Tsunami Sri Lanka

Tsunami Sri Lanka	Latest Updates
	Reports from friends in Sri Lanka March to August to October 2005 HERE Sri Lanka The Early Weeks HERE
April 2006 Positive Signs in Sri Lanka a note from Jayaratne of SEVNATHA "One of the most positive things to come from the Rehabilitation effort in Sri Lanka has been the support of ACHR. Before the tsunami the groups in Sri Lanka like the 2 Women’s Banks, and some local NGOs, Help-O, SEVANATHA ... we were not working together. They were on their own in different kinds of activities. A positive thing I can see is that after the Tsunami we were able to bring a lot of groups together, and because of that they are learning from each other. For example Help-O’s (NGO) activities were very small scale in Gaulle city, but they were not involved in savings and micro-finance, but now because of the Women’s Bank involvement in the tsunami recovery network we created, they are actually learning from the Women’s Bank how community supports should be sustainable at the community level." By December 2005 Help-O had formed 225 small savings groups in Galle, Gingtota, Totagamuwa, Peruliya, Katugoda, Unawatuna with 2,515 members, with help from the Women's Bank. By April the numbers had risen to 350 groups with 4,000 members. The Women's Bank have given loans mainly for housing, fishing equipment, and income generation activities . In the Eastern provinces the network has concentrated on building houses, various activities with the Kallar Fishermen Cooperative Society Periya Kallar such as construction of facilities at the Cooperative site, purchases of boats, fishing nets and engines. At the Muslim village at Periya, Maradamunai in Kalmunai province they have given assistance for employment activities for people still living in temporary camps.	KA Jayaratne with a survivor at Morotowa Children dance at the Inauguration of one of Help-O's toilet projects
November 10 2005 Buffer Zone confusion ..... little progress in Sri Lanka 11 months after December 26 ..... there has been little progresses on permanent homes for the majority of Sri Lanka’s tsunami affected communities, despite the billions of dollars the government has received from people and government in other countries. In March 2005 survivors from Bande Aceh visited communities who lived within the 100 meter buffer zone along the Galle Road between Colombo and Galle . We returned there in November 2005 and met the same people and found that little had changed .... Nothing has changed at Thotagamuwa What's Changed since March? "Since last you were here - nothing has changed. We have had no help in building houses. I have written letters to the Prime Minister and others .... We know the government has the money. " What's Changed ? "We cannot build because of the "buffer zone" . They want to move me to apartments far way. I'm a fisherman. I remember when fisherman from Aceh came here. They said the tsunami won't come again. I believe them. Do you have a boa t now ?"No boat .. no work .. no house." What's Changed ? "When you came in March I was in a tent. It was damaged in the rain and wind. A foreign woman help build this temporary shed. What do you think of the government help ? We know the government has done nothing for us. " What's Changed ? "Nothing has changed. I have land here that I own. I want to build a permanent house. But we have no help except to move from a tent to a tin roofed shed. If you help us we can build and like the Aceh friends ... defy the government. " What's Changed ? "Nothing ... we live in this temporary shed - 1 room 6 people ... tin roof ... hot .. cannot stay inside in the day ... no lights outside at night. " What's Changed ? "The government has given most to those who suffered least - those back from the 100 meters. For those within the 100 meters who suffered the most - they have done nothing. " SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION This new school is being built by the Italian government a few yards from where some of the people above wish to re-build their houses on their own land. But the government says for their own protection they cannot build. We heard that the Presidents Palace is within the 100 meter buffer zone. .. as are large hotels etc. We also heard that a significantly high level government politician was caught with 86 million US$ of Tsunami donated funds in his private bank account . The government has prohibited investigation and discussion on this because of the pending presidential election. AND SO IT GOES ..... At Morotuwa Temp huts now in bad shape Sewerage leakage in playground 100 m buffer = no progress Local governments in Sri Lanka are presently mostly the opposite party of the central government and therefore are not receiving the support needed from the central government. Also unlike in Aceh where the peace process has progressed swiftly - Sri Lankan politicians continue their self-interest ......with consequent lack of progress ..... BUT there is some good news from our visit ......	The overwhelming majority of the more than 500,000 people displaced lived within 100 metres of the coast when the tsunami struck. Until a few weeks ago, Government policies prohibited new construction within 100 metres of the mean sea level (in some areas 200 metres). The main objections to the 100 meter buffer were: First, the people themselves did not want to move and generally longed to return to their former lands. Second, there had effectively been no consultation on the 100-metre rule in Sri Lanka. And third, the exceptions to the 100-metre rule being allowed - for hotels, wealthy property developers and other privileged groups - raised serious concerns of favouritism. The above was extracted from an article by Scott Leckie - The great land theft which is available for download from here *Below: ACHR meeting with our Sri Lankan network November 2005 ...* *New National Government housing reconstruction support policy* We learned in this meeting that a few months ago, the government has announced a new policy to support housing reconstruction, in which they will provide a budget of 250,000 Rupees per unit, for rebuilding houses of tsunami-affected households. They ask the beneficiaries to open a bank account, and then transfer the first installment of 50,000 Rupees to this bank account right away. The idea is that after sending the first installment, they will then check to see what people are doing, whether they are building their new house, etc. And once they see the progress up to a certain point, they will transfer the second and third installment. But in practice, the first installment is passed to the people, but they don't have an appropriate checking mechanism in place or the staff numbers to carry it out. Or they start checking , and find some practices they don't like, so they try to impose more conditions on receiving the remaining entitlements. So the people are frustrated. Secondly, it was reported that the money is going to the wrong group of people who are not really affected, and with corruption along the way. All of this tends to show that the mechanism for distributing money and this policy is not appropriate. So after the first 50,000 Rupees is transferred, the whole thing just stops. Nobody gets more than that! Nobody gets the full 250,000 Rupees. The Strategy suggested by ACHR to Sri Lankan groups: I think that in fact government has money! If they did not have money, they would not announce this 250,000 Rupee housing reconstruction subsidy! I would also guess that the government is under a lot of pressure to pass this large amount of money to the people, and it is frustrated because it doesn't know how to do it properly. Our strategy should be to find a way to link up with them and get this money into the people's process. We've got to build the mechanism and show how the mechanism should be. Instead of finding some small donor resources and doing some small, scattered housing projects, as though on an isolated island, and nobody knows what you're doing! We have to be more strategic in linking . We have to link more proactively with the government policy WE HAVE TO show what is the proper way. The good news - Women's Bank initiatives Help-o NGO and Sevanatha - facilitating the NETWORK News from the Women's development Bank and of Eastern Sri Lanka coming soon

