The Asian Exchange

ASB Foreign Aid

in Asia Introduction
ASB Asia works primarily to assist and promote the rehabilitation and development of displaced and vulnerable populations who have been adversely affected by natural disaster, armed conflict and the incidence of extreme poverty. ASB adopts a one-country approach and is committed to working with local communities and their partner organizations to secure effective, lasting and participatory solutions to rehabilitation and development. ASB is a proud to be a founding member of Action Deutschland Hilft ADH, who fundraised more than 120,000,000 for consortium members for post-tsunami relief and rehabilitation activities in Asia. ASB maintains a post-tsunami programme support unit in the ADH Liaison Office in Colombo. ADH members implementing posttsunami projects in Sri Lanka include the Solidar INGO Consortium of Norwegian Peoples Aid (NPA), Schweizerissches Arbeiternilfswerk (SAH) and ASB Sri Lanka. A founding member of the Solidar Network in Europe, ASB Sri Lanka has been instrumental in creating the Solidar INGO Consortium in Sri Lanka. Leveraging the established strengths and competencies of each member organization, the consortium has developed a joint-implementation approach to post-tsunami reconstruction and rehabilitation activities in the North-East of the country and has pioneered new levels of close cooperation and collaboration at the programmatic level. Based on pragmatism, trust and mutual reciprocity, individual consortium partners work to achieve their own organizational mandates while working to common programme goals. This arrangement has created powerful synergies that increase overall programme performance and deliver significant cost-savings. It also provides opportunities for other members of the network to channel funds and technical assistance into projects.

Consectetuer #00

Contents: Indonesia .....................................1 Mannar ........................................ 2 Batticaloa .................................... 3 Hambantota ................................ 4 Kilinochchi .................................. 7 India ............................................ 8 Pakistan ...................................... 8

July 2006

Indonesia

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On the morning of Saturday, the 27th of May this year, an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale struck the densely populated province of Jogyakarta, on the island of Java in Indonesia. An ASB Assessment Team was dispatched from Sri Lanka and arrived at the scene on Tuesday, May 30th. The initial ndings indicated that the immediate provision of emergency aid and food was well taken care of but still the question remained as to what transitory relief and rehabilitation needs were still to be met. ASB started delivering basic non-food relief items or starter kits to 415 house holds in some of the worst aected villages in the districts of Bantul and Klaten that had yet to receive any signicant aid or assistance. This has been undertaken with nancial assistance from ASB Austria and VHO. The method of distribution utilized by ASB has been praised by community members. While remaining sympathetic to the local and sub-village political system, ASB has targeted beneciaries directly and in close consultation with the community and local ocials. ASB is dedicated to helping the victims of the earthquake rebuild their lives. To this end, it will work closely with the provincial and district governments and seek to build close partnerships and alliances with local NGOs and charities as well as public and private sector organizations. ASB will also aim to build on existing alliances and consortia and develop strategic alliances with other international organizations and funding organizations. ASB intends to continue its operational presence in Indonesia beyond the short-term and to work to provide phased assistance over the forthcoming year as they these devastated communities strive to rebuild their lives. The Socio-Economic Relief and Recovery Project will commence in Mid-June with cash for work projects, facilitating the eorts

ASB Foreign Aid

in Asia

Mannar DS Division of Mannar District. The majority of the families are resettling in the village after returning from India in 2004. A smaller number of families are relocating from other areas in Mannar DS Division or the Northern Province itself. The families who are resettling own their own land whereas the relocating families have received a land grant from the Bishop of Mannar. 39 houses are underway. A few of the families need toilets that also will be built. Once the housing scheme is nished (most likely in November 2006), livelihood-related projects will commence. The second village where the project is underway is Salambaikulam in the Vavuniya DS Division of Vavuniya District. This is a traditional Muslim village from which all of the residents were expelled in 1990. Until recently the 11 families who have returned were living in a resettlement site called Salambaipura in the Anuradhapura District. 11 houses with toilet facilities are under construction. The project follows what is called the owner-driven model, which means that the project participants, with the guidance of a government technical ocer build the houses themselves. The houses are 517 sq. feet that includes one large living space, two smaller bedrooms, and a kitchen. In undertaking the arduous process of building their own houses, it is hoped that the houses as physical structures will truly become homes, satisfying the soon-to-be residents with a sense of pride and ownership that could not exist otherwise. To further enhance feelings of ownership, ASB signs an agreement with project participants that outlines duties and responsibilities for both of the parties. The project is implemented in cooperation with Ministry of Resettlement, which is headed by Honorable Minister Rishad Bathiudeen, a native of Mannar District and displaced Muslim himself.

of the reconstruction eorts, helping to rebuild community centers and schools and working to provide communities with livelihoods support. At the same time ASB will look to build alliances with other international organizations and work to build relationships with local partner organizations. It is anticipated that the country oce will develop additional longer-term, more development oriented service-based projects including education, training, micronance, o-farm enterprise development and skills training activities and a mobile information project working to reducing the vulnerability of street children.

P Th e p i p d a t p a l a g h d r a c a m c s t

July 2006  Issue 01

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ASB Mannar

The Community Rehabilitation & Empowerment Project The Community Rehabilitation and Empowerment Project (CREP) is a pilot housing and livelihood project operating in the Mannar and Vavuniya Districts of the Northern Province. The project aims to facilitate the resettlement of conict-aected persons all of whom have dierent conict-aected histories and experiences. The specic groups participating in the project include internally-displaced Muslims who were expelled from the Northern Province in 1990 and have been living in camps and resettlement sites in the North Central Province, refugees who have returned from refugees camps in Tamilnadu India, internally-displaced persons who for a various reasons cannot return to their native places within the Northern Province, and nally, persons who are relocating from other areas within the Mannar District. One village is Konnaiyankudiyiruppu, a Tamil village in the

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Peace & Justice Programme The basic framework of ASBs Peace & Justice Programme is to encourage the development and implementation of community peace plans to involve communities widely in formulating and implementing programmes directed to reduce violence and promote harmony and justice. ASBs role is to facilitate the development of such plans and then provide the encouragement and expertise to bringing the plans to fruition. It is expected that each community plan will be implemented through subprojects, determined by the community, to make the local vision a reality. As plans develop it is expected that the processes will be linked into other resources and processes that exist at a district and national level. In November 2004 ASB started work with a group of 20 people in the Valaichchenai area. By now the group has expanded to nearly 100 people working on four strategies dealing with community, educational, economic and conict reduction themes. Despite the deteriorating security situation and the threats against women involved in NGO meetings, community members from all four groups continue to meet on a regular basis. Representatives from the group have recently met to review progress so far and plan for development of their community peace plan strategy. The ASB team is now starting similar work in Arayampatty, Kattankudy and Navatkudah, to the South of Batticaloa Town. Parallel Projects: It is intended that the community peace plan implementation will be supported by other projects that are being developed in the course of this year. These include: The Applied Peacebuilding Course a practical peace training that began at the end of February in cooperation with our partner Peace & Community Action with the participants gathering to design the course curriculum. Participants are drawn from communities in Batticaloa and Trincomalee Districts to undergo a year long training in both workshop and eld settings. The emphasis will be on recognising existing skills from which will be developed into practices appropriate to local circumstances. The training has been hampered by the tense situation which has prevented participants travel and meetings with the separate groups are planned as a temporary measure. Consensus for Transforming Fear This is project was conceived in the hope of being able to nd a way, that was community owned, to address the disruptive eect of hartals, or strikes, which are often called in an attempt to address genuine grievances. As a form of civil disobedience they are generally ineective as well as often being enforced by violence. It was hoped that groups of concerned citizens could be supported to nd ways of addressing such grievances through more positive means. Preliminary work has been started in the Valaichchenai community. However the increased harassment of women generally in Batticaloa District and women NGO workers in particular from April 2006 onwards has prompted the ASB team to use the

