New business skills for Sri Lankans recovering from conflict

Humming along to a tune on the radio, Andrew fixes a broken clutch cable of a motorbike. With a framed picture of a deity hanging against the freshly painted wall, this new garage smells like hope and makes work look like play.

At 21, Benedict Andrew is already his own boss, with three employees. His motorbike garage, ‘ABS Bike Repairing & Spare Parts’ is located in Sinna Punanai, on the main road between Colombo and Jaffna. He fixes at least two bikes a day.

Not long ago, Andrew was a labourer at a repair shop in Oddamavadi. After training in Anuradhapura and Colombo, he became a certified motorcycle mechanic.

Qualification in hand, when Andrew was looking for a breakthrough in his career is when he encountered a UNDP project which supports families in Sinna Punanai, where many families have settled in the aftermath Sri Lanka’s long civil conflict.

‘Support to Sustainable Resettlement in Sri Lanka’ is funded by the Government of the United Kingdom. The project consists of a Youth Entrepreneurship Development’ Programme,’ (YED) which addresses the problem of skills shortages. It focused on teaching employable skills and business development.