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2009-09-25
Colombo - September 25, 2009: The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) provided computers to help establish a computer training center and provide job skills training to youth in Jaffna.
USAID, the development agency of the U.S. Government, provided computers to the All Ceylon Hindu Congress Research and Study Center in Jaffna to establish a computer training facility. The All Ceylon Hindu Congress is a training partner of the Unlimited Potential Partnership program (UPP), a project funded by USAID, Microsoft and Infoshare. With these new resources, the Center will train disadvantaged and internally displaced students from Jaffna and the surrounding rural area in information technology (IT) skills, which are needed to increase their job opportunities, especially in media and tourism.
Rebecca Cohn, USAID Mission Director stated, “USAID is pleased to support the new IT training center in Jaffna, which will serve hundreds of young people, who are eager to develop better job skills. USAID remains committed to rebuilding conflict-affected communities and helping the youth in the North and the East to prepare for better jobs in the future.”
UPP provides IT training across Sri Lanka to support workforce development in the tourism, apparel, media, and agriculture sectors. This project partners with government and private training institutes to teach basic IT skills to over 11,250 youth from across the country by 2010.
The Jaffna project will focus on training for the tourism and media sectors, where employment opportunities are most promising. UPP curricula will be used at the Center, in partnership with the All Ceylon Hindu Congress, which has provided charitable and social services to the less privileged in Jaffna since 1996.
Attorney-at-Law Kandiah Neelakandan, General Secretary of the All Ceylon Hindu Congress stated, “We are grateful to USAID for their support, as we need this assistance to meet the needs of our young people. At a time when Jaffna youth are eager to learn modern technology and optimize their knowledge and skills, we appreciate the help.”
The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided development and humanitarian assistance in developing countries worldwide for nearly 50 years. Since 1956, USAID/Sri Lanka has invested nearly $2 billion to benefit all the people of Sri Lanka.
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Vellupillai Kandasamy, Treasurer, and Kandiah Neelakandan, General Secretary, All Ceylon Hindu Congress, receive the USAID computers from UPP Project Director Harshi Hewage de Silva and UPP Project Manager Glen Strouys.
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