With an emphasis on sharing good practices in project implementation, the following documentation and a video documentary were produced and structured according to the primary steps of project implementation.

Tsunami and the Aftermath

The Tsunami of 2004 caused extensive damage and disruption to human life, livelihood, infrastructure, private and public property and economic and social activities. In Sri Lanka it claimed 35’322 human lives. 21’441 people were injured. Over 500’000 people were displaced and over 100’000 houses were damaged or destroyed. 150’000 people lost their livelihood and many more were affected indirectly due to the disruption to social and economic infrastructure.

The total cost of the required relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction effort provisionally was estimated to be around US$ 2 billion over a 3 – 5 years period.

Ampara District was one of the most seriously affected coastal regions on the Eastern Coast. 11 Divisions were affected. The majority of the devastation occurred within 1 km of the seashore. 11’000 people died, 58’600 families (205’000 persons) were affected. 38’000 families were displaced, out of which approximately 75% moved in with relatives and friends.

Helvetas Tsunami Response in Ampara

In response to the Tsunami, between March 2005 to February 2006, Helvetas, using funds collected from the Swiss public by Swiss Solidarity, implemented a Cash for Host Families (CfHF) Project in the Ampara  District. Through this project more than 4’000 families, hosting about 5’200 guest families, received a cash grant of 200 US$ to help cover the expenses associated with hosting.

Rationale for a Cash for Livelihood Restoration Project

The rationale for cash-based interventions for livelihood recovery is based on the following considerations:

Human rights based approach (HRBA): The overall strategy of Helvetas emphasizes the application of a HRBA as a core value in all its work. People have a right to adequate housing, to live somewhere in security, peace and dignity, and a right to work. The right to decent and productive work encompasses adequate and secure means of earning a livelihood.  Beside the tsunami response, war-affected families who have been repeatedly displaced over the last two decades and yet do not qualify for equivalent relief and rehabilitation packages offered to the tsunami displaced are also included.

People’s expectations: People affected by the Tsunami expect to earn a living as they did before December 26 and most of them desire to return to their former livelihoods activities. Many persons re-started their activities on their own without much external support. Other families require support to get their productive assets replaced, and in some cases they need working capital to restart or expand their businesses.

Diversity of livelihoods: People earn a living in enormously diverse ways. Therefore, they generally prefer cash transfers allowing them to meet their needs with greater freedom and dignity, and according to their own priorities. Therefore, cash support is considered particularly appropriate, because it is a flexible mechanism to deliver assistance. Cash support encourages people to use their own initiative; it promotes self-reliance and self-help and addresses the needs of affected people as they define these needs themselves.

Project Aim, Project Area and Target Groups

Project Aim: The project aims at enabling people who have lost their livelihood due to the tsunami or to the conflict to get back into their trade and livelihoods, to restart their income-earning activities and to become independent from relief.

Project Area: Selected (tsunami-affected) Divisions of Ampara district: Nintavur, Karaitivu, Sainthamaruthu, Kalmunai Muslim, Kalmunai Tamil  and Navithanveli (conflict-affected) ( Map Project Area)

Target Groups:  The project focuses on up to 6’000 poor and vulnerable families, who have lost their livelihood due to the tsunami and/or during the war. These families are provided with a cash grant to restart their livelihood activities. Initially, the program addressed families living in the ex -buffer zone (65-200), making use of the lists prepared by the Divisional Secretariat (DS) Offices, in accordance with eligibility for a housing grant. Later other families are included, such as the families who once lived in the buffer zone (set back zone 0-65 m) but have since been permanently resettled elsewhere in the Division.

Implementation Procedure:

The selection of the target area is done in consultation with the Divisional Secretariats (DS). Already existing lists of families with fully damaged houses (eligible to get Rs. 250’000 housing reconstruction grant) are obtained from DS office.

Prior to starting the intervention, project staff members visit the sites to assess the situation (Have people already returned? Are they sufficiently settled to start livelihood activities?). Google earth maps are used for orientation and to mark out the selected areas.

• Map Google Earth

2. Invitation to meeting

The Project posts letters to beneficiary families inviting them to come for a project-orientation meeting. Simple and understandable information about the purpose of the meeting and eligibility is provided at that time.

In addition, a list of potential beneficiaries is provided to the local government official, the Grama Seveka (GS), requesting that the individuals be informed about the meeting.

3. Orientation Meeting for Potential Beneficiaries

Orientation meetings are held in easily accessible public places (i. e. schools, community centres). During these meetings the objectives, terms & conditions of support  are explained and a beneficiary Livelihood Committee is formed.

