By Ranjitha Balasubramanyam, IOM Colombo
A recent competition among tsunami survivors
living in one IOM transitional shelter site to beautify their environment
and take pride in where they lived, was met with resounding success.
For many residents at an IOM transitional housing site in Negombo on Sri Lanka's southwestern coast called the 'Fisheries Site', the announcement of a contest to spruce up the area around their dwellings with an unusual prize for two winners, was an opportunity too good to miss.
The purpose of the contest was to encourage residents to take pride in where they lived, according to Daniel Neely, a Crisis Corps Volunteer working in the IOM field office there. It's something many may have done naturally before last December's devastating tsunami but IOM staff were keen to rekindle that sense of pride as the survivors moved on to rehabilitation. It was with that aim in mind that the ' Better Shelters and Gardens' contest was organized with 10 days to do it in.
"I made the announcement through the community leaders. Adorning homes with plants, flowers and creating small gardens would be the best way to improve the appearance of the surroundings," says Neely. "Also, any messy items lying around were to be neatly put away."
The Fisheries Site in Negombo town, about 40 kilometres north of the capital Colombo, houses more than 120 families and is divided into sections A and B. There would be one winner from each section and the winning families would be given deluxe mosquito nets as rewards. Something that clearly triggered excitement among the residents.
"In the days leading up to the contest, I walked past every shelter and let the people know I was observing their homes" Neely says. "There was an increased amount of activity leading up to the final day with more than 80 per cent of the families there planting little gardens."
One of the contestants, 24-year-old Sampath Kumar, told the judges that he loved growing plants. Prior to the tsunami, he had nurtured a wonderful garden. "I found myself neck deep in water when the gigantic waves engulfed the area," he recalls Sampath managed to swim to safety but watched his home and garden being swept away by the swirling waters. He suffers from a kidney ailment but takes great pride in great pride inthe colourful little garden he's created in front of the shelter that's been his home for the past few months.
In the day of the contest, the residents arranged for a local nursery to send a pick-up truck full of plants and flowers so they could purchase some to give their shelters a face-lift. Some families invested more than 400 Sri Lankan rupees (US$4) on "home improvement".
Unsurprisingly, Sampath won one of the prizes for the sheer variety of plants he had and the manner in which they were displayed in front of his shelter. The judges also said they were impressed by the cleanliness of the space.
Ruwani Malkanthi, a young mother, also won a prize for her tiny garden of pretty potted plants, all neatly aligned in front of her shelter. Ruwani's family was celebrating Poya, a holy day for Buddhists, when the "water came". She too recalls the chaos of that day: "We didn't have time to get our personal belongings, we just ran away from the beach and up the road."
The transitional accommodation has helped restore some semblance of normalcy to their lives once more. Ruwani now looks after her little daughter, the house and garden while her husband works as a mason.
"I enjoy gardening," she says. "I want a place to live and a place that is clean and tidy."
The pride and accomplishment etched on both winners' faces were unmistakable.
And as promised, both winners were given a mosquito net - a quite indispensable item in this part of the world. But IOM was keen to recognize the efforts of all the participants. So each family that had at least one plant in front of their shelter was given a couple of packets of vegetable seeds as a token of recognition.
Residents of the Fisheries Site say they are looking forward to more of these contests. Neely says in future, contests will focus on other areas of community participation. "These activities reduce the sense of entitlement in such situations and make people act for themselves, which is the ultimate goal," he adds.
Clearly, although this contest cheered up the residents of the site and improved its appearance, it also went some way in encouraging a sense of ownership and responsibility in the community.