Livelihood and enterprise programmes run alongside the educational institution, built around the trades already present in Point Pedro and Valvettithurai.
What it is
A set of livelihood and small-enterprise programmes rather than a single project: training, seed funding and market access work, aimed at trades already practised locally. Fishing and palmyra craft, shown here in a Jaffna market stall, are two of the clearest examples; small trade and agriculture are others. The intent is to strengthen what is already there before introducing anything new.
Why here
Youth unemployment and a slow return of investment are among the most consistently reported constraints on the Northern Province's recovery since the war. Auvaiyar's verse, கௌவை அகற்று, put away discord, reads plainly as a call to remove the friction that hardship brings into a community, and economic precarity is one of its more direct causes.
How it starts
A first pilot is planned for Phase 1, 2026 to 2028, alongside the archival centre. It is more likely to take the shape of a training programme or seed fund run with an existing local cooperative or trade group than a new organisation built from scratch. The exact form will depend on which local partners are ready to co-design it.
