Community based disaster risk management in selected villages in Nuwara Eliya and

Hambantota districts in Sri Lanka

In the eye of a beneficiary

Name of you organization: Lanka Jathika Sarvodaya Shramadana Sangamaya (Inc.) ‘Sarvodaya Movement in Sri Lanka’

Target Countries :- Sri Lanka1

Sarvodaya

Sri Lanka

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End-of-Project Meeting, Building Resilience to Tsunami in Indian Ocean Region 15th – 16th September 2009

In a moment of time

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End-of-Project Meeting, Building Resilience to Tsunami in Indian Ocean Region 15th – 16th September 2009

Project locations

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End-of-Project Meeting, Building Resilience to Tsunami in Indian Ocean Region 15th – 16th September 2009

Hambantota District:

Madaketiya Kahandamodara

Nuwara-Eliya District:

GaminipuraVidulipura-NorthVidulipura-SouthKumbalgamuwaLadupita

• 65,610 sq. km• 2,524 m amsl• 1,340 km coastal line• 20 min population• 2,500-5,000 mm rainfall in south-west region

Sarvodaya in Sri Lanka

• Founded in 1958 to seek a society with no poverty and no affluence

• Services in 15,000 (38,000) villages with 34 District Centers (currently only 32 are operating)

• Additionally 170 Divisional Centers, 12 Development Education Centers, 4 Multi-Purpose Community Centers, 1000+ Sarvodaya Financial Centers

• Working with 5,200 legally independent CBO’s in all districts including war torn North and Eastern Provinces (Sarvodaya Shramadana Societies)

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End-of-Project Meeting, Building Resilience to Tsunami in Indian Ocean Region 15th – 16th September 2009

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End-of-Project Meeting, Building Resilience to Tsunami in Indian Ocean Region 15th – 16th September 2009 6

Event of Shramadana

Implementation process

Our approach

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End-of-Project Meeting, Building Resilience to Tsunami in Indian Ocean Region 15th – 16th September 2009 7

AttitudesCapacity Building

Alternative livelihoodBetter access

Participatory Rural AppraisalDecision making

Key Achievementsin the eye of a beneficiary

1. Improvement of community knowledge on disasters

2. Identification of disaster risk by community, skill development of communities

3. Enhanced capacity of community for disaster mitigation and risk reduction

4. CBDM is integrated with sustainable livelihood in DRR

5. Enhanced capacity of district and national level institutions of Sarvodaya to implement DRR programmes effectively

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Key Achievements (Contd…)1. Improvement of community knowledge on disasters

• Awareness programmes for Govt officials

(with NBRO) in Walapane– How landslides happen– Factors influence the occurrence of LS– Mitigation methods for DRR

• Awareness programmes for school

children (with NBRO) - Nildandahinna– Identify signs of LS– Field visits– Risk reduction

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2. Identification of disaster risk by community, skill development of communities• Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)

in all 7 villages

• Identification of disaster risks by

the community– Identify and prioritize the disaster risks– Identification and prioritization of mitigation

activities

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2. Identification of disaster risk by community, skill development of communities (Cont’d)• Vulnerability maps and evacuation routes

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3. Enhanced capacity of community for disaster mitigation and risk reduction• Establishment of siren based early warning system - Kahadamodara

and Medaketiya

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3. Enhanced capacity of community for disaster mitigation and risk reduction• Establishment of siren based early warning system - Kahadamodara

and Medaketiya (Cont’d)

• The warning chain

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Sending early warning message by Government DMC

Message receive to the village DM committee

Switch on the Siren based on the message

3. Enhanced capacity of community for disaster mitigation and risk reduction (Cont’d)• Moc drills

– By DMC– What to do after siren– Safer places– Evacuation routes – Timing

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3. Enhanced capacity of community for disaster mitigation and risk reduction• LS risk reduction thro’ rainfall

measurements– Rain gauges to 5 schools in Walapane

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75mm/day: ALERT100mm/day: WARNING75mm/hr or 150mm/day: Evacuation (NBRO)

