women in the form of advocacy training and intervention: these women needed to address mobile nutrition training. In addition, youth nutrition for their families, and provide a empowerment is advanced through street livelihood for themselves. Viluthu has addressed theatre. these needs through creating the Sanjeevi brand, which provides a one-dish, nutritionally- Initially, Viluthu conducted the Nutrition balanced meal that a woman can cook and either Survey in October 2013 to answer questions feed to her family, or sell to a local consumer. about basic food and nutrition needs in Mutur, The concept required training and the right focusing on what, when, and how much families group of motivated women entrepreneurs. ate. Understanding: (1) how people were able to access food, (2) habits around and during mealtime, and (3) dietary diversity, were the focus of questions asked in the Nutrition Survey. By appointing and empowering groups of women leaders in the area, Viluthu taught them how to work together as a team; these women leaders then conducted the survey and recorded the findings. The findings were then shared with all the stakeholders from the government agencies, and a work plan was drawn up to empower Viluthu’s groups of mothers and other women to improve the food and nutrition security in their communities. In February 2014, Viluthu completed a food security assessment in Mutur through a participatory process. The women leaders of the community and some of the female heads Mobile nutrition training, through the Sanjeevi of households were consulted and trained enterprise, started in April 2014. Eight women as enumerators for this study. This provided were identified as the core mobile support team the opportunity to reinforce the importance who function as “group leaders.” An additional of teamwork again. The study revealed food 29 women have been trained in the one-dish insecurity to be as high as 57% within this meal concept across the Mutur community. community as a whole, and statistics are Viluthu’s Mobile Nutrition Trainer can train up believed to be even higher for women-headed to 10 women at a time from her small home households. kitchen. Ten recipes have been taught and 2 reviewed, and practical training is given through the preparation of these dishes in small groups One woman commented: using a hands-on approach. One-dish meals There is a big nutrition focus on 3 pillars: problem where I live- lactating mothers, widows, I. Low cost. The meals should use locally mental deficiencies and available ingredients and each meal is post-traumatic stress are below SLR 50 (approximately USD 0.38). all present. Now that I can II. Fast. All one-dish meals should take prepare foods with herbs under 30 minutes to prepare. and greens I can share this with the groups I III. Nutritionally balanced. The meals work with- the preschools, should provide a healthy ratio of fats, mother support groups, calories, proteins, and vitamins/minerals clinics and mobile clinics for to keep blood sugars balanced and all this nutrition training. digestion at maximum efficiency for This is very important for optimal nutrient absorption and retention. everyone to know. The women participated in fun group activities during a follow-up workshop which included going to the market, purchasing grains and Sanjeevi Food Stalls vegetables, and cooking a healthy “one-dish” After the women completed their nutrition meal. The training focuses on utilizing locally training, Viluthu gave the groups raw materials available foods, reinforcing the logic—why buy in the form of a single pot, and the palm-leaf roof it when you can grow it? and wooden structure. Two Sanjeevi food stalls Many of the women commented that they had were established and operational in early July never before thought to combine foods into 2014, and each food stall employs ten women. one dish as they learned to do in this training, Food preparation for the day begins at each given that eating foods prepared separately is woman’s home, and five specific recipes of meals much more common. For example, one might are prepared daily, on a rotating basis. Farming, eat a rice-heavy breakfast with some sugared- foraging, and contributing raw materials (i.e., juice. Now, adding lentils to the rice-base, as ingredients) as well as meal planning are done well as milk and whole fruit, makes a breakfast in a group setting, reinforcing the importance of healthier and nutritionally balanced. The women teamwork. Demand for the meals is high: the were eager to take this back to their villages Sanjeevi stall sells out of meals every day. Now to recreate the meals and share these healthy that these women from Mutur are making steady concepts with others. earnings, they have each agreed to save SLR 20 a day, and are planning to invest in improving The nutrition training also reinforced the their stalls (e.g., display cases for the meals). nutritive value of foods. Because they understood the importance of having a balance Prior to working in the food stalls, these women of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, worked as agricultural laborers and received minerals, and calcium, making the meals in little, if any, consistent work in a given month. one dish and the new combinations of food now Conditions were very hard, and often they made sense. The nutrition training helps guide weren’t paid in full for the work they performed. the women to cook healthier meals. A “good” month provided them with ten 12-hour days of back-breaking work (e.g., harvesting and 3 carrying heavy baskets of produce, exposed to Sanjeevi murals on the external Mutur hospital harsh weather conditions without any protective walls that encourage healthy habits such as the cover). The daily rate was SLR 500, on a reduction of sweets, the increase of vegetable monthly basis, this is equivalent to a salary of and water intake, and the increase of exercise. SLR 5,000 (approximately USD 38). This places The same murals and signage are displayed at these families in the lowest income decile in the the food stalls to reinforce good eating practices country, compared to the average monthly salary and make it easier for people to accept the one- of SLR 6,499 (nationally).3 dish meals as a better choice as well as a more delicious choice than the fried snacks people are Now at the food stalls, women work an average used to eating. Perhaps one of the best impacts of 22 consistent days a month, cutting in half of this SAFANSI-funded activity is that it has their work hours. An average day is 6 hours with started the conversation about how the food that light labor (cooking, transporting food, protected people eat is linked to their health. under the cover of the food stall). They take home approximately SLR 450 a day, which is a monthly Thanks to the SAFANSI grant and through the salary of SLR 9,900 (approximately USD 75). This BEES Network, in an unprecedented 6-month is a 98% increase in earnings in just 4 months, timeframe, Viluthu has been able to survey and it moves them closer to the next income decile and identify the needs of a community, train a where the income range is SLR 10,750 – 16,162. network of committed implementers, open and establish two food stalls, and increase employee Looking Ahead income by a consistent 98%. The success of the project is evident. The community also Viluthu has successfully created and leveraged recognizes that Sanjeevi is an important business the Sanjeevi brand by providing nutrition training, to support because it provides good, wholesome as well as creating the one-dish meal enterprise. food for the community. Sanjeevi plans to open Mutur is fast becoming a community that is not a third food stall in February 2015 leveraging the only aware of, but also accepting of good, healthy determination and drive of its employees and eating habits as they adapt behaviors to reflect scaling across the Eastern region of the country, better food choices. This is reinforced by colorful and hopefully, someday, across the entire country. Partners SA FANSI Administered by: 1 BEES, or Business, Enterprise and Employment Support for Women in South Asia, is a knowledge-sharing and learning network of civil society organizations and select World Bank-funded projects that are working to enhance women’s economic empowerment through training and cooperative investment. 2 http://www.citypopulation.de/php/srilanka-admin.php?adm2id=5327 3 Data comes from the Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2012/13: Preliminary Report. Department of Census and Statistics, Ministry of Finance and Planning, Sri Lanka. This results series highlights development results, operational innovations and lessons emerging from the South Asia Food and Nutrition Security Initiative (SAFANSI) of the World Bank South Asia region. Disclaimer: The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Executive Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries.