Livelihood and Infrastructure Development …tcdc2.undp.org/GSSDAcademy/SIE/Docs/Vol14/6SRI LANKA.pdf81 Helping Victims of Twin Disasters: Livelihood and Infrastructure Development

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Helping Victims of Twin Disasters:Livelihood and Infrastructure DevelopmentActivities in the Ampara District, EasternProvince, Sri Lanka

� Country: Sri Lanka

� Location: Ampara District, Eastern Province

� Community: Tsunami-affected coastal communities, largely Muslims

� Number of Beneficiaries: 490

� Workshop Section: Market and FinanceInfrastructure

� Implementing Institution: National Ethnic Unity Foundation (NEUF)

� Head: Mr. B. W. Gunasekera� Details of Institution:

Address: Police Quarters' Road, Ampara, Sri LankaE-mail: [email protected]

� Implementing Institution: Neo Synthesis Research Centre (NSRC)

� Head: Ms. Kamal Melvani� Details of Institution: Address: 118/7, Polgasowita Road,Siyambalagoda, Polgasowita, Sri LankaE-mail: [email protected]

� Implementing Institution: Organization for EnvironmentalProtection and Economic Development (OEPED)

� Head: Mr. M. A. Najeeb� Details of Institution: Address: Rose View, Bazaar Street, 9th

Lane, Sammanthurai, Sri Lanka

� Implementation Period: December 2005 to December 2006

� Budget: $33,500

GENERAL INFORMATION

6SRI LANKA

82 VOLUME 14: EXAMPLES OF COMMUNITY-BASED APPROACHES TO RECOVERY FROM NATURAL DISASTERS: POST-TSUNAMI EXPERIENCES

SUMMARY

Ampara District is located approximately300 km from Colombo in the EasternProvince of Sri Lanka. The coastal area ofthis district was one of the worst hit inthe 2004 tsunami disaster. Many fisher-men perished along with their families.Large extents of settlements on the low-lying coast were washed away. Next tonothing was left standing for up to 100metres from the sea. Most of thedwellings had been crushed by waves ofup to 10 metres. In some places, thewaves reached up to three kilometresinland, making these already-poor com-munities even more vulnerable.

The main objective of the project wasto assist nearly 500 tsunami-affected peo-

ple. During phase 1, the South-southGrants Facility (SSGF) provided eightgrants totalling $60,900 to affected areasin the district. The grants were clusteredinto three projects based on their geo-graphic locations. The amounts allocatedas separate grants ranged from $4,000 to$13,500, with the amount determinedafter ascertaining the size and feasibilityof each of the project activities proposedby the non-governmental organization(NGO) partners.

Only three grants representing over-all SSGF activities in the district are pre-sented in this case study. The threeNGOs that received the SSGF grants –the National Ethnic Unity Foundation(NEUF), the Neo Synthesis ResearchCentre (NSRC) and the Organization for

Project Grant ($) Project Activities BeneficiariesLocation

Kalmunai Kudy, 13,500 Support to livelihood 10 weavers, 40 tailors Periyaneelawanai, recovery. Reconstruction and 1 businessmanPandirippu of small infrastructure 250 school childrenMaruthamunai and and provision of equipKalmunai 1 GN Divisions ment to five schools.

Kalmunai 1 GN Division 11,000 Training and support for 48 community memlivelihood development bers in small-scale and for the refurbishment businesses and 56 of the computer lab of school childrena school.

Attimunai village, 9,000 Construction of a well and 85 individualsSarvodayapuram GN water storage tank and belonging to Division, Pottuvil provision of pipe-borne 20 families

drinking water facilities.

Total 33,500 490

Summary of the South-South Grants Facility Grants

Helping Victims of Twin Disasters: Sri Lanka 83

Environmental Protection and EconomicDevelopment (OEPED) – adopted differ-ent approaches to providing assistance tothe tsunami-affected people.

