Tribefunds
Community development

Help Fishing Communities affected by the X-Press Pearl explosion build livelihoods collecting plastic

Rs. 2,169,000 raised of Rs. 5,000,000
114 contributors
43% Funded
Left
43% Complete
“Creating livelihoods by turning waste to wealth.”

Savera Weerasinghe, Co-Founder - Ananta Sustainables


Since our last crowdfund in 2021, despite the numerous lockdowns and the debilitating economic crisis, in 2022 our project prevailed and we have 50+ women and youth who have collected over 10,000 Kilos of plastic waste!

In a time of crisis, this project, made possible by your donations, has been a lifeline for many. The attached video will elaborate.

Thank you for rallying around the idea and giving us not only your funds, but also your trust, that this could be a viable model. With the tenacity of Vincent and the women of Sri Vimukti Fisherwomen's Collective, this project has become far more than just viable, it has expanded to 5 more villages!

● Many women have paid bills, loan installments, school fees and bought groceries with their earnings.

● During the economic crisis, without fuel it was nearly impossible to get a truck for collection. We were forced to change recyclers 3 times as collection delays and low capacity of smaller trucks impeded collections.

● Collection is impeded due to a lack of space in households to collect plastic; storing collection in households also increases the risk of Dengue, therefore to increase collections a collection centre is urgently needed, especially during collection delays due to the fuel shortages in Sri Lanka.

● A collection centre has been identified for Rs.25,000/month. (approx. $70) We hope this funding will subsidize this cost.
● Coordination and fund dissemination takes time and effort and to expand we hope to train a youth engaged in collection to become a manager and pay them a monthly wage.

● The women and youth are so inspired by their own work that they even organized a field trip to the Eco Spindle where the PET bottles they collect are turned into yarn, to get a better understanding of the circular economy they participate in. Funding this extra activity was joy, as this is the kind of awareness and self education we can only hope for.

● Please see the community model if you are interested in how it works.

Disclaimer: this is now an individual effort to sustain this project. All funds will be sent to my personal bank account and disseminated by me to Vincent the coordinator. Please contact me at savera.weerasinghe@gmail.com if you are interested in getting more involved!






An approximate amount of 1650Kg/ month is collected by the women.

The fund is to pay Rs 150 per Kilo for 20 months.

(1650 x 150 x 20 ) + (2500 x 20) = 5,000,000

Including a small fee of 2500/month to Vincent the organizer for his administrative efforts.




In 2021 the funds were raised by Ananta sustainable. However, in 2023 fundraising will be a personal effort by Savera

Savera founded Ananta Sustainables, a sustainable packaging provider in Sri Lanka, carrying out community projects to reduce single-use plastic waste and consumption in Sri lanka. She has been recognized by Cosmopolitan Sri Lanka as one of 35 Under 35 women in Sri Lanka, and an Asia21 Young Global Leaders Class of 2019. Savera was also a part of the Youth Advisory Group for the World Bank Solutions for Youth Employment, and the Social Enterprise World Forum. She was a member of UNDP’s Global Plastic Taskforce, and is a senior managing consultant for Circular Economy for Southpole as well as the host and producer of Samavāya podcast for the Asia Society India Centre.

Ananta Sustainables is a sustainable packaging sourcing, supply and solutions provider in Sri Lanka, offering industries with compostable packaging and waste management solutions. Ananta Sustainables consults leading FMCG companies to transition to sustainable packaging and also organizes community based events, finding new and creative ways to spark conversation and create awareness of single-use plastic consumption; from Trash Sculptures, to 'Plogging' Races and workshops and community forums, Ananta Sustainables is also working with local producers to create packaging from locally sourced materials, that pushes the bounds of locally produced packaging from sustainable to restorative.

Waste Action LK [WALK] is a coalition for responsible businesses, citizen groups and state institutions working toward sustainable waste management.




2021
1.8 Million was raised and disbursed to 50+ women, who collected upto 3000 kilos a month.

2022
Savera funded collection on a personal level until more funds were raised.

2023
The fundraising is an ongoing effort and whatever is raised is transferred monthly directly to the women via Vincent.




20th June 2021 - And we are off with our campaign, really looking forward to your support!.

Update from 2022 - We need your help to to take this further.

savera

My name is Savera Weerasinghe and I am the founder of Ananta Sustainables (Pvt.) Ltd. and the Co-Founder of Waste Action LK

Contact details for further inquiries:

Name: Savera Weerasnighe, Co-Founder Ananta Sustainables
Address: 218 Bullers Road Colombo 7
Phone Number: +94 (0) 77 385 0221
Email: savera.weerasinghe@gmail.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anantasustainables
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anantasustainables/?hl=en