By Audreanne Matheson | Development Officer
We can't believe that it is almost July! We wanted to update all of our generous donors and advocates of CEI on the progress being made at the Kalapuwa Sri Fish Farm. As many of you know, our fundraising campaign was a success and due to your support, the proposed fish processing facility is slowly becoming a reality. Owing to the heavy monsoons we have experienced this year in Sri Lanka, there has been a delay in laying the foundation that requires time to dry but construction is set to begin at the end of July when the rains have subsided. In the meantime, local laborers have cleared and prepared the location where the new facility will be constructed.
We also have news of a successful May harvest! The kids have been busy maintaining the ponds and when the time was right, out came the nets! Be sure to check out all of the cute pictures. Until the fish processing facility is built, the harvest is cleaned and processed at a local seller's unit in the heart of the bustling Negombo fish market where they are sold a wholesale to local hotels and restaurants. The 806-pound harvest of Tilapia, Milk Fish, Asian Sea Bass and assorted small fry made nearly $2,250 for the project and Leadership Academies!
Once monsoon season is over, the ponds will be emptied in order to be cleaned and to make sure that all remaining fingerlings and fry are removed to insure that nothing interferes with the next production cycle. The ponds will be dry for about a week and then they will be fertilized and filled back up with water and replenished with about 7,000 Red Tilapia and Milk Fish fingerlings.
We are very excited about this new unit that was made possible with your support, it will help facilitate the cleaning, processing, and ultimately the marketing of the fish where the children can be involved in it directly. The facility will provide training on best practices, methods on maintaining the quality and standard of the farmed fish, and packaging and final delivery of the fish. Students will also be involved in the money management aspect of this project and learn important accounting skills. The region surrounding Kalapuwa Sri derives its income primarily from a fishing industry. Thank you for providing our students with the opportunity to learn aquaculture skills and techniques will enable them to enter into the community as employable adults following their graduation from our programs.
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