I (Zeddy) am born
and raised in Kenya, studied entrepreneurship at university and have also developed
my own small business. Working with Ocean Stars Trust on developing the
business skills and potential of the Hope House projects is both very
challenging and interesting and has led me to reflect on some interesting
contrasts between the vibrant entrepreneurial culture that I am used to in
Kenya, with the rather different cultural contexts that we are working with
here in Batticaloa, Eastern Sri Lanka.
Having worked on
entrepreneurship development programmes in Kenya, I was very much thinking the
same methods, values and processes would also work in Sri Lanka. However this
is not the case, the more I experience of the rural village cultures of Eastern
Sri Lanka, the more I am understanding about the absence of entrepreneurialism here.
So, I began to ask
why?
Why is Kenya, a
country that gained independence from the British at a similar time to Sri
Lanka, much more open and advanced in entrepreneurialism?
A mixture of online
reading and first-hand insight from those we are working with have revealed the
following reasons about the absence of entrepreneurialism in Sri Lanka:
Legacy of Civil War
During the civil war
in Sri Lanka, the mentality of people particularly in LTTE-controlled (Tamil
Tigers) village areas where we have been working, was survival. You were thankful
to be able to live each day and to have food was a blessing. This mentality of
being thankful/content with what you have remains very strong in village
communities and does therefore conflict with the fundamentals of entrepreneurialism
– risk, creativity and chance.
Dependence Culture
After a meeting with
a Former Government Minister in Sri Lanka, I learnt that perhaps the reality of
the socialist republic, ideals on which Sri Lankan independence was founded,
also creates a dependence culture that is contrary to entrepreneurship. For
example, Sri Lankan citizens have access to free education from age 5 to
completing university, and for many the next state obligation is a government
job. However these jobs are competitive and not guaranteed. The mindset seems ‘when’
not ‘if’ with regards to a government job, meaning many young, able graduates
see entrepreneurship as an inconvenience and unnecessary effort.
Patriarchal Society
In some rural
communities where we have worked, it is also evident that many of the young
women who have left school and are now learning sewing skills, have never
handled money before. The idea and concept of business is very, very distant.
Perhaps this is due to a quite conservative, patriarchal village community,
where women’s place is predominantly at home. This is confirmed through our
livelihoods interviews, which have revealed a very small minority of dual
income families, and an even smaller minority of female entrepreneurs.
Absence of Female Role Models
The concept of a ‘role
model’ is very often the foundational source of motivation for an entrepreneur.
Through living in rural communities where the nearest amenities are a bus ride
away, the women we are working with do not seem to have access to role models
beyond their family home.
But what does Kenya
do differently?
Although Kenya has
also experienced recent post-election violence, tribal conflicts
post-independence and high unemployment rates, there is certainly less of a
dependency culture from citizens to the state. Many young people that I know
are disillusioned with the state, and are therefore more motivated to do well
for themselves, and the most common and most accessible avenue for this is
through entrepreneurship. In fact, even the government in last decade have seen
how promoting entrepreneurship can be a positive step in boosting employment
rates and reducing poverty. There are a variety of business grants and loans available
from young to old that can be accessed by Kenyan citizens.
Secondly,
entrepreneurship is encouraged within most families in Kenya. The concept of ‘hustle’,
i.e. grafting for an income, is an expectation rather than a wish, and this has
been passed down for many generations, inclusive of men and women and in
village areas like my home. As the first-born child, there is a family
expectation for me to provide for my younger siblings. These kind of pressures
coincided with the absence of stable employment, lure many like me into
entrepreneurship.
Reflecting now, I
think there is a huge potential for entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka. It would
require a sizable backing from all levels of government to slowly unpick the
barriers that currently exist. Undoubtedly, community centre projects such as
Hope House, run by Ocean Stars Trust, can be highly impactful, and have already
produced a small number of entrepreneurs. What I hope we can do in the next few
months is to plant the seed for the women we are working with. It is unlikely
that by August they will become fully fledged entrepreneurs, but the hope is
that their eyes will have been opened to a new idea, and a new way to support
themselves.
For more reading on
these topics see the articles below:
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