NEUF assisted the community torestore livelihoods through a microcreditscheme and formed a community-basedorganization (CBO) to manage therevolving fund. Training in beauty culturewas provided to 20 females.

NSRC used its grants primarily toassist 51 beneficiaries to restore theirlivelihoods through conditional grants. Italso made tools and equipment availableto the affected people. NSRC made itmandatory for each beneficiary to prepare a business management planwhen applying for a grant. It also ensuredthat the loan applicants maintained environmentally friendly households,especially with respect to proper wastemanagement, and set up home gardens.

The grant awarded to OEPED wasused to provide a drinking water facilityto a community in a tsunami resettlementvillage. A well and an overhead tank wereconstructed and pipelines were laid tosupply water to 20 households.

The resumption of civil unrest in2005 had an adverse effect on projectactivities such as inordinate delays in thetransportation of building materials;however, the results obtained were verypositive. The three NGOs successfullycompleted their activities and affordedthe communities the maximum possiblebenefits.

BACK ROUND AND

JU S T I F I C AT I ON

In Ampara District, the highest death tolland the worst infrastructure damage wererecorded on the densely populated east-ern coastline, where the death toll was10,400 and an estimated 105,560 peoplewere forced to seek temporary shelter(fig. 1). The protective beach vegetation

Figure 1 Eastern coast of Sri Lanka.


cover was lost because of houses built onthe fringes of the shoreline. The problemwas acute in Kalmunai, where two SSGFprojects were located.

According to a survey done by NSRCin collaboration with the University ofPeradeniya in selected locations of theKalmunai area, there were 16 dominantlivelihood categories, of which daily wageearners, part-time farmers, owners of smallbusinesses and fishermen were in themajority. Also, 8.2 per cent of the labourforce was involved in activities such as tailoring and the hand-loom industry.

The people in Ampara had enduredmore than two decades of civil unrest andmany were living in temporary sheltersand depended on State and donor agen-cies for their sustenance. The 2002Ceasefire Agreement brought them a rayof hope and people began returning totheir homes. The 2004 tsunami, however,made their already-sparse living condi-tions much worse. They were in desperateneed of assistance to resume their lives vir-tually from scratch. In spite of the hugeinflow of assistance to the area, everyonecould not be included in the livelihoodprojects owing to financial limitations.The SSGF funds helped to fill this gap.

The village of Attimunai in Pottuvilhad been abandoned by the communityin 1992 owing to ethnic strife; the com-munity moved to adjoining villages in thecoastal belt. For months after the tsuna-mi, the community lived in transitionalhomes with minimal facilities. Ironically,the community members were relocatedto their old village, which had not been

inhabited for the past 10 years. AnNGO, the Small Fisheries Federation,with the financial assistance from theinternational community, constructed 59houses for tsunami-affected people, mostof whom were fishermen. The house-holds had no proper drinking water facil-ities as the water from the three tubewells was too saline for consumption.The OEPED project to supply drinkingwater was therefore a boon.

OBJECT IVE

The main objective of the project was toprovide assistance to the tsunami-affect-ed people through the restoration oflivelihoods and the development of infra-structure.

ACT IV I T I ES , ACH IEVEMENTS

AND IMPACT

NAT IONAL ETHN IC UNIT Y

FOUNDAT ION (NEUF)

Microcredit in a Kalmunai village bene-fited 34 people, of whom 25 werefemales. A CBO, Jana MithrathwaSamithiya or Peoples FriendshipOrganization, was formed to distributemicrocredit via a revolving fund. Eachrecipient received $50 as a loan to restorevarious livelihood activities, as indicatedin the graph in fig. 2. Female membersacquired utensils to prepare food itemssuch as savouries and confectioneries andset up small retail shops. The male mem-bers used the loan to buy fishing nets.The CBO decided to extend a second loanof $100 when the initial loan is repaid.


By popular request, a beauty culturecourse with special emphasis on dressingbrides was conducted for 20 females(including six from the CBO). Eighteenwomen completed the course successful-ly and eight of them have begun theirown businesses.