Due emphasis is given to a thorough explanation about who is eligible (eligibility criteria). Practical examples are also given to participants as illustrations and they are informed that the project focuses on poor families, who don’t have sufficient resources of their own to restore their livelihood activities.

The Project Team uses a caring and respectful attitude towards the people (e.g. reduce waiting time, the avoidance of bureaucratic procedures and excessive ‘red tape’).

After the meeting each is given a date and a time slot to come for the formal registration process.

Finally participants are asked to nominate a Livelihood Committee that will be comprised of 2 men and  2 women.

4. Registration (Grant Application)

• Registration Form

Volunteers help applicants fill out the application forms. The information collected includes personal details (name, address, bank account, NIC number), details of family members living in the household, family income and expenditure, assets owned, loans taken and assistance received. In addition, the application form includes a budget/cost estimate and a simple business plan. Applicants are instructed that failure to provide correct information at this initial stage automatically disqualifies their application for consideration.

Time needed: 45-60 minutes/application form

5. On-Site Verification

During on-site visits volunteers verify the information given on the application form. The observations are used for subsequent grant approval. The proposed activities and business plans are revisited and revised, if required.

After on-site verification, the information provided on the application form is crosschecked again with the Livelihood Committee members.

6. Assessment and Approval of Grants

Grant applications are assessed and budgets are reviewed based on the information given in the application forms and the information collected during the on-site verification visit following the registration.

Each application then is cross-checked against a set of criteria, designed by the project management.

After approval a formal agreement is signed between Helvetas and the beneficiary. The agreement includes the final budget, the amounts of money to be transferred in each of the two installments and special conditions, if any.

The grant amount and purpose are entered in the beneficiary’s already-existing refugee card (“Tsunami card”).

• Assessment Form (Criteria)
• Agreement
• List of Livelihood Activities
• Example of "Tsunami Card"

7. Database

After approval the information provided in the grant application form is entered into a database. To reduce errors and save time most of the information is entered through pull-down menus. Key information (NIC no., bank account no.) are double checked against photocopies of these documents to reduce any possible human error.

Time needed: 15  minutes/application form

• Description of database

8. Beneficiary List

• Example of beneficiary list

9. Payment

Payments are made through the state-owned People’s Bank. The Bank transfers the amount provided by the Project, without any additional charges or transaction fees, to the beneficiaries’ savings accounts.

Payments are made in two installments. The Project Office sends a payment order to the local People’s Bank branch office together with two copies of the beneficiary list. The bank later returns 1 copy to the Project with the confirmation that payments have been made.

• Example of Payment list

10. Progress Monitoring

Approximately 2 weeks after depositing the first installment the project volunteers check that the funds have been used for the stipulated purpose. Beneficiaries are classified into three categories

• Activities completed (green): money spent according to plan, ready to receive next installment
• On track (yellow): started with implementation according to plan, but not yet completed 
• Not yet started (red): major delays, or money used for other purposes

The results of the progress monitoring are entered into the database. Subsequently, those classified “green” receive the second installment. “Yellow” and “red” cases are checked again after some time and when they are deemed satisfactory, the second installment is transferred. If required, up to 3 follow –up visits are made to see that the project funds are utilized in the way agreed upon. On average more than 97% of the beneficiaries use the funds as originally agreed.  

Time needed: 30 minutes/case

• Example of Progress Monitoring Form
• Results Progress Monitoring

11. Impact Monitoring

Monitoring of the cash grant’s impact is done six months after the last installment. The main objective is to monitor the impact of the income-generating activity (IGA) on the livelihood of the family in terms of additional income generated and the use of that additionally-generated income. These monitoring results are used for improving implementation and for identifying “lessons learned” and “good practices”.

Time needed: 30 minutes/case

• Report Impact Monitoring Pilot Project
• Results Impact Monitoring
• Impact Monitoring Form

12. Process Monitoring

The project team regularly reviews the efficiency and effectiveness of the implementation process and makes any necessary adjustments, as required. Experiences are documented and used by the management for steering and operational reporting.

• Internal Review

Helvetas has produced a video documentary (30 minutes, English and Tamil version).

A DVD with the video can be obtained
(Cost: 10 US$ plus postal charges) from:

Helvetas
Schweizer Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit

Weinbergstrasse 22a
Postfach, 8021 Zürich

Tel:  044 368 65 00
Fax:  044 368 65 80
Mail:  info@helvetas.org

or

Helvetas Sri Lanka

Swiss Association for International Cooperation

7, Glen Aber Place

Tel. +94 11 2504561

Mail:  hsldirector@eureka.lk