Sri Lanka

Saving lives

Results to 30 June 2012

• 6,088 people living on tea estates received safe drinking water and improved sanitation facilities.

Commitments 2012-2013

• Approximately 150 schools will receive hygiene education and water and sanitation facilities to national standards.

Read more on saving lives

Promoting opportunities for all

Results to 30 June 2012

• Identified out-of-school children across four provinces and enrolled 2,350 children, who had previously dropped out.
• Provided training for more than 24,000 teachers and school officials in contemporary, interactive approaches to education.
• In 2012, 28 long-term and 54 short-term scholarships to Sri Lankan Government officials to build a better public service.

Commitments 2012-2013

• Work with the Sri Lankan Government to improve the quality of primary and secondary education and reduce regional disparities in achievement.
• Provide around 30 long-term scholarships in 2013 in subject areas such as education, health, environment and governance and
• 19 short-term awards.

Read more on promoting opportunities for all

Sustainable economic development

Results to 30 June 2012

• Provided almost 4,000 female-headed households with training, loans and assets to re-establish livelihoods.
• Constructed vital fishing infrastructure for around 700 fishing families to help them increase earnings.

Commitments 2012-2013

• Double the incomes of more than 5,000 people living in rural areas and protect more than 4,000 acres of forest.
• Improve the incomes of 3,606 fishing families by building productive infrastructure.

Read more on sustainable economic development

Effective governance

Results to 30 June 2012

• Increased local government revenue through improved methods of tax collection and service delivery (for example helping to collect around $450,000 in unpaid taxes).
• 744 public servants trained in English, social development and financial management.
• Supported public-private partnerships in 19 localities around Sri Lanka to strengthen local governance and stimulate the private sector.

Commitments 2012-2013

• Improve local government revenue collection, such as through supporting the reassessment of property values.
• Design and implement a pilot ‘Citizen Report Card’ in two locations to inform local authorities about public satisfaction.

Read more on effective governance

Humanitarian and disaster response

Results to 30 June 2012

• Provided 10,000 tons of food aid to displaced people.
• Provided cash grants for around 79,000 displaced families.
• Provided mine risk education, which has contributed to a fall in the number of mine related casualties and injuries from 47 in 2010 to 27 in 2011.

Commitments 2012-2013

• Approximately 4,000 permanent houses will be repaired or reconstructed.
• Strengthen coordination capacity in the national Sri Lanka Disaster Management and regional disaster management organisations in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

Read more on humanitarian and disaster response

Australian ODA to Sri Lanka, 2001-02 to 2012-13

See larger version of this chart

a. Excludes global and regional expenditure
b. AusAID budget estimated outcome, as released in Budget Paper No.2, May 2011 and OGD expenditure, AusAID OGD Survey, June 2011
c. Budget estimate as released in Budget Paper No.2, May 2011

The graph above shows the Australian Official Development Assistance to Sri Lanka, including AusAID funding and funding by Other Government Departments (OGD).

The exact values are as follows:

• 2001-02: AusAID $10,416,766. OGD $174,138
• 2002-03: AusAID $13,528,046. OGD $465,941
• 2003-04: AusAID $21,288,936. OGD $547,585
• 2004-05: AusAID $42,847,855. OGD $849,627
• 2005-06: AusAID $23,325,515. OGD $2,302,538
• 2006-07: AusAID $26,783,173. OGD $2,376,391
• 2007-08: AusAID $26,284,536. OGD $1,918,972
• 2008-09: AusAID $38,770,901. OGD $4,651,566
• 2009-10: AusAID $76,845,577. OGD $4,719,691
• 2010-11: AusAID $49,105,250. OGD $2,395,969
• 2011-12: AusAID $43,945,444. OGD $3,529,968
• 2012-13: AusAID $38,596,348. OGD $3,930,108

Australian ODA to Sri Lanka by strategic goal, 2009-10 to 2012-13 (%)

See a larger version of this graph.

The graph above shows Australian Official Development Assistance to Sri Lanka by strategic goal.

The exact values are as follows (&):

• 2012-13
  Saving lives: 3
  Promoting opportunities for all: 28
  Sustainable economic development: 58
  Effective governance: 5
  Humanitarian and disaster response: 5
  Cross cutting: 0
• 2011-12
  Saving lives: 7
  Promoting opportunities for all: 27
  Sustainable economic development: 4
  Effective governance: 2
  Humanitarian and disaster response: 40
  Cross cutting: 21
• 2010-11
  Saving lives: 13
  Promoting opportunities for all: 31
  Sustainable economic development: 2
  Effective governance: 2
  Humanitarian and disaster response: 51
  Cross cutting: 1
• 2009-10
  Saving lives: 2
  Promoting opportunities for all: 11
  Sustainable economic development: 7
  Effective governance: 5
  Humanitarian and disaster response: 75
  Cross cutting: 1

Other ODA in Whole of Government 2010-11 to 2011-12

See a larger version of this graph.

a. Excludes global and regional expenditure
b. OGD expenditure, AusAID OGD Survey, June 2011

The graph above shows the Australian Official Development Assistance to Sri Lanka by Other Government Departments.

The exact values are as follows:

• Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry:
  2010-11: $75,500. 2011-12: None.
• Attorney-Generals - Australian Federal Police:
  2010-11: $457,600. 2011-12: $377,900.
• Attorney-Generals - Customs and Border Protection:
  2010-11: $68,900. 2011-12: $91,000.
• Education, Employment and Workplace Relations:
  2010-11: $1,542,200. 2011-12: $898,500.
• Health and Ageing:
  2010-11: $190,000. 2011-12: $706,800.
• Immigration and Citizenship:
  2010-11: None. 2011-12: $6,400.
• Industry, Innovation, Science, Research & Tertiary Education:
  2010-11: $None. 2011-12: $965,200.
• States and territories:
  2010-11: $61,800. 2011-12: $483,600.

Research overview

Good research can lead to positive change for the world's poorest by enhancing the design and implementation of development policies and programs. That's why AusAID is committed to an innovative research portfolio and funds research, including through:

• competitive funding mechanisms (such as the AusAID Development Research Awards Scheme)
• research partnerships with different Australian, international and developing country research institutions
• commissioning research to address a specific question or clearly defined research gap
• one-off research grants, when an existing program of research is relevant to the Australian aid program.

More information on how AusAID funds research

Research funded by AusAID specifically targets some of Sri Lanka’s development challenges. Some of the highlights of this AusAID-funded research are listed below.

Gender, status and empowerment: A study among women who work in Sri Lanka's export processing zones

This study of 2500 women factory workers in Sri Lanka’s export processing zones traced the impact of formal employment on women's status. Previous studies have found that female factory workers in Sri Lanka face significant societal and community disempowerment as a result of their employment. This study was funded by AusAID and undertaken by researchers at Edith Cowan University.

The study found that, along with economic empowerment and improvements in knowledge and skills, women’s decision making power increased in the home and, in some cases, in the workplace. Their social empowerment has also been improved with increased mobility and acceptance from their family and community. However, there are limited opportunities for women to advance in these occupations, the work is repetitive and the social stigma attached to women’s participation in factory employment remains, despite efforts by the government, NGOS and unions to reinforce the contribution of these women to the economy.

This study showed that remittances of women factory workers have contributed significantly to the alleviation of poverty in Sri Lanka. Wider communication of the contribution of these women to the economy will contribute to combatting the negative portrayal of these workers in Sri Lanka.

Read the full report