Centre to promote craftsmen

GALLE: The National Crafts Council under the Rural Industries and Self-employment Promotion Ministry has established the Sipnara Handicrafts Centre to provide technical know-how and marketing opportunities to the craftsmen who were affected by the tsunami in the Galle district.

The United Nations Development Fund and the German government funded the project at the request of the National Crafts Council.

The Cultural Affairs Ministry has released the old Election Commissioner’s Office in Galle which was a reserve of Galle Heritage Foundation to house the Centre.

The building was refurbished for the purpose at a cost of Rs. 8.5 million without causing any damage to its original Dutch architecture.

The centre is equipped with a training centre, marketing showroom, and a restaurant rich with sweetmeats and food indigenous to the Southern Province.

Twenty tsunami victim trainees in the district have been selected for training in lace industry for six months.

The Council expects to expand the training to wood-carving, and silver ware and jewellery within the next three years. The AITO Institute of United Kingdom has pledged to finance the training courses.