This report covers the period of 1 May to 30 October 2007, but reports cumulative totals from December 2004 onwards.
In a world of global challenges, continued poverty, inequity, and increasing vulnerability to disasters and disease, the International Federation with its global network, works to accomplish its Global Agenda, partnering with local community and civil society to prevent and alleviate human suffering from disasters, diseases and public health emergencies.
In brief
Executive summary
The International Federation in Sri Lanka can look back at a number of achievements in the last six months, in spite of complexities in the operating environment. Since April 2007, a large part of the Federation's portfolio in the south of Sri Lanka has been completed. Large water and sanitation projects have provided clean and safe water to thousands of beneficiaries in the southern districts of Galle, Matara and Kalutara.
Up to 35 percent of the houses that were finalized since the start of the tsunami recovery operation were completed in the last six months alone, allowing 4,376 more families to move into new homes supported or built by Red Cross Red Crescent partners. The donor-driven housing programme on resettlement sites in Hambantota, Matara and Galle districts is now completed.
With the permanent housing programme moving fast towards its completion, Red Cross Red Crescent partners are now focusing on rebuilding and reconstructing health infrastructure facilities, which include a current list of 76 projects identified in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the ministry of health. By the beginning of November 2007, 25 projects have been completed, while another 24 are in progress and 27 others are at the tendering or design stage. The scope of work includes the construction of new buildings as well as the renovation and refurbishment of existing health facilities together with the supply of new medical equipment.
In September 2007, a comprehensive independent review of all International Federation livelihoods projects in Sri Lanka was concluded. The aim of the review was to analyze the effectiveness and suitability of all livelihoods projects carried out by Red Cross Red Crescent partners since the tsunami. One of the lessons to emerge from the review was the need for Red Cross partners and different sectoral departments to work in a more integrated manner from the onset of a disaster.
Across the board, Red Cross Red Crescent partners in Sri Lanka are now taking on more collaborative and integrated approaches to programming, both between programme areas and through involving beneficiaries directly as part of community-based initiatives. This approach both increases the efficiency and the quality of the projects.
Contact information:
For further information specifically related to the tsunami operation, please contact:
Sri Lanka:
Sri Lanka Red Cross: Mr Tissa Abeywickrama
(chairman of the Movement task force), tissactf@redcross.lk, phone: +94
114671203, Mr Surein J. S. Peiris, (deputy director general of operations),
ddg@redcross.lk, phone: +94 0114671400
Federation delegation in Sri Lanka: Paul Emes, head of Sri Lanka delegation,
Colombo; phone: + 94 11 452 8698; email: paul.emes@ifrc.org
Regional delegation in Delhi, India: Al Panico, head of regional delegation
South Asia, email: al.panico@ifrc.org, phone: + 91 11 2411 1122-27
Federation secretariat in Geneva:
Jerry Talbot, special representative
for the tsunami operation; email: jerry.talbot@ifrc.org; phone: +41.22.730.4231,
Lesley Schaffer, regional officer (Sri Lanka, Maldives); email: Lesley.schaffer@ifrc.org,
phone: +41 22 730 4854
Matthew Cochrane, media and public relations officer; email: matthew.cochrane@ifrc.org;
phone: +41 22 730 4426; mobile: +41 79 308 9804
Oscar Vispo, tsunami operations web communications officer; email: oscar.vispo@ifrc.org;
phone: +41 22 730 4570
Asia Pacific Zone in Kuala Lumpur- phone +60 3 21 61 0892; fax: +60 3 2161 1210
Chee Keong Chew, acting head of zone
PMER unit, ext 300; email: cheekeong.chew@ifrc.org
Umadevi Selvarajah, head of zone finance unit, ext 140; email: umadevi.selvarajah@ifrc.org
Karl O'Flaherty, tsunami finance coordinator, ext 613; email: karl.oflaherty@ifrc.org
Igor Dmitryuk, head of regional logistics unit, ext 600; email: igor.dmitryuk@ifrc.org