NEUF also used part of the SSGFgrant to repair a computer hall and topurchase a computer for a school in oneKalmunai village.

NEO SYNTHES I S RESEARCH

CENTRE (NSRC)

Livelihood Development

A total of 76 per cent of the SSGF grantmoney was used to improve livelihoodactivities. Forty tailors received a sewingmachine each. Most of the tailors aremembers of the 34 community groupsinitiated by NSRC in 2005 to ensure sus-tainable tsunami-recovery programmes.A post-project survey conducted byNSRC indicates that income-earning

capacities of the beneficiaries haveincreased considerably.

Weaving on hand looms is a tradi-tional occupation in the area. Theamount of $1,270 was used to providehand-loom weaving machines and acces-sories such as reeds, picks and a verysmall quantity of yarn for 10 weaversselected from the project areas inKalmunai (fig. 3). Of the beneficiaries,four were trained in weaving saris whilethe rest weave sarongs (4) and bed sheets(2). There is a high demand for theseitems, and the weavers are earningenough to support their families.

Figure 2 Types of livelihoods tobe restored through loans (%).

Figure 3 Hand-loom textile machine.

Mr. Ameer had been engaged in bot-tling cooking oils such as gingerly andcastor oil, but he lost all his possessions inthe tsunami. NSRC assisted him withsmall grants spread over five instalments;he, in turn, was required to submitmonthly cost-benefit reports. Mr. Ameernow earns a daily profit of around SLRs200 ($2), which is adequate to meetthe family needs.

Donation of Equipment, Developmentof Infrastructure in Schools andHolding of a Drama Competition

Equipment such as a Tamil typewriter anda water pump was donated to twoschools. Two toilets and a computer roomfor two more schools were also recon-structed by request. A drama competitionto encourage environmental awarenessamong the school children was held andfourteen schools in the Kalmunai AGDivision were invited to participate. Nineschools accepted the invitation; fivedeclined owing to a lack of facilities intheir respective schools. A total of 150students took part in the competition.

ORGAN IZAT ION FOR

ENV IRONMENTAL PROTECT ION

AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

(OEPED)

OEPED received a grant from SSGF toconstruct a water supply facility for 20households in the tsunami resettlementvillage of Attimunai. This project wasundertaken with the assistance of theWater Supply and Drainage Board(WSDB) in Ampara. The overhead watertank has a capacity of 8,000 gallons (fig. 4);the water pump can be operated using

either petrol or the less expensive fuel,kerosene. WSDB tested the water forquality and declared it fit for consump-tion. Now 86 people belonging to 20families are provided with pipe-bornesafe drinking water (fig. 5). A CBO hasbeen formed to take care of the mainte-nance of the facility and to ensure a con-tinuous water supply.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

The following strengths were identified.NGOs had established close links withthe communities well before the SSGFassistance was offered. Field officers oftwo of the NGOs (NSRC and NEUF)were members of the community. Also,use of multilingual field coordinators ledto both Sinhala- and Tamil-speakingcommunities participating in and benefit-ing from the project.

Weaknesses were as follows: a “freehandout” mentality within tsunami com-


Figure 4 Attimunai water tank.

Figure 5Pipe-borne water to homes.


munities; insecurity due to civil unrest;lack of coordination with other tsunamirecovery projects to achieve betterresults; and the possibility of giving liveli-hood training, grants, equipment or loansto only a select few in the communityowing to financial limitations.

PRO J E C T P L ANN I NG

AND DE S I GN

THE PROCESS

National Ethnic Unity Foundation(NEUF)

Prior to the tsunami, NEUF had beeninvolved in peace-building activitiesthrough the initiation of citizen commit-tees in the area via a project funded bythe Canadian International DevelopmentAgency (CIDA). After the tsunami, thecommunity requested the NGO to assistit further in tsunami recovery efforts,especially in improving its livelihoods.Gathering information from the affectedcommunities to prepare proposals forSSGF funding based on their needs andpriorities was made easier by this fact.The Project Coordinator and the fieldofficer are from the community itself andspeak both Sinhala and Tamil languages.This was helpful in maintaining meaning-ful communication between the NGOand the community.

