Craigingilt

My first field visit with Satyodaya was to Craigingilt, a former tea estate that has now been parceled out to local people. These subdivided plots of land were given to the Sinhalese villagers who lived in the surrounding villages, not to the Tamil tea pluckers who had worked on the estate for generations. Of course, this may be an attempt to rectify the British actions of the 1800's, when they took land for their coffee and tea plantations without consulting the local Sinhalese residents. That was before the Tamil laborers were brought in from southern India to work on the estates (sidenote: I read an interesting article today that said the British had originally considered importing workers from Africa, but that Britain had just outlawed slavery; so instead they "employed" these impoverished Indians at the lowest wages possible instead).

So, with very little tea plantation work available, and without land of their own, the Tamils in Craigingilt were left to seek odd jobs or other agricultural labor. Satyodaya began organizing them, helping them to build a community center and form a CPO (Community People's Organization). Some got loans to start their own business (I visited one couple who sew duffle bags). Even though most of them no longer worked on the estates, they were still living in the tiny, dingy linerooms that had been provided by the plantation. So, they petitioned the government for some land (which they bought with a no-interest loan from Satyodaya) and began building their own homes. The people did the unskilled labor themselves, and Satyodaya employed local Sinhalese masons to help with the skilled building.

The houses have two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. There is a common bathing area. All of the homes have small gardens, and some grow spices or keep bees to earn a little extra income. The people also petitioned the government for electricity connections. Because they all came together as a community and stood up for their rights, they were able to get responses from government officials who had long ignored this community (except maybe at election time). The community is really beautiful, set in the hills with lush green trees and fields surrounding them. A neat stone stairway climbs up (and up, and up) from house to house.

At the top of the hill, the CPO has started a pre-school, which helps the children get a head start on their education, so that they will be able to get better jobs than their parents. The parents pay a small fee each month for the teacher's salary. Everything that they've done has been through their own efforts, with Satyodaya only providing technical support and some loans to get them started.

Now this community of about 70 families has a good, friendly relationship with their Sinhalese neighbors. They say that previously, the people in the neighboring villages looked down on them and wouldn't associate with them. But now, they have the dignity of owning their own homes and of knowing how to stand up for themselves. Now, the different ethnic groups attend each others' festivals and community programs. This area is one of Satyodaya's biggest success stories, and they no longer have field staff responsible for Craigingilt, because all the programs are planned and carried out by the residents themselves.