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idea The prospective beneficiaries had been motivated by IDEAS volunteers to take responsibility and participate in the reconstruction of their own houses. Beneficiary participation has become the bottom line to this project. Eight months after the tsunami, the beneficiaries themselves have built eleven houses, with tiled roofs, electricity and well water supplies. Nine of them are occupied. IDEAS is the acronym for "Initiatives in Development of Entrepreneur Approaches and Strategies" a non-profit company registered under the Sri Lanka Companies Act. Its members are Sri Lankan professionals who reached the highest levels in the local public service and private sector and senior levels in the international civil service. Pre-tsunami they were pursuing the primary objectives of the organization and helping small prospective entrepreneurs to get off the ground. They have been generating their own funds through consultancy services offered through their sister company Infotech - IDEAS [Pvt.] Ltd., and through management training programmes run by themselves. IDEAS was not in the business of emergency relief operations. IDEAS Chairman Lalit Godamunne revealed how IDEAS came to be involved in tsunami rehabilitation. With the tsunami disaster, friends of IDEAS both local and foreign prevailed on the management to throw in their experience into the area of tsunami reconstruction and rehabilitation with assurances of funding. The funds available were hardly sufficient to embark on such a programme but encouraged by the spontaneous goodwill and trust demonstrated by friends of IDEAS a project was launched in a tsunami-hit area. Mr. Godamunne supported by his council members Shakuntala Kuruppu, K. Gunaratnam, Ronni Weerakoon, Manel Abeysekera, Prof. K. K. Y. Perera, Nanda Abeywickrema among others decided to work on tsunami reconstruction and rehabilitation in addition to their regular programmes. To the flow of funds from both Sri Lanka and abroad was added the free and voluntary support in time and energy thrown in by architects, lawyers and young people including architect Chandra Gunwardene, Mahima Wijesinghe, a young executive at Hatton National Bank, Dilip Jayawickrema, a young entrepreneur and Anoja Seneviratne. A two-step plan was adopted. In the first stage, depending on fund availability, a housing programme was formulated where 10 houses would be built. In stage two, a livelihood programme very much on the lines of entrepreneur development would be introduced. IDEAS was not inclined to give hand outs or, in the case of housing, build houses and present them to tsunami victims. It had to be a joint effort with the major responsibility for field organization, site preparation and construction resting with the ultimate house owner. IDEAS would provide the funds with an upper limit in instalments as construction progressed. In addition, they would make available technical support by way of architectural expertise and site advice and monitor progress on a weekly basis. IDEAS management says the challenge was to motivate the beneficiaries to commit themselves and take responsibility for the task of building their own house. This meant that a devastated population had to pull themselves together and start rebuilding their shattered lives again. It is here the real commitment of the young volunteers came to play. Their enthusiasm was infectious and spread to the beneficiary participants. Soon each builder had mobilized his family both immediate and extended to make a joint effort. Where carpenters and masons were required, the village found their own at reduced rates. IDEAS management points out that when the project was planned the cost of a 500 sq. ft. house was estimated at Rs. 350,000 with asbestos roofing, no electricity or water supply. The actual cost has now worked out between Rs. 275,000 and Rs. 300,000 which includes tiled roofing, electricity and well water per house.The variation in actual costs between Rs. 300,000 and Rs. 275,000 reflects the level of personal skills available to the builder. IDEAS is encouraged by the turnaround of the people in Duwe Modera. Most of them had lost a child, a mother or a grandmother. Those who participated in the programme are smiling today and wanting to get ahead leaving behind the tragedy the tsunami brought on them. This is the return on investment the IDEAS group are looking for. IDEAS,
having got past the initial house buildings stage, is now gearing
upto the second phase, livelihood development. |
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