Enhancing micro-human efforts through livelihood assistance for women in post-disaster recovery in Sri Lanka

Livelihood assistance is crucial for women in their post-disaster recovery efforts, as it plays a decisive role in empowering micro-human efforts that will contribute to their economic resilience. Despite the international community’s efforts to embrace resilience and inclusion, women and their needs are often overlooked during the post-disaster recovery processes in Sri Lanka. This chapter investigates the impact of livelihood-related micro-human efforts on women and their families in Sri Lanka. An extensive literature review was conducted to establish a theory related to the livelihood assistance of women in the post-disaster context. Primary data was gathered through stakeholder interviews and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The study findings reveal that, despite the government’s provision of livelihood aid in the aftermath of disasters in Sri Lanka, the practical constraints experienced by women are disregarded. There is limited community participation in the decision-making process, and as a result, many rebuilding programmes are not as effective as intended. The research identifies barriers and opportunities in promoting livelihood options for women and proposes strategies to help them become self-sufficient. The lack of data on the subject is a major challenge, and knowledge generated by this study has significant implications for all stakeholders related to post-disaster management and development in South Asia.