By Patrick Fuller, International Federation Communications Coordinator in Sri Lanka
Since 2006, the escalating conflict in the north and east of Sri Lanka has led to various disruptions in post tsunami reconstruction efforts. The conflict has displaced thousands of people from their home areas, building contractors have struggled to reach construction sites and the movement of building materials between government and LTTE controlled areas has been restricted.
Under such circumstances rebuilding homes lost to the tsunami hasn't been easy. But the Red Cross has adapted to these constraints by giving individual families responsibility for managing the reconstruction process. This 'owner driven' approach has made significant progress.
Fifty year old fisherman Antonypillai Sebastiankurus and his three sons are among 162 families in Mullaitivu district who have now moved into houses that they helped to build under a joint Sri Lanka Red Cross Society and the German Red Cross programme.
Anthonypillai took charge of hiring contractors and workers who built the house while he and his family members chipped in by helping to carry bricks, mix cement and plaster the walls. In total almost 1,000 families in the district are being supported under the project.
Adapting to circumstances
The German Red Cross initially provided construction material to each household and helped to top up the government base grant received by each family. But as Mullaitivu falls within territory controlled by the LTTE government restrictions on bringing in construction materials meant that a new approach was needed.
"It has been one of the most challenging projects for us," says Alfredo Melgarejo, the German Red Cross' country coordinator. "The changes in the security situation meant that we had to be pragmatic if we wanted to get the job done."
So, instead of bringing in the supplies the Red Cross decided to support people to purchase wood, bricks and other construction material themselves from the local market.
"We were worried that the Red Cross would pull out when the security situation became bad but they have stuck by us even though many other projects in the area have been suspended," says Antonypillai.
Further south in Batticaloa district the Austrian-Swiss Red Cross has also been supporting an owner driven housing programme in Kattankudy. Families in this neighbourhood are receiving top up grants and technical support to rebuild their original homes. Project manager Marianne Pecnik, feels that community empowerment has been the key to the project running so smoothly.
"We know all the families and hold regular meetings with them. Our engineers on site make daily visits to each house," she explains. So far 320 of the 370 houses in the project have been completed.
A.L Ashraff's home is testament to the success of the programme. Despite running a small grocery business it has only taken him four months to build his home with the help of local masons and carpenters.
"I'm proud to have done this with the Red Cross. They gave me the funds and advice but I was able to build the house to my own design," says Ashraff.
Seventeen kilometres south of Batticaloa the Irish Red Cross is taking a twin track approach - building 50 houses using a local contractor while giving a further 50 families cash grants to rebuild the houses themselves. According to Irish Red Cross construction delegate Nikhil Khanna, progress has been faster on the owner driven sites.
"Rebuilding yourself gives a greater sense of ownership and the quality is usually better," he says. "It also gives people greater flexibility and allows them to add personal touches.'
Significant progress is also being made under the Community Recovery and Reconstruction Partnership (The Partnership). The Partnership was set up in 2006 by the Sri Lanka Red Cross and the International Federation together with UN Habitat. The aim is to provide financial and technical support to families who are rebuilding. Approximately 60 million Swiss francs ($50 million USD/ €36 million) has so far been committed by Red Cross Red Crescent partners to The Partnership. These funds are being used to provide base grants to approximately 12,000 families while a further 6,000 families will also receive top up grants.
Across the north and east of Sri Lanka the Red Cross Red Crescent is contributing to the construction of over 15,000 homes through a variety of owner driven housing projects that involve collaboration between the Sri Lanka Red Cross, the International Federation and 11 Red Cross Red Crescent national societies. As of June 2007, Red Cross Red Crescent partners have either fully funded or co-financed the construction of almost 10,000 houses in Sri Lanka. By 2008 it is anticipated that the Red Cross will have built, fully-funded or contributed co-financing to an estimated 26,500 homes.