Nucleus Entrepreneur Exchange: sustainable peace building through

economic and social integration Implemented by the Nucleus Foundation

Supported by FLICT (Facilitating Local Initiatives for Conflict Transformation)

The Nucleus Foundation designs and executes development projects. It is a not for profit company registered under the Companies Act 7 of 2007 (Reg No. GA2001)

• The Nucleus Entrepreneur Foundation (NEF) was initiated in July 2007 An exit strategy of GTZ for sustaining the

interventions of the project National professional staff from GTZ are seconded

to NEF Present activities of NEF include:

Project design, planning and implementation Monitoring and evaluation systems Training, consulting, and technology transfer Studies and surveys Entrepreneurship development and enterprise

promotion

Background

By now the Nucleus Approach has been used by 6,000 entrepreneurs 17 districts to provide demand driven services to SMEs and livelihood groups.

A 100% bottom up approach for enterprise and livelihood development

Nucleus = A working group of micro, small or medium entrepreneurs of the same sector facilitated by a Counsellor

What is Nucleus?

The Nucleus Approach works because:• Entrepreneurs to share and exchange ideas and

experiences • It creates a support network among peers• It creates an interest group to carry out lobby and

advocacy functions • It helps organise demand for services and negotiate

better terms for those services

• Fosters inter regional and inter ethnic business

linkages Entrepreneurs working together to promote their enterprises develop

business and social linkages

Nucleus advantages for SMEs

Rationale for Entrepreneur Exchange

Resulting in

Economic, Social & Political marginalization

Bringing together ethnically segregated groups to:• exchange ideas and experiences with each other • undertake joint activities • establish a real, meaningful, sustainable communication and exchange process

Conflict due to

Development of economic, social and political relationships between ethnic groups

Problems identified

• Entrepreneurs are isolated in their enterprises • Hold an element of mistrust towards those of other

communities and ethnic groups • They lack access to resources • Are unaware of the opportunities available to them• Entrepreneurs do not have an opportunity to network

and learn from one another • There is an element of mistrust between people from the

conflict affected areas and those in the rest of the country

• Entrepreneur support organisations are ethnically and geographically isolated from each other

• There were instances of pressure from the armed groups (obtaining ransom, demanding hartals etc) resulting in adverse consequences for the business environment

Approach

• Creating Inter ethnic business linkages between Entrepreneurs in Ampara Entrepreneurs in Ampara and other district

• Increasing networking through cross visits with entrepreneurs of other regions experience sharing and idea exchanging events participation in peace building activities participation in motivation programs participation in business development activities

• National and regional media coverage • The learning experiences of the program is shared

and disseminated

Economic, Social &Political

Interaction&

Integration

Approach illustrated …

Political

Social

Economic

When the welder from Ampara wants to bring his sister to the hospital in Kandy he comes and stays with his colleague in Kandy

The Tamil printer gets his graphic design done by the Sinhala printerfrom Kandy which costs him less than sending it to Colombo

The Sinhala, Tamil & Muslim printers form a regional association to lobby for better prices for their supplies

Nucleus Activities

Business counseling

Networking

Workshops

Training

Group functioning economically successfully

Influential socio political lobby group in the region

Groups have effective social relationships

Group formation – initial trust building

Scattered individual entrepreneurs

Leading to

Lose networks of homogeneous relationships

Isolated entrepreneurs

Counsellor

E E E

E

E E

E

E E

Expected outputs/ impacts -business promotion-peace building -social relationships -business linkages -etc-Baseline info collection

-Develop indicators -Relationship mapping -Historical context

Monitor process – meetings, activities, treatments

Measure impacts/ outputs

Conceptual framework

Activities – Cross visits

Activities – Training programs

Activities – Networking

Activities - Workshops

Activities - Peace building events

Nucleus Entrepreneur Exchange …

Entrepreneurs working in ethnically isolated communities have little empathy for other communities. When persons of such communities are exposed to the Nucleus approach where they exchange ideas and experiences and learn from each other they develop not only business linkages but also develop relationships that cut across ethnic lines, and while increasing incomes they also lead to more economic and social integration and exchanges between the communities contributing to peace building in a sustainable manner.

Contact us at… Colombo:• 160/ 15 Poorwarama Road, Kirullapone, Col 05 Tel. 0117

204218 Fax. 0112 768 913Kandy:• 496/11 Piachaud Gardens, Kandy. Tel. 0777 806329 Galle: • Ground Floor, 139 Colombo Road, Kaluwella Tel. 0772

243835Ampara: • 538/1 Main Street, Nintavur, Ampara Tel. 0777 005816Anuradhapura: • C/o ADCCIA 334/110 E 1, Main Street Anuradhapura Tel.

025 4580770 Mannar• 560 Uppukkulam Mannar Tel 023 225 0135

www.nucleus.lk 0773 622222 info@nucleus.lk