Neo Synthesis Research Centre(NSRC)

Data gathered from the survey conductedon livelihoods by the University of

Peradeniya were used to determine thelivelihoods affected by the 2004 tsunamiand the scale of the impact. NSRC initiat-ed tsunami recovery activities in theKalmunai area in January 2005 with fund-ing received from the Australian Agencyfor International Development (AusAID).The NGO undertook relief activities suchas supplying food and drinking water andconstructing wells and toilets. Around16,625 people directly benefited fromthese activities. This relief project was aresounding success and established firmground for further action. Even thoughthis project provided some support tolivelihood improvement, some communi-ty members were excluded owing to limi-tations in funding. The SSGF funding wasused to work with the communities thathad been excluded from earlier projectsand that needed financial assistance torestart their livelihoods.

Organization for EnvironmentalProtection and EconomicDevelopment (OEPED)

The OEPED chairman works as a coordi-nator for a post-tsunami capacity devel-opment project. During a field visittogether with the GEF SGP NationalCoordinator, the location was confirmedas being suitable for the project. The 59houses in this tsunami resettlement vil-lage were constructed on three land lots.Further discussions with the communityled to the identification of an area wheremost of the houses were already occu-pied. On the basis of occupancy, 20recipient households were selected forthe supply of piped drinking water.


WSDB of Ampara provided the technicalknow-how to ascertain water quality andthe depth required to avoid saline waterseeping in and to choose a suitable loca-tion for the well.

PARTN E R SH I P S

IMPLEMENT ING INST I TUT IONS

National Ethnic Unity Foundation(NEUF)

NEUF, a community-oriented, non-gov-ernmental, non-political and non-profitorganization, was registered under theSocial Service Department in 1996. Itconsists of a small number of profession-als from different ethnic groups inAmpara District. The mission of theNGO is “social justice through achieve-ment of peace and development byenhancing local capacity and resources inthe Ampara District”. NEUF is commit-ted to improving the living conditions ofthe people in the Eastern Province, withits main focus on sustainable develop-ment, by improving the capacity andcapabilities of CBOs and safeguardingthe environment at grass-roots levels.During the last five years, NEUF activi-ties have been financed by internationaldonors such as CIDA, the InternationalLabour Organization (ILO), IUCN andUNDP. To implement SSGF activities,the NGO collaborated with theKalmunai Divisional Secretariat, the vil-lage temple and the village officer inKalmunai 1 GN Division.

Neo Synthesis Research Centre(NSRC)

NSRC is an NGO that has the structureof a guarantee limited liability company.This NGO started its activities in 1982and was formally registered with theRegistrar of Companies in 1992. It is alsoregistered with the Central EnvironmentAuthority and the Ministry of SocialServices as an NGO.

NSRC is involved in research andexperiments relating to community-based environmental restoration and con-servation and fauna-flora interrelations. Itis also engaged in the LAND CAREapproach for the improvement of therural communities and provides trainingin ecological restoration to Governmentand non-Government officers and vil-lagers. Its activities are funded byAusAID, the International Union for theConservation of Nature (IUCN), theNorwegian Agency for DevelopmentCooperation (NORAD), UNDP, theUnited States Agency for InternationalDevelopment (USAID) and the NationalWater Supply and Drainage Board of Sri Lanka.

The involvement of the Governmentwas important in local administrationsupport. The office of the DivisionalSecretary, the Director of the UrbanDevelopment Authority (UDA), EasternProvince, the Zonal Director ofEducation, the Municipal Council andthe Government Agent, Ampara District,have assisted in NSRC work. SSGF activ-ities ran parallel to other programmes


supported by the Green Coast initiativeand the GEF SGP implemented byUNDP.

