One Village at a Time

The least developed areas in the country were the ones most affected by the tsunami. Nevertheless, the consequential asset loss was estimated to be around US$ 1,000 million - or 5% of the country’s GDP. This included loss to private property, transport infrastructure, fisheries harbours, hotels, schools, hospitals, water and electricity supplies and telecommunications.

More than 70,000 houses have been reported as completely destroyed, with a further 30,000 damaged. Most of the community infrastructure (such as wells and drainage) was also destroyed. Without access to clean water and sanitation, the health and life of affected communities were threatened.

The damage and destruction to affected communities’ infrastructure services - including market centres and links - hampered relief efforts. Altogether, 178 schools, 57 local government complexes and 52 places of worship were either destroyed or severely damaged. Four universities and 13 vocational training institutes were also damaged. An unspecified number of libraries located in the affected areas were also destroyed. The damage to facilities such as community centres, schools and libraries had the potential to destroy the social fabric of affected areas. Villages need these places of interaction to sustain community relationships; therefore, these facilities were needed to be rebuilt in order to restore these relationships. In the immediate aftermath of the tsunami, the Government established a Centre for National Operations to coordinate the relief operation and provide a point of interface between the Government, the NGOs and the UN. At the district level, the Government Agents (GA) was coordinating all assistance.

SSGF’s ‘One Village at a Time’ Project focused on:
· Rebuilding community infrastructure such as schools and community spaces
· Creating employment that is sustainable or enhances sustainable livelihoods
· Assisting the recovery of villages in an integrated manner
· Promoting communities’ welfare with a special focus on the improvement of their participation in economic development

Specific small infrastructural facilities that have been funded by the SSGF grant include:
· Construction of drinking water projects
· Construction of agricultural wells
· Providing housing materials for villagers
· Construction of community centres and conference halls
· Constructing of roads
· Constructing and rebuilding of dharmashalas, schools and class rooms
· Building libraries and reading centres, providing books and other material
· Building playgrounds for children
· Renovating dilapidated walls and roofs
· Building toilets for householdsCleaning beaches and restoring vegetation