One day in the year 2011, Mrs. G. M. B. Chithra, 61 years of age, the mother of Imalka came to meet Rev. Fr. Damian Arsakularatne, the director of Caritas SED Galle with tears in her eyes. She came to explain about the sufferings undergone by her daughter Imalka who is employed as a house maid in Kuwait. She has phones her mother and informed her that she is undergoing lots of hardships, not given enough foods to eat, and requested her mother to bring her back to Sri Lanka through the agency.

Caritas SED Galle staff intervened through its Safe Migration Project and requested a letter explaining her difficulties to refer to the Bureau of Foreign Employment. Our Organization was able to bring down her from Kuwait to Sri Lanka under the sponsorship of Safe Migration Project.

After Returning to Sri Lanka she shared with me various hardships she had to undergo while employed in Kuwait and we continued to provide her with counseling.

As she has gone abroad after registering with the bureau of Foreign Employment we were able to write a relevant letters for her and referred the same to bureau of Foreign Employment for redress and payment of compensation under the Insurance Scheme. The Bureau of Foreign Employment taking action on the complaint of Imalka, called the relevant agency and after an inquiry was able to pay her compensation of 18,000.00 LKR under an Insurance Scheme.

She invested this money carefully to improve her sewing garments business and now she is happily engaged in her own business. In the meantime Caritas SED Galle provides her advanced training in sewing under the Livelihood Improvement Project Sponsored by Caritas Scotland. She has used the skill and knowledge of advance sewing obtained from Caritas SED Galle to further improve the quality of the garment she makes.

She has become an active member of the group formed under Safe Migration Project and has also attended 05sessions at technical training workshop in food processing. After this training she now intends to start a business in production of bites in addition to her sewing garments. She is also hoping to purchase a sewing machine.

Being active member of the Safe Migration Society she is also the President of that Society and she is at present against women going abroad for employment. She devotes her in carrying forward the activities of this society. What she advocates is that Women should never migrate for employment. Although she is a widow, she lives with her two children, brother and sister happily while engaged in her own business successfully. This is a victory for the safe migration Project.

Oshadee Senanayake
Field Officer Safe Migration Project