Latest Updates

wbw7

Reports from friends in Sri Lanka

March to August to October 2005 HERE

Sri Lanka The Early Weeks HERE

April 2006

Positive Signs in Sri Lanka a note from Jayaratne of SEVNATHA

"One of the most positive things to come from the Rehabilitation effort in Sri Lanka has been the support of ACHR. Before the tsunami the groups in Sri Lanka like the 2 Women’s Banks, and some local NGOs, Help-O, SEVANATHA ... we were not working together. They were on their own in different kinds of activities. A positive thing I can see is that after the Tsunami we were able to bring a lot of groups together, and because of that they are learning from each other. For example Help-O’s (NGO) activities were very small scale in Gaulle city, but they were not involved in savings and micro-finance, but now because of the Women’s Bank involvement in the tsunami recovery network we created, they are actually learning from the Women’s Bank how community supports should be sustainable at the community level."

By December 2005 Help-O had formed 225 small savings groups in Galle, Gingtota, Totagamuwa, Peruliya, Katugoda, Unawatuna with 2,515 members, with help from the Women's Bank. By April the numbers had risen to 350 groups with 4,000 members.

The Women's Bank have given loans mainly for housing, fishing equipment, and income generation activities .

In the Eastern provinces the network has concentrated on building houses, various activities with the Kallar Fishermen Cooperative Society Periya Kallar such as construction of facilities at the Cooperative site, purchases of boats, fishing nets and engines.
At the Muslim village at Periya, Maradamunai in Kalmunai province they have given assistance for employment activities for people still living in temporary camps.

KA Jayaratne with a
survivor at Morotowa

Children dance at the Inauguration
of one of Help-O's toilet projects

November 10 2005

Buffer Zone confusion .....
little progress in Sri Lanka

11 months after December 26 ..... there has been little progresses on permanent homes for the majority of Sri Lanka’s tsunami affected communities, despite the billions of dollars the government has received from people and government in other countries.

In March 2005 survivors from Bande Aceh visited communities who lived within the 100 meter buffer zone along the Galle Road between Colombo and Galle .

We returned there in November 2005 and met the same people and found that little had changed ....

Nothing has changed at Thotagamuwa

Man 1 What's Changed since March?
"Since last you were here - nothing has changed. We have had no help in building houses. I have written letters to the Prime Minister and others .... We know the government has the money. "

Boat man What's Changed ?
"We cannot build because of the "buffer zone" . They want to move me to apartments far way. I'm a fisherman. I remember when fisherman from Aceh came here. They said the tsunami won't come again. I believe them. Do you have a boa t now ?"No boat .. no work .. no house."

