A Sustainable Livelihood Enhancement (SLEP) project was launched on Thursday at Martin Luther Hall, Manipur Evangelical Lutheran Church office, Zomi Colony, Churachandpur district.
The launching programme was attended by Churachandpur DC Pawan Yadav and Pherzawl DC Mannuamching as chief guest and special guest respectively.
During the programme, SLEP project director S Paukhanpau said that the project will be funded by ELCA Global Mission-Development and Diakonia, which aims to provide sustainable livelihood to the rural areas of Singhat sub-division particularly to women.
It will be a pilot project for two years which may be extended based on the performance, and as of now, the present target is 37 villages, he added.
The project director also said that SLEP project is not only for the Lutheran Church but for all the people of the area, and added that one of their aims is to make jhum cultivation as the main source of livelihood for the people.
Pawan Yadav said that such an initiative for enhancement of sustainable livelihood can be a better alternative for poppy cultivation and women empowerment.
Expressing her hope that the project will be much helpful for the people in the district and lead to empowerment of more women, Mannuamching said that the Manipur Evangelical Lutheran Church, being a faith based organisation, should stand by the rule and make the project work.
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