India
CRWRC involvement in Indian tsunami
relief is particularly through EFICOR in a food distribution programme,
about CDN$950,000 through the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) facility
together with World Relief Canada; and relief and rehabilitation response,
temporary houses, family starting kits, and fishing equipment for a total
of US$ 6 million. CRWRC has committed USD$1.3 million to this effort. All
funds for this project come out of the CIDA matching grant.
The program is developing well. The interim reports show good progress. Kohima Daring, CRWRC Bangladesh-India is maintaining a monitoring role in addition to the direct reporting we are receiving from the partner. EFICOR's implementing capacity is evident in the accomplishments. The food distribution is slower than anticipated but we are still planning to distribute the full amount. We are thankful that the project offers EFICOR and the local churches an opportunity to particularly reach out to the Dalit communities who are often overlooked in government rehabilitation plans.
Sri Lanka
CRWRC response organization is growing in staff numbers and staff capacity.
TAP
The first projects were realized with TAP, the relief and development arm of the Gospel Tabernacle Church of Colombo. There are a total of six project areas, all situated on the east coast south of Colombo towards Galle. Livelihood and temporary shelter. With these communities we are now phasing over to permanent housing.
In the Boossa community, our team leader Jack Schenk is negotiating the purchase of a piece of land which will allow the building of 55 permanent houses. More will follow shortly after this. A total projection financing needed for the building of permanent housing for the members of the communities we presently involved with, indicate around $2 million.
There are a number of other partners and potential partners:
Dutch Reformed Church- We have in principle agreed to support the DRC with the building of 10 permanent houses in the Hikkaduwa area. Legal details and engineering studies are yet to be completed.
Nazarenes-We have worked with the Nazarene churches before though our joint membership in the CFGB. They have a number of churches in the Batticaloa area and have approached us if we could work together on some project in that area. Jack will be meeting with the Nazarene country representatives to investigate the opportunities.
ADT-We continue to talk to the ADT relief and development arm of the SL Evangelical Fellowship. In particularly we are looking at a joint project north of Colombo where some 160 families are living in tents under very poor circumstances. Potentially there would be Tearfund UK funds available for this project.
World Concern-Our joint investigations with WC into a project north of Tricamalea has come to a halt, since the LTTE which controls the area, has demanded that their R&D arm would implement the programming.
MORE SUPPORT
- Christian Reformed Churches in Australia. During Wayne deJong (executive director for CRWRC Canada)'s visit with Bert Kuiper of the Relief and Development arm of the CRCA it was indicated that they would like to receive a proposal for rehabilitation in Sri Lanka for a maximum of A$300,000.
- From the Pentecostal Assemblies in Canada we have a offer of CDN$100,000 for Sri Lanka and an additional CDN$100,000 for Indonesia.
- Lyndon WA is trying to raise USD$200,000 for Sri Lanka and is focussing on the Boossa community together with the Jenison CRC.
Indonesia
We are thankful for the progress made in this country. Good leadership by Nick Armstrong and Pete Diepersloot are really making a difference. The Diepersloots were replaced by the Mys' on May 21st.
CRWRC is working with the name of GenAssist under the registration of Percik. We are now in the process of registering independently as an International Relief Organization. Having our own legal registration will ease the situation around the transfer of funds and other legal issues.
Programming
We have seen an expansion in the number of partners and an extension of the programming area. WALHI and KYPA are continuing their live changing work in the Lhoong district. Their agricultural and community rehabilitation projects are progressing well. They have been joint by some new partners.
Gemma 9 is a health focussed group which has developed a capacity to drill wells in the Lhoong district villages. They have completed one well in good order and under budget, and are in the process of establishing 4 extra.
AgriMent is an agricultural rehabilitation group performing soil tests and land clearing. They form a welcome increase in GenAssist's capacity to help farmer get their rice seed in the soil.
Lesdamar is a similar group, organizing the local village population to clear land and put in crops.
Pertisan is an association of Becak (Moped Taxis) operators in Banda Aceh proper. This organisation has lost many of its members operating in the lower part of the town. More then half the equipment was also lost. We are working with Pertisan on a loan programme to re-equip the members' livelihood.
New Programming
GenAssist has, during the last two months, developed an appreciation as an organisation which is open for input from the tsunami survivors in the villages and does deliver. Opening a field office in Lhoong has help in establishing this profile. GenAssist has been asked by the local district leadership to build about 400 houses in the Lhoong district . In making the request they bypassed several large and well recognized organisations in this sector, which seemingly have been less willing to respond to the specific needs as expressed by the local population. We have started with building one house in each of 6 villages as a pilot project. After completion we will start discussing the phased start up of the larger response.
Planning and Reporting
Sheila Campbell a graduate of University of British Columbia's school for emergency planning and working for her practicum for CRWRC, will be bringing together the processes and procedures in the area of planning and reporting. MCC has allowed us to copy much of their internal procedure which we plan adopt for CRWRC use and then introduce them into our projects. It is also the gaol to make this system part of the IRM training. We expect the system in operation in the next two month.
Personnel
The Indonesian staff is coming together. We have presently two community development workers with good potential but given the number of projects and partners we see the need for an additional two. Logistics of supplies are in place through a combination of own staff and the contact with a buying/logistics office in Medan. We are now evaluating our needs for building project management. Our discussion goes towards attracting a duo made up of an Indonesian and an expat manager. This will be a very heavy and intensive sector of our operations.
Financial
Indonesia is the second area where we hope to apply CIDA matching funds. Brenda Melles in Indonesia and Bruce Campbell-Janz in Burlington, Ontario are working with the GenAssist staff to pull two proposals together.
- An IHA proposal for the emergency and relief work already delivered and the future programming in land clearing well development etc. All IHA funded projects have to be completed by Match 31 2006.
- The second proposal will be a long-term rehabilitation project under responsive programming administered by bi-lateral. Here we hope to receive the remaining funds for the financing of permanent structure like houses and schools.
We hope that this will give you a good feeling on how the different country responses are developing.
Sincerely,
Jacob Kramer, CRWRC Relief Coordinator