OCHA Situation Report
Sri Lanka
20 - 26 May 2005


Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Overall Situation

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the World Bank Group's 
private sector financing arm, will provide up to US$150 million in loans 
to companies that can help rebuild commercial tourism ventures in 
tsunami-affected countries in South Asia and South East Asia. An IFC 
spokesperson said the IFC will clear loan requests on a priority basis 
and provide long-term funding to help hotel and resort operators rebuild 
tsunami-affected properties in time for the next peak tourist season.

The Government of the Federal Republic of Germany has extended a grant 
of approximately Rs.12 billion (US$ 120 million) for post tsunami 
rehabilitation and reconstruction in Sri Lanka, according to the 
Ministry of Finance and Planning.

Save the Children in Sri Lanka's partner SERVE in Colombo received a 
donation of Rs.100,000 (US$ 1000) from the TransAsia Hotel's staff, 
guests and management. This was made possible by Save the Children in 
Sri Lanka's Colombo office.

Health

UNFPA has committed to build eight public health clinic centres in 
Jaffna district within six months.

Water and Sanitation

More than 100,000 people in tsunami affected areas in Sri Lanka will 
receive up to 20 litres of high quality drinking water each day thanks 
to Australian made water purification units. The Sydney based, 
non-profit charity organisation, the Skyjuice Foundation, has donated 55 
water purification units to international non government organisations 
in Sri Lanka, including Red Cross Germany, World Vision International 
and Oxfam Great Britain.

In Kallaru Transitional Accomodation Center (TAC) 150 temporary shelters 
have been completed and 135 are occupied to date. UN Habitat has 
committed to build 43 permanent houses in the coming months. Some delays 
in construction are expected because of difficult road conditions 
slowing the transport of building materials. In the Vadamaradchi East 
area, 95 per cent of TACs shelters have been completed.

In Vadamaradchi East, 1,870 temporary shelters out of 1,926 have been 
constructed while 2,124 shelters have been completed in Mullaitivu. In 
Vadamarachchi North 1,239 shelters have been completed.

On Sunday 21 May, Ananda Marga Universal Relief (AMURT) International, a 
federation of national AMURT associations originating in India engaged 
in humanitarian aid and development cooperation, held an inauguration 
ceremony for 40 newly-built and completed transitional shelters in 
Dadalla West in Galle (Paragahakumbra land).

The Governor for the Southern Province, Kingsley Wickramaratne, 
officially presented 10 families each with a permanent house in 
Hikkaduwa Division. The houses were constructed by the Southern 
Provincial Council and private organisations.

As at 19 May, a total of 3,221 transitional shelters have been completed 
in the Galle district while 1,728 are under construction out of 5,403 
tsunami-affected houses. There is a balance of 454 shelters yet to be 
built. In Hikkaduwa DS Division 2,650 were damaged, the most in any 
division of Galle.

According to the Transitional Accomodation Project (TAP) Galle Office, 
all construction of transitional shelters will be complete by the end of 
May to early June. However, some international NGOs are foreseeing some 
delays in completion, especially when the monsoons commence, and also 
feel some shelters built earlier are of substandard condition and may 
not be able to withstand bad weather and will face flooding. Upgrading 
of some transitional shelters and reconstruction of others is expected 
be completed by the end of June.

In light of flooding problems in Hikkaduwa, Community Habitat and 
Finance (CHF) and World Vision International are embarking on a joint 
drainage programme to restore adequate drainage pipeways, repair old 
drainage systems and install new ones where needed.

Education

A nutritional programme sponsored by the WFP has been introduced in 28 
schools located along the coast. Under the programme a total of 6,070 
children from grade one through nine benefit by receiving 75 grams of 
nutritional biscuits at school on a daily basis. The Mother and Child 
Nutrition (MCN) scheme of WFP has 12,779 beneficiaries in Mullaitivu 
district.

Save the Children in Sri Lanka has provided 600 tsunami-affected 
children in the Moratuwa area south of Colombo, two sets of uniforms, 
underwear, school bags and stationary. Six hundred children will also be 
receiving vouchers to purchase school shoes.

The Sri Lankan Red Cross, supported by the Danish Red Cross, is in the 
process of distributing shoes to tsunami and non-tsunami-affected 
children who are without shoes in 57 schools in Kalmunai Education Zone. 
Thus far children in nine of the schools have received shoes.

Livelihoods

Several significant steps are being taken in restoring the fishing 
industry and livelihoods in the North. Oxfam recently delivered two 
refrigerated lorries for transporting fish to Mullaitivu and 
Vadamarachchi East. CARITAS is to supply 200 boats to Mullaitivu next 
month and an additional 200 boats to Jaffna district soon. Oxfam will 
also deliver 40 boats to Mullaitivu and Vadamarachchi East. UNDP will 
soon open an ice plant in Mullaitivu .

Tamils rehabilitation Organization (TRO) has commenced a Participatory 
Needs Assessment (PNA) in 164 tsunami-affected villages in the North and 
East. World Vision meanwhile has supplied agricultural inputs worth 
Rs.100,000 to tsunami-affected farmers in the area.

Save the Children in Sri Lanka has signed with the Colombo Department of 
Fisheries for the distribution of 400 fishing boats, engines and fishing 
gear in Batticaloa. Also in Batticaloa Save the Children in Sri Lanka 
will distribute grow bags to 2,000 persons whose land has been 
contaminated with salt water.

Also regarding livelihoods in the South, Project Galle has distributed 
700 coir machines to beneficiaries and World Vision has begun an 
income-generation programme for 400 persons, and distribution of 400 
bicycles. CARITAS has identified nine entrepreneurs and has distributed 
equipment to revive their businesses in the Ahangama area

Spanish Red Cross, in collaboration with the Department of Export, is 
working on a project for cinnamon tree planting in the divisions of 
Hikkaduwa, Balapitiya, and Ambalangoda, starting a project on recovery 
and improvement of cinnamon tree plantation focusing for the moment on 
200 beneficiary families.

Vision Fun Lanka, a microfinance institute under World Vision Lanka has 
started granting Rs200,000 loans at 6 per cent interest to Galle 
beneficiaries. Seventy-five application can be accepted and so far 25 
applications have been approved.

Protection

A presentation on "Gender Mainstreaming" was organized by UNHCR with the 
assistance of Oxfam on 23 May, 2005. Concerns regarding poverty and 
gender equality in the transition and reconstruction phase were 
addressed by international and national NGOs in attendance.

Oxfam will be providing gender awareness training for 12 people -- six 
from Women's Welfare Development Foundation (WWDF) and six from Center 
for Women's Development and Rehabilitation (CWDR) - in Kilinochchi. 
After the completion of the training the trainers will serve in the TACs 
of Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi.

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