Thirty-eight-year-old Devika Fernando lost her home in the tsunami and had no choice but to live in a temporary shelter in Ratmalana, a suburb of the Sri Lankan capital Colombo.
However, in October 2007 she moved with 18 other families to create a new settlement in Raigamuwata in the neighbouring district of Kalutara. The settlement is part of an owner-driven housing programme designed to provide cash grants and technical support to families rebuilding homes that were damaged or destroyed in the tsunami.
”We lived next door to each other in Ratmalana, but here we have really come together as a community,” explains Devika.
Devika now leads a discussion about the water-related needs in the new settlement, as part of her role as secretary of the Raigamuwata Community Development Council.
As part of the ‘Community Recovery and Reconstruction Partnership’, the Sri Lanka Red Cross and UN Habitat have worked with almost 6,000 beneficiaries to create 63 community development councils in six tsunami affected districts in the north, east and south of the country.
In addition to receiving funds from the Red Cross to build their homes, each household also receives a grant, equivalent to 200 Swiss francs, which goes into a bank account managed by the council. With these funds, councils prioritise infrastructure projects to benefit the whole community and help lead their recovery.
At most housing sites the most pressing need is water. Devika’s community in Raigamuwati is many kilometres from a mainline water connection, so they are using their funds to build a community well. Funds left over will be used to also build two drainage channels to help minimise flood damage to the village when the monsoon rains come.
Community projects vary according to the needs in each location. Some projects involve the construction of wells or water storage tanks, others may be upgrading of an access road or construction of a community centre. The Red Cross also provides training and advice to councils on waste water treatment and solid waste management practices, which are environmentally friendly and sustainable.
In the village of Kahavitagehena in the Kalutara district, Sudath Rohana is putting the finishing touches to some coffee tables that he is making in his small workshop. A carpenter by trade, Sudath also serves as chairman of his village community development council.
Part of the council’s responsibility is to ensure that construction for all families in the community progresses at a consistent and equitable level. The UN Habitat field officers are also on hand to provide regular technical support and advice to the councils.
“One of my neighbours had psychiatric problems and another is a widow,” explains Sudath. “We gave them advice and organised other people in the village to help them with building their home.”
Once a month, the council meets with the Red Cross, the local UN Habitat technical advisors and a local government representative to discuss any problems they may be facing.
”People’s needs and requirements vary so much,” explains Tissa Abeywickrama, chairman of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement Coordination Task Force. “A 65-year-old widow may need more than just funding and a bit of technical advice to rebuild her home.
The councils not only empower communities, they also give them responsibility to make their own decisions to best serve their needs.”
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Devika Fernando, the treasurer for the Raigamuwata community development council, walks past a new well built in her settlement. (p17677)
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Women from a community development council in Kalutara map out the new infrastructure projects for their housing settlement. (p17674)
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| Sudath Rohana, the chairman of the Kahavitagehena community development council in Kalutara district, stands outside his new home. (p17676) |
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| A woman, who received training from Red Cross to set up a home garden, displays her crop of vegetables. (p17675) |
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