From development to relief...and back again

From development to relief… and back again

Dr. Martin Baumann, the Co-Director for Sewalanka Foundation and German Agro Action’s Integrated Food Security Project (IFSP), recalls his experience of dealing with the aftermath of the tsunami in Mullaitivu.

IFSP truck is being unloaded in Mullaitivu.

The news came at breakfast time. Within a few hours, the IFSP project in Vavuniya was turned into an emergency aid project and the project office into a market place.

As an immediate response but despite not knowing precisely the situation, project staff and their relatives donated everything they could to help the tsunami victims: clothes, kitchen utensils, household items (plastic bowls, buckets, spoons, etc.) and dry food rations such as lentils, rice, flour. These items were organised into household packages and the day after the tsunami, the project lorry was loaded and headed for Mullaitivu.

Ms. Sheena McCann, Concern's Country Director explains, "Working through a Sri Lankan organisation has meant that we have had much more of an impact right from the beginning. Sewalanka have been able to use their knowledge and experience to generate a more effective response, whether it is access to land for building temporary housing or identifying the needs of tsunami-affected people."

Assistance provided by the project

Items are distributed by GAA and Sewalanka.

After the first inspection of the tsunami affected area around Mullaitivu, nine field officers and eight mobilisers from IFSP were seconded to work in the affected area. They provided logistical assistance and prepared for what would become a continuous convoy of lorries carrying supplies from Vavuniya to Mullaitivu. These staff also registered affected people in Mullaitivu and Marathankerny and prepared distribution lists for emergency goods. Logistically, the project provided one lorry and two pick-up trucks.

Also, IFSP provided suitable drinking water as 1000 litre water tanks were purchased and distributed to tsunami relief camps. Water was sourced from surrounding non-affected wells and IFSP supported the testing of 19 key water wells to ensure they were clean.

The project assisted two vans of medical items and eight doctors to travel from Colombo to Mullaitivu. The IFSP team also assisted in the construction of 107 houses in Selavathai to cater to the immediate needs.

The IFSP team also delivered on-the-spot information to Germany and a direct hotline was installed for press and radio station interviews. Photo and journalistic documentation was prepared in response to the requests from Germany

Coming back to development work

After six weeks of working in an emergency context, it became apparent that other mechanisms were in place to assume these responsibilities. IFSP staff helped establish the Northern Tsunami Response Office in Kilinochchi and a taskforce had come from Germany to work with Sewalanka to establish their coordinated Tsunami Relief and Rehabilitation programs.

Gradually, the IFSP resumed focus in its target communities, the 5,000 internally displaced persons (IDP) from the conflict area. What became apparent from my experience was that with good motivated project staff, it is possible to give a flexible response to emergency situations.

The IFSP started in October 2003, and is implemented by Sewalanka Foundation and German Agro Action. It works with 52 villages in the worst conflict affected areas of the Wanni to improve food security and basic infrastructure for resettling people. The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

>> For further information on the Southern and Western Program please contact:
Mr. Tapan Barman on 011) 2545 362-5