REBUILDING HOMES AND LIVELIHOODS Process guidelines offer a selection of tools for designing, planning and implementing. It aims to assist individuals, local and international development organisations and other agencies as a guide to the natural, social, institutional and operational issues in housing and housing services reconstruction sector in Sri Lanka. This section will provide a framework for the approaches and processes which can be used in undertaking the following: Getting started General guidelines to follow before entering the housing and housing services reconstruction sector in Sri Lanka. Transitional Shelter – Essential Criteria: Guidelines for selecting transitional shelter sites. Guidelines for developing layout plans for transitional shelter sites Guidelines for designing transitional shelters Permanent Shelter: Situational analysis & risk assessment Land use & neighbourhood planning Household planning – plot layout & housing design Quality Assurance(QA) Guidelines for Building Constructi on QA for House owners, Masons & small scale contractors QA for technical officers & Engineers Getting started General guidelines to follow before entering the housing and housing services reconstruction sector in Sri Lanka. Immigration procedure: All international representatives and organisations need to adhere to the immigration policies and procedures set out by the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Sri Lanka. Information on visa’s maybe obtained from the website of the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Sri Lanka http://www.immigration.gov.lk/. Obtain information on the present reconstruction efforts which are being coordinated by the Task Force for Rebuilding the Nation and from the Development Assistance Database (DAD) available on the TAFREN website http://tafren.wow.lk/ which is a tracking tool for who’s doing what in the reconstruction efforts. Further details maybe obtained from: NGO/Civil Society/Donor Coordination TAFREN No: 21, 6th floor Janadhipathi Mawatha Colombo 1, Sri Lanka Tel: 0094-11-2426100 - Ext: 637 Register with the NGO Secretariat or as required by TAFREN Identify the geographical area you want to work in - visit the TAFREN website for an overview and District wise summaries of the damages, resources required and the status of reconstruction efforts in each area. Practical Action, The Schumacher Centre, Bourton on Dunsmore, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 9QZ, UK T +44 (0)1926 634400 | F +44 (0)1926 634401 | E infoserv@practicalaction.org.uk | W www.practicalaction.org ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Practical Action is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee. Company Reg. No. 871954, England | Reg. Charity No.247257 | VAT No. 880 9924 76 | Patron HRH The Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GCB Rebuilding home & livelihoods Practical Action Meet the District Secretariat (DS) or a local Community Based Organisation (CBO) to obtain information about the current situation in the area of interest and any other local knowledge. Obtain a list of beneficiaries from the DS/CBO and ascertain the extent of assistance already received by the beneficiaries and the gaps to be filled. A walk through: visit the area affected to obtain first hand knowledge of the ground situation. Determine whether going alone or in partnership with an established , experienced organisation in participatory disaster management efforts (eg. Practical Action). The advantage of partnering with an experienced organisation is its knowledge on the process of reconstruction, its already established network of resources and obviously its experience in this sector. If going alone: Decide on how to obtain land for reconstruction –whether through the government or to be purchased outright or to build on land owned by the beneficiaries. Check on ownership documentation such as deeds/official document issued by the Grama Seveka (GS). Zonal classifications: Ensure that construction is allowed according to the zonal classifications which you can check under http://tafren.wow.lk/ Obtain clearance from the relevant authorities – Urban Development Authority (UDA), Coastal Conservation Authority (CCA), Central Environmental Agency (CEA),Road Development Authority (RDA) and any other local authority (Municipal councils/Pradeshiya Sabhas). Check on the TAFREN Implementation Guidelines (http://tafren.wow.lk/) for details of the Donor Assisted Housing and Township Reconstruction Process. Points to note in starting housing programmes For housing programmes to be sustainable, it should be people-centred. This is a factor that is generally compromised in the urgency to meet targets and deadlines of rebuilding programmes. This can later lead to a situational dissatisfaction with the out come of programmes. Expected outcomes may not be achieved. Thus, it is strongly recommended rebuilding includes community aspirations and guidelines laid down by authorities. The process should be carried out in partnership with the widest range of stakeholders possible. This will ensure that the breadth and depth of knowledge is maximised and ownership is widespread, thus leading to common appreciation of the realities and priorities of all concerned. The steps taken should inform each other, be carefully cross referenced and compared to inform decision making at all levels. Figure 1: Credit: Practical Action South Asia 2 Rebuilding home & livelihoods Practical Action The benefits of this approach will be to: Generate good relations with the community Allow participants to contribute their ideas openly and freely Result in well-informed and comprehensive picture of the current situation, Articulate individual, household and community aspirations for future destinations and identify resources available for making that journey Build confidence and mutual respect among all stakeholders bonding people within communities and among new informal and formal networks Create a sense of ownership, motivation and reward in seeing ideas and actions come to fruition Figure 2: Credit Practical Action South Asia Some of the challenges of this approach which need allocation of adequate resources and be managed well are; Collaborative processes take time to work through and yield results, both tangible and intangible, Process facilitation takes skill, to create space for everyone’s views to be heard and outcomes to be negotiated, Process facilitators must display an unbiased attitude and willingness to challenge existing power structures – this can be uncomfortable at times. Many of the processes and tools covered in this section can be used at various stages of analysis, design and implementation. The suggestions made here should be adapted to suit the time, place, people and objectives of each situation. 3 Rebuilding home & livelihoods Practical Action Who to contact: Project Manager – Housing or the Resource Desk at: Practical Action South Asia No 5, Lionel Edirisinghe Mawatha, Colombo 5, Sri Lanka T +94 (11) 2829 412 F +94 (11) 2856 188 E srilanka@practicalaction.org.lk W www.practicalaction.org W www.janathakshan.org For specific training details please contact the Project Officer at Practical Action: Hambantota (T 047-4379339 E southern.staff@itdg.slt.lk) Ampara (T 063-2224932 E eastern.staff@itdg.slt.lk) Practical Action The Schumacher Centre Bourton-on-Dunsmore Rugby, Warwickshire, CV23 9QZ United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0)1926 634400 Fax: +44 (0)1926 634401 E-mail: inforserv@practicalaction.org.uk Website: http://practicalaction.org/practicalanswers/ Practical Action is a development charity with a difference. We know the simplest ideas can have the most profound, life-changing effect on poor people across the world. For over 40 years, we have been working closely with some of the world’s poorest people - using simple technology to fight poverty and transform their lives for the better. We currently work in 15 countries in Africa, South Asia and Latin America. 4
Practical Action,