Organization for EnvironmentalProtection and EconomicDevelopment (OEPED)

OEPED was established in 1996 with themission of managing sustainable naturalresources with optimum benefits to peo-ple at grass-roots levels. During the pastfew years, it has been involved in activi-ties such as soil conservation, biodiversi-ty conservation, provision of irrigationfacilities, and construction of eco-friend-ly model houses. Financial support forthese activities came from UNDP,USAID and the Ministry of Environmentand Natural Resources in Sri Lanka.

ROLE OF GOVERNMENT

The SSGF project was implemented in part-nership with the following governmententities: the District Secretary, Pottuvil; theWater Supply and Drainage Board –Ampara Office; and Grama Sevaka Niladari,Sarvodayapuram, Ampara District.

CHA L L ENG E S

AND CONS T R A I N T S

After the tsunami, the accelerated infra-structure development in the region ledto a high demand for carpenters, painters,masons and day labourers. It was difficultto find skilled workers, which delayedthe construction activities.

Supplying drinking water for only 20households out of 59 in the resettlementvillage led to difficulties and "jealousy" ofthe non-recipients, and this has led to thedestruction of pipelines in several places.

The community has requested deep-ening of the well by a further six feet toobtain adequate water in the dry season.The water board has advised against this,citing that the level of water qualitymight drop and salinity will seep in, mak-ing the water undrinkable. This has hap-pened to several wells in the area.

Voluntary participation of parents inreconstructing the computer hall in thevillage school was not forthcoming as theparents were from poor backgrounds andneeded to work to earn their income daily.

Clustering NGOs and providingfunding to the lead NGO did not workpositively in Ampara. There were sever-al problems, mainly in coordination, dueto NGOs being located far from the proj-ect sites and from one another.

The ongoing conflict between theGovernment forces and the militantsdelayed project activities in the area. Atone point, females were debarred by therebel group from working with NGOs.

The “everything should be given freeby donors” attitude among the majorityof the community members increasedwith the accelerated donor involvementafter the tsunami.


L E S SON S L EA RN ED

• After disbursement of support, continuous monitoring of beneficiaries is critical if the objectives are to be met.

REP L I C A B I L I T Y

The revolving fund can be extended andreplicated.

The development of markets for thehand-loom items as well as the garmentsproduced by the tailors would ensure sta-bility in the marketing pattern. This stepcould receive support from the CeylonChamber of Commerce (Ampara District).

The water supply system can be repli-cated for the other 39 houses in thetsunami resettlement village.

FUTUR E P L AN S

NEUF wants to extend its activitiesthrough upgrading the computer hall in the school to a computer centre so thatit can provide benefits to a wider sectorof the community, including the schoolleavers.

NSRC is looking for supplementaryfunding to support the hand-loomweavers specifically since yarn is becom-ing a costly procurement item. Similarly,there is a need to form a weaver’s group

that will lead the weaving initiative fur-ther, specifically in terms of obtainingnew business contacts.

OEPED is looking for grants to assistthe remaining households (39 houses on2 land lots) in obtaining good-qualitydrinking water.

P U B L I C AT I O N SA N D R E F E R E N C E S

Sri Lanka Tsunami Situation Report.Available online at:http://www.searo.who.int/LinkFiles/Sri_Lanka_SRL10fEB05.pdf

Contacts:

Case Study Documented by:Shireen Samarasuriya E-mail: [email protected]

Project Contacts: National Ethnic Unity Foundation(NEUF): Mr. N. Thilakesh.

Neo Synthesis Research Centre(NSRC): Dharmasekaram Rathnayake.

Organization for EnvironmentalProtection and Economic Development(OEPED): Mr. Abeysuriya.

Documents

Livelihood and Infrastructure Development …tcdc2.undp.org/GSSDAcademy/SIE/Docs/Vol14/6SRI LANKA.pdf81 Helping Victims of Twin Disasters: Livelihood and Infrastructure Development