3. Enhanced capacity of community for disaster mitigation and risk reduction• First Aid training

– By St. Johns Ambulance service– To improve the level of knowledge of first aid

within the community– In Hambantota, Walapane and Hatton– To community members, Govt officers

• Equipment for emergency use in

Nuwara Eliya– A tool kit– Lanterns, source pans, Gas cockers,

extension cords, bulbs, warm cloths,

nylon mats, water tanks etc

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3. Enhanced capacity of community for disaster mitigation and risk reduction• Construction of evacuation paths

– Kumbalgamuwa– Bridge damaged by landslides – Temporary bridge was used by 150 people

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3. Enhanced capacity of community for disaster mitigation and risk reduction• Construction of evacuation paths (Cont’d)

– Gaminipura– 300 m of foot path– Constructed as evacuation route

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3. Enhanced capacity of community for disaster mitigation and risk reduction• Renovation of Vidulupura resources center

– Awareness– Training– Gathering place in case of disaster

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4. CBDM is integrated with sustainable livelihood in DRR

• Dressmaking training in Kahandamodara

– Conventionally a fishing village– 23 women trained– Alternative livelihood– Machines in community center – 10 has already started

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4. CBDM is integrated with sustainable livelihood in DRR

• Dressmaking training in Kahandamodara (Cont’d)

– Exhibition after training

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5. Enhanced capacity of district and national level institutions to implement DRR programmes effectively • PRA Training program

– To enhance capacity of field coordinators

and village level community leaders– Develop DRR plans at village level.

• National level workshop– 18th March, 2009– Government Agencies, University, NGOs,

Monitoring team from SEEDS India,

community members, Sarvodaya staff

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Final Beneficiries

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District Name of the village No. of households Total population Male Female

Hambantota Kahadamodara 243 1350 668 682

Medaketiya 426 2846

Nuwara- Eliya Gaminipura 630 3400 1500 1900

Kumbalgamuwa

Ladupita 134 579 269 310

Vidulipura-North 260 1350 613 737

Vidulipura-South 243 1775 799 976

5 schools in

Nuwara-Eliya

Nildandahinna National School The surrounding villages in those schools will receive the information

about rainfall and early warning messages based on those results.

Batagolla Pushpadewa School

Udamadura School

Padiyapelalla National School

Degalahinna National School

Lessons Learned

• Need of strong community participation, team work and leadership• Multi-dimensional approach in DRR• Good coordination between stakeholders including Govt, UN, INGO

and national and local NGO• People centered approaches and solutions• Community lead implementation leads to ownership eg: bridge in

Kumbalgamuwa• More potential with children

• More focus needed on environmental sustainability and eco-systems

• Diversification of livelihood activities

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How the outcomes will be sustained…

• Continuous interaction with the communities• Community ownership of the process as well as outputs• Value addition to the active participants, transferred knowledge • More focus on children who will be decision makers of tomorrow• Continuous communication among national organizations and

grassroots organizations

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Sustainability of Sarvodaya Service

Village• 5 decades of experience and goodwill in community mobilization

• Holistic approach in rural development (spiritual, moral, cultural, social, economic and political development)

• Operates thro’ legally independent Sarvodaya societies (CBOs)

• Credit+ services in micro-financing with SEEDS with training and capacity building in livelihood development

• Provision of other support services such as Relief, Rural Technical Services, Early Childhood Development, Legal Services, Women Empowerment, Youth Peace Brigades, ICT, Community Health

• Proven long term partnership with different stakeholders (Government, UN, INGOs, NGOs)

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Future plans??

• Expansion – yes. funding?• Going beyond/addressing Tsunamis and landslides for other

frequent disasters• Remedies for loss of agricultural livelihood due to climatic change• Maintaining the same momentum with beneficiaries • Plans for sustainable environment/ecosystems

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www.sarvodaya.org