Still at it
We are on the Southeast tip of the island staying 2 nights in Tissamaharama. Our work with Rebuilding Communities International (RCI) may have found a home here, as we found a Buddhist monk willing to donate enough land to put up a community center in a small town named Kirinda, but this is where our work intersects with the local government. The approval process for a development or rebuilding project must come through the ‘AG office’ - a term used for the local government. First step after finding land to build on is obtaining AG office approval.
As a sign of what’s to come, our driver caught the attention of a woman working for the German Development Cooperation whose project is data basing all the project information of over 40 relief agencies working in the South of Sri Lanka. This way overlap can be reined and one should hear less stories about a fishermen receiving 3 boats and 20 mosquito nets, for example. Another part of this work is to identify ‘beneficiaries’ or people that have already received the aid they need. The AG couldn’t provide her any assistance with this, although it is the responsibility of this office to do so.
We know the information is being collected by the local government level, so where does it go? It’s invaluable to the groups helping to bring these coastal communities back to life, but isn’t given to them.
In the case of RCI, acquiring land to build on and then getting approval, I think the ‘wait and see’ approach will prevail. We were told of only 2 projects approved by the this office in the first weeks after the tsunami. No details of other community rebuilding projects could be given in the Kirinda area, and our second meeting scheduled with the head of this office was cleverly stalled and then we were told to ‘try’ and reschedule it again for late the following week. ‘Help me – help you’ comes to mind frequently.
Several days have now passed since this last entry above with much learned and a few accomplishments. The most fulfilling part of this week were 2 rushed hours with Dulini and her younger brother – a 17 and 10 year old who lost both parents to the tsunami. Dulini is an exceptional student, with test scores you could compare to in the US as nearly perfect SAT scores. Since immediate needs were met for the most part, we provided enough money to cover tuition costs for the next year of classes. We also gave out most of the remaining school supplies and provided money to a young mother looking after a 5 year old orphaned girl as well as her own son. Household income has been tight, averaging around $100 US a month and earned mostly by the elder grandfather. The mother has been dependent on her parents since her husband passed away in the tsunami. In the case of Dulini and her brother, we are intent on keeping correspondence by mail and continuing to assist with some of her future education expenses.
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