LocationsHow Vijay Anistra transformed displacement into opportunity through entrepreneurship in Nilaveli
Building Her Own Dream
April 7, 2026
Vijay Anistra- a story from displacement to thriving entrepreneur
UNDP Sri Lanka
“Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.”
For Mrs. Joshep Navaraja Vijay Anistra, these words reflect a life shaped by uncertainty and rebuilt through courage, perseverance, and opportunity. Her journey from displacement to entrepreneurship is not only a personal story of resilience, but also a powerful example of how a human security approach can restore dignity, strengthen livelihoods, and prevent vulnerability from becoming a recurring cycle.
A 45‑year‑old mother of three from Nilaveli in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, Vijay Anistra’s journey has been shaped by displacement and resilience. A mother of three, her journey began during the height of the Sri Lankan civil war, when fear and uncertainty forced her family to make a difficult decision. In 2006, concerned for her husband’s safety amid escalating threats and insecurity, they fled to India with their two children and sought refuge in the Sivakasi Anai Kottam refugee camp. Safe from immediate harm, the family was still exposed to new forms of insecurity: economic hardship, uncertainty about the future, and the loss of autonomy that displacement brings. It was there, in the midst of uncertainty, that she gave birth to her third child, a daughter. Motherhood deepened her determination and resilience to one day return home, not just to survive, but to rebuild a life with stability and dignity.
Their fragile stability took a devastating turn when her husband suffered a workplace accident that resulted in the loss of a finger. Before the family could recover from this shock, he was involved in another accident while riding a motorbike, which left him with a broken bone and confined to bed for an extended period. With no steady income and increasing responsibilities, Vijay Anista found herself at a critical crossroads. Yet, still she persisted.
In search of a place to call home
That return finally came in 2016. Back in Sri Lanka, Vijay Anistra and her family resettled in Nilaveli, hopeful but facing harsh realities. With limited savings and few livelihood options, they lived in a rented house and struggled to meet daily needs. At this critical juncture, prevention and resilience became not abstract concepts, but urgent necessities.
Their circumstances began to shift in 2017, when support from a government-led housing scheme and local CSO, OfERR, enabled them to build a modest shelter. For the first time since displacement, the family had a place they could truly call home. That stability became the foundation for a bigger dream.
A calculated risk that paid off
Drawing on her husband’s experience in the trade, Vijay Anistra took a bold step in 2018, establishing a small grinding mill business of her own. It was a calculated risk, one that offered the possibility of steady income but came with significant challenges. Limited equipment, rising costs, and the economic shock of the COVID‑19 pandemic made growth difficult.
For many families in post conflict settings, such pressures can force difficult choices; migration, debt, or dependence on aid. But the human security approach of this support sought to intervene before vulnerability deepens into crisis, addressing root causes rather than symptoms.
Restoring dignity and hope, Vijay Anistra with the grinding machine that has supported her thriving business
UNDP Sri Lanka
Restoring dignity and hope
A decisive breakthrough came in 2024, through the Expanded Support for Durable Resettlement and Reintegration (EDRR) project, implemented by UNDP and IOM in Sri Lanka, together with the Government of Sri Lanka, and supported by the Sri Lanka SDG Fund, with funding from the Governments of Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Canada. As part of scale‑up support for small and medium entrepreneurs, Vijay Anistra received a flour‑grinding machine valued at LKR 200,000, significantly improving her production capacity and efficiency. Through livelihood assistance, the project enabled her to establish and sustain her business, helping restore not only her family’s income but also their sense of dignity and hope.
The impact was transformative.
Today, Vijay Anistra operates a grinding mill equipped with four machines, generating a monthly profit of LKR 50,000–60,000, with nearly LKR 40,000 coming directly from milling operations. Encouraged by her success, she also provides employment opportunities for two other women and has now invested LKR 150,000 of her own savings to construct an additional mill and is planning to expand further by purchasing a rice‑grinding machine to diversify income streams.
Beyond the grind
Vijay Anistra has taken steps to secure her future. She actively participates in a local group savings scheme, setting aside small but regular amounts, something that once seemed impossible. What began as a survival strategy has evolved into a stable enterprise that supports her family with dignity and confidence. Savings, planning, and investment are acts of confidence, signaling a shift from crisis response to long-term resilience.
Her journey matters not only for her household, but for the wider community. In a region recovering from the long‑term impacts of conflict and displacement, Vijay Anistra’s success demonstrates how targeted livelihood support and access to essential tools can unlock economic resilience and truly ‘leave no one behind’. Her transformation, from refugee returnee to thriving entrepreneur, offers a powerful example to the women’s society that she is an active member of, further highlighting what is possible when women are given the resources and skills to succeed.
A story of Resilience: from Refugee to Entrepreneur
In a region still healing from the long term impacts of conflict and displacement, Vijay Anistra’s success carries broader significance. It demonstrates how addressing the root causes of forced migration, including poverty, lack of livelihoods, and insecurity can create conditions in which staying, rebuilding, and thriving become viable choices. Economic stability reduces the pressure to migrate out of desperation and strengthens community cohesion.
Her transformation from refugee returnee to thriving entrepreneur also contributes to the transition to sustainable peace. By restoring livelihoods, reducing inequalities, and strengthening trust between individuals and institutions, human security centred interventions help minimise the risk of relapse into conflict. They reinforce people’s confidence in recovery processes and in their own ability to shape the future.
This story also speaks to the importance of multi stakeholder partnerships.
Integration beyond coordination
The EDRR project played a critical role in accelerating this change. By combining equipment support such as a coconut oil extractor machine and flour grinding machine, along with financial assistance, and technical guidance through business development and training, UNDP helped bridge the gap between potential and opportunity. Vijay Anistra’s progress was made possible through the combined efforts of government institutions, UN agencies, donors, civil society, and the community itself, each contributing their comparative strengths. These complementary roles from all stakeholders and actors enabled a more coordinated and effective response to the complex challenges she faced. Such integration moves beyond coordination, enabling comprehensive responses to complex challenges that no single actor can address alone. Without this intervention, progress would likely have been slower and more uncertain, particularly amid economic shocks.
Vijay Anistra’s story underscores a vital lesson: resettlement is not complete without sustainable livelihoods. When displaced individuals are supported not only to survive, but to innovate and grow, they become agents of stability and development within their communities.
Today, in Nilaveli, Vijay Anistra is no longer rebuilding someone else’s dream. She is building her own and, in doing so, strengthening human security for her family, her community, and the generations that follow.
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