Rebuilding Community Infrastructure & Shelter Project - UAE Funded

Funded by: Government of UAE; US $ 4,453,905 (channeled through the Red Crescent of the United Arab Emirates)

Locations:

• Galle -- 320 houses
• Ampara -- 774 houses
• Kattankudy -- 130 houses
• Kinniya -- 100 houses

Objectives

The overall objective of the Project is to re-establish self sustaining communities of vulnerable groups of families affected by the tsunami, through the building of physical and social infrastructure and housing as speedily as possible and to assist in returning to a normal life, enabling them to recover from the trauma of the tsunami. As important as the reconstruction is the social recovery of affected communities. This will be done with support to mobilize and org anise the communities, so the affected people set their own reconstruction priorities as well as establishing community governance structures. In addition their livelihoods will be regenerated through the direct investment of the assistance packages within the communities creating local employment and opportunities for entrepreneurship. Therefore the project will be implemented on the general theme of ‘Restoration of Homes and Livelihoods and Rebuilding of Communities’. The specific project objectives include:

1. To enable traumatized communities in the southern and east coasts, in particular women and children, rebuild their social capital through the organization of representative bodies with the capacity to take decisions regarding their own rebuilding process;
2. To enable 870 families rebuild essential physical facilities including shelter and infrastructure so that they can restart functioning as normal communities;
3. To help create wage employment from the investment of the rebuilding process as a way of contributing to the recovery of the local economy;

Activities

1. Mobilization of affected communities
2. Organizing Community Development Councils
3. Conducting Community Action Planning
4. Community Contracting to rebuild housing and infrastructure
5. Restoring livelihood through savings and credit

Progress

The sites for construction has already been selected. Most the areas have finalized beneficiary lists. Some CDC's (Community Development Councils are already in place. Preliminary construction work including site preparation and land reclamation has commenced in few settlements.