The Cathy Rich Centre, which is located in Embilipitiya Sri Lanka, aims to enable people engaged in the micro and small-scale food-processing sector to develop relevant skills and technology, and to increase their access to information, which will contribute towards helping them gain control of their livelihoods and communities.

The concept of the centre was initially developed with the help of a trust fund set up by the friends and family of Cathy Jane Rich, a dedicated ITDG-UK volunteer food technologist who passed away in a road accident in Sri Lanka in 1986. She was at the time assisting programmes to promote small scale food processing to provide employment for rural Sri Lankan women.

The centre was officially established in 1992 as a joint project of the Ministry of Policy Planning and Implementation and Practical Action - ITDG. The centre is a registered institution under the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC). In 1997, the Centre was registered as a non-profit organisation and functions as a fully autonomous institution that is governed by a Board of Directors.

Background/Context
The agriculture sector in rural Sri Lanka provides employment to about 32% of the labour force, surpassing the contribution of any other sector. Many people are involved in basic farming practices such as paddy (rice) cultivation, coir making, vegetable, fruit growing and fishing. Most of the agricultural products sold as the main sources of income for rural people do not offer any value-added benefit or incorporate available technology in ways to improve their value. As such, the products often are sold at low prices and the income earned by producers is low.

The Cathy Rich Centre aims to address the above-mentioned issues by providing those involved in the rural agriculture and food sectors with the necessary skills and technical know-how to help them to increase the net value added of their products which can translate into increased income earned.

Legal Status

Company Limited by Guarantee
Not for Profit - Fee for Service

Business Registration: N (PBG) 57
Technical Vocational Education Commission Registration: P07/0032

Auditors
Kreston MNS & CO. (Correspondent Firm of Grant Thornton International)
P.O. Box 210
50/2, Sir James Peiris Mawatha
Colombo 2, Sri Lanka

Composition of Board

Organisational Structure