1 woman What's Changed ?
"When you came in March I was in a tent. It was damaged in the rain and wind. A foreign woman help build this temporary shed. What do you think of the government help ? We know the government has done nothing for us. "

Man 1 What's Changed ?
"Nothing has changed. I have land here that I own. I want to build a permanent house. But we have no help except to move from a tent to a tin roofed shed. If you help us we can build and like the Aceh friends ... defy the government. "

family What's Changed ?
"Nothing ... we live in this temporary shed - 1 room 6 people ... tin roof ... hot .. cannot stay inside in the day ... no lights outside at night. "

man4 What's Changed ?
"The government has given most to those who suffered least - those back from the 100 meters. For those within the 100 meters who suffered the most - they have done nothing. "

school SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION

This new school is being built by the Italian government a few yards from where some of the people above wish to re-build their houses on their own land. But the government says for their own protection they cannot build.

We heard that the Presidents Palace is within the 100 meter buffer zone. .. as are large hotels etc.
We also heard that a significantly high level government politician was caught with 86 million US$ of Tsunami donated funds in his private bank account . The government has prohibited investigation and discussion on this because of the pending presidential election.

AND SO IT GOES .....

At Morotuwa

Morotowa Shack Temp huts now in bad shape

Moratuwa sewerage Sewerage leakage in playground

100 m housing 100 m buffer = no progress

Local governments in Sri Lanka are presently mostly the opposite party of the central government and therefore are not receiving the support needed from the central government.

Also unlike in Aceh where the peace process has progressed swiftly - Sri Lankan politicians continue their self-interest ......with consequent lack of progress ..... BUT there is some good news from our visit ......

kids

The overwhelming majority of the more than 500,000 people displaced lived within 100 metres of the coast when the tsunami struck.

Until a few weeks ago, Government policies prohibited new construction within 100 metres of the mean sea level (in some areas 200 metres).

The main objections to the 100 meter buffer were:

First, the people themselves did not want to move and generally longed to return to their former lands.

Second, there had effectively been no consultation on the 100-metre rule in Sri Lanka.

And third, the exceptions to the 100-metre rule being allowed - for hotels, wealthy property developers and other privileged groups - raised serious concerns of favouritism.

SL Mao TS

The above was extracted from an article by Scott Leckie - The great land theft which is available for download from here

kids

Below: ACHR meeting with our Sri Lankan network November 2005 ...

New National Government housing reconstruction support policy

We learned in this meeting that a few months ago, the government has announced a new policy to support housing reconstruction, in which they will provide a budget of 250,000 Rupees per unit, for rebuilding houses of tsunami-affected households. They ask the beneficiaries to open a bank account, and then transfer the first installment of 50,000 Rupees to this bank account right away. The idea is that after sending the first installment, they will then check to see what people are doing, whether they are building their new house, etc. And once they see the progress up to a certain point, they will transfer the second and third installment.
But in practice, the first installment is passed to the people, but they don't have an appropriate checking mechanism in place or the staff numbers to carry it out. Or they start checking , and find some practices they don't like, so they try to impose more conditions on receiving the remaining entitlements. So the people are frustrated.

Secondly, it was reported that the money is going to the wrong group of people who are not really affected, and with corruption along the way.

All of this tends to show that the mechanism for distributing money and this policy is not appropriate.

So after the first 50,000 Rupees is transferred, the whole thing just stops. Nobody gets more than that! Nobody gets the full 250,000 Rupees.

The Strategy suggested by ACHR to Sri Lankan groups:

I think that in fact government has money! If they did not have money, they would not announce this 250,000 Rupee housing reconstruction subsidy!
I would also guess that the government is under a lot of pressure to pass this large amount of money to the people, and it is frustrated because it doesn't know how to do it properly.
Our strategy should be to find a way to link up with them and get this money into the people's process. We've got to build the mechanism and show how the mechanism should be. Instead of finding some small donor resources and doing some small, scattered housing projects, as though on an isolated island, and nobody knows what you're doing!
We have to be more strategic in linking .
We have to link more proactively with the government policy

WE HAVE TO show what is the proper way.

The good news -

Women's Bank initiatives

Help-o NGO and Sevanatha - facilitating the NETWORK

News from the Women's development Bank and of Eastern Sri Lanka
coming soon