Nucleus Entrepreneur Exchange:
sustainable peace building through
economic and social integration
Implemented by the Nucleus Foundation
Supported by FLICT (Facilitating Local Initiatives for Conflict
Transformation)
The Nucleus Foundation designs and executes development projects. It is a not for
profit company registered under the
Companies Act 7 of 2007 (Reg No. GA2001)
Background
•
The Nucleus Entrepreneur Foundation (NEF) was
initiated in July 2007
 An exit strategy of GTZ for sustaining the interventions
of the project
 National professional staff from GTZ are seconded to
NEF
 Present activities of NEF include:

Project design, planning and implementation

Monitoring and evaluation systems

Training, consulting, and technology transfer

Studies and surveys

Entrepreneurship development and enterprise
promotion
What is Nucleus?
Nucleus = A working group of micro, small or medium
entrepreneurs of the same sector facilitated by a Counsellor
A 100% bottom
up approach
for enterprise
and livelihood
development
By now the Nucleus Approach has been used by 6,000
entrepreneurs 17 districts to provide demand driven
services to SMEs and livelihood groups.
Nucleus advantages for SMEs
The Nucleus Approach works because:
• Entrepreneurs to share and exchange ideas and experiences
• It creates a support network among peers
• It creates an interest group to carry out lobby and advocacy
functions
• It helps organise demand for services and negotiate better
terms for those services
• Fosters inter regional and inter ethnic business linkages
Entrepreneurs working together to promote
their enterprises develop business and social
linkages
Rationale for Entrepreneur Exchange
Conflict due to
Economic, Social & Political marginalization
Bringing together ethnically segregated groups to:
• exchange ideas and experiences with each other
• undertake joint activities
• establish a real, meaningful, sustainable communication
and exchange process
Resulting in
Development of economic, social and
political relationships between ethnic groups
Problems identified
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Entrepreneurs are isolated in their enterprises
Hold an element of mistrust towards those of other
communities and ethnic groups
They lack access to resources
Are unaware of the opportunities available to them
Entrepreneurs do not have an opportunity to network and
learn from one another
There is an element of mistrust between people from the
conflict affected areas and those in the rest of the country
Entrepreneur support organisations are ethnically and
geographically isolated from each other
There were instances of pressure from the armed groups
(obtaining ransom, demanding hartals etc) resulting in
adverse consequences for the business environment
Approach
• Creating Inter ethnic business linkages between
 Entrepreneurs in Ampara
 Entrepreneurs in Ampara and other district
• Increasing networking through





cross visits with entrepreneurs of other regions
experience sharing and idea exchanging events
participation in peace building activities
participation in motivation programs
participation in business development activities
Economic,
Social &
Political
Interaction
&
Integration
• National and regional media coverage
• The learning experiences of the program is shared and
disseminated
Approach illustrated …
Economic
The Tamil printer gets his graphic
design done by the Sinhala printer
from Kandy which costs him less
than sending it to Colombo
Social
When the welder from Ampara
wants to bring his sister to the hospital
in Kandy he comes and stays
with his colleague in Kandy
Political
The Sinhala, Tamil & Muslim printers
form a regional association to lobby
for better prices for their supplies
Conceptual framework
Nucleus
Activities
Scattered
individual
entrepreneurs
Group functioning
economically
successfully
Business
counseling
Group formation
– initial trust
building
Leading to
Networking
Lose networks of
homogeneous
relationships
Influential socio
political lobby group in
the region
Workshops
Groups have effective
social relationships
Training
E
Isolated
entrepreneur
s
-Baseline info collection
-Develop indicators
-Relationship mapping
-Historical context
E
E
E
E
Counsellor
E
E
E
E
Monitor process – meetings, activities,
treatments
Expected outputs/
impacts
-business promotion
-peace building
-social relationships
-business linkages
-etc
Measure impacts/
outputs
Activities – Cross visits
Activities – Training programs
Activities – Networking
Activities - Workshops
Activities - Peace building events
Nucleus Entrepreneur Exchange …
Entrepreneurs working in ethnically isolated
communities have little empathy for other
communities. When persons of such communities
are exposed to the Nucleus approach where they
exchange ideas and experiences and learn from
each other they develop not only business
linkages but also develop relationships that cut
across ethnic lines, and while increasing incomes
they also lead to more economic and social
integration and exchanges between the
communities contributing to peace building in a
sustainable manner.
Contact us at…
Colombo:
• 160/ 15 Poorwarama Road, Kirullapone, Col 05 Tel. 0117 204218
Fax. 0112 768 913
Kandy:
• 496/11 Piachaud Gardens, Kandy. Tel. 0777 806329
Galle:
• Ground Floor, 139 Colombo Road, Kaluwella Tel. 0772 243835
Ampara:
• 538/1 Main Street, Nintavur, Ampara Tel. 0777 005816
Anuradhapura:
• C/o ADCCIA 334/110 E 1, Main Street Anuradhapura Tel. 025
4580770
Mannar
• 560 Uppukkulam Mannar Tel 023 225 0135
www.nucleus.lk
0773 622222
info@nucleus.lk