ASB Batticaloa

ASB Foreign Aid

in Asia

same methodology of building informal networks for peaceful change to address this new issue. It is intended to provide concerned individuals with the support required to implement problem solving activities to address such divisive issues in the community. To date an interest group on the NGO issue has had a preliminary meeting as well as a meeting of Batticaloa female NGO workers, who have outlined a plan of action. Three other separate meetings with interested Batticaloa men, expatriate male NGO workers and expatriate women NGO workers are planned to move this process forward. Community Advice Service (planned) a pilot project in Batticaloa, Hambantota and Puttalam Districts to develop an agency that will seek to work with members of the community to address administrative and commercial issues that can frustrate everyday life. While pursuing solutions through advocacy and mediation, the project will also aim to build the capacity of those seeking redress to resolve such issues in future themselves. The project will also seek to prompt reform of administrative and commercial practices based on case histories of the project. One particular emphasis of this service is likely to be addressing the marginalisation of women and children. Building on Stories of Change (planned) this project seeks to identify existing strategies and behaviours for self-protection and conict resolution amongst individuals and aected by conict. Having collected such information, it is intended to work with communities to use such methods to eectively promote culturally successful ways of reducing conict, promoting resolution of conict and protection of human rights.

July 2006 3 Issue 01

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In Batticaloa, and later in other parts of the Eastern Province, ASB intends to concentrate on developing the capacities of individuals and communities to contribute to a national peace from local initiatives and to promote justice in various aspects of daily life. As the programme develops other projects aimed at stopping violence and building a just and sustainable peace linking both community and national processes are likely to emerge.

ASB Foreign Aid

ASB HAMBANTOTA

in Asia

commence service delivery via the application of a Community Development Model to twenty of the poorest households in the District. The total number of beneciaries to be assisted in a two month period will amount to two hundred Sri Lankans. It is estimated that in a ve month period, one thousand beneciaries will receive a range of complex services through the application and implementation of this Community Development Model. BECS (Business Education and Communication Skills) Over the past four week period, thirty six clients have been provided with training in BECS at three dierent levels of skill application. These levels include Elementary, Pre-Intermediate and Intermediate 11. There is a wait list of fourteen participants wanting Beginners BECS. Since the four BECS trainers currently employed have not been taught to deliver a Beginners Course, we will once again utilize the services of our Technical Advisor. In addition to providing a Beginners Course, the Technical Advisor will also undertake post program monitoring and evaluation, refresher training and any other

C P

Youth Access Project Overview The Youth Access team members can make claim to being treated professionally and workplace activity is based on all the principles of Equity & Social Justice. In this context the evolution of all team members and the project per se takes place. Increasingly, the ne-tuning of all service delivery takes place and no team member can make claim to confusion or uncertainty about their individual roles and the expected outcomes, of these individual roles. Agreement on denition, clearly articulated expectations, regular dialogue, a nonjudgmental, safe working environment and support, form the infra-structure within which all process, service provision and work outputs arise. Each day begins with a sta meeting. All team members and core sta attend. In the absence of the Project Manager, the Program Assistant or Oce Administrator conducts the meeting. (Both these sta members have been given delegated authority by the Project Manager to make decisions that result in positive outcomes for individual team members and the project as an entirety.) These meetings are a time for reection about the previous days activities, problems or issues arising are discussed, and where relevant, solutions are sought, or processes implemented. It is this process that ensures that clear communication between all stakeholders eventuates. Levity is encouraged and evidence demonstrates that no problem or diculty is insurmountable. In order to elicit best practice, commitment and loyalty to the organization, all sta are encouraged to feel a sense of ownership. In the past month, since my last report, clearer outcomes have been discussed and team members are now attuned to the bigger picture expectations of both ASB and the Youth Access Project. We have discussed numbers of disadvantaged clients to be assisted within a timeframe of six months, with clear indications of how these processes must be achieved. For example, the MIFED (Micro-Finance and Enterprise Development) Team will

A w A p w b s f t s

July 2006 4 Issue 01

T a c h t p s w t

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Th m t b m b I a p s a h o t

shortfall deemed to be necessary to ensure highest levels of service delivery. Interviewing will begin for four new positions within the BECS team. The rationale for employing more sta is based on the need to quickly expand service delivery to rural and remote locations within the district. An important new element of service delivery in this arena is the addition of a conversational component in the delivery of the Beginners English. Research & Development (PROVIDE) All six members of this team are poised to implement a Community Development model of service delivery to two hundred disadvantaged Sri Lankans in rural and remote areas. The team is forming strong collaborative partnerships with relevant GOSL Departments and together the rst pilot project will commence in the next two weeks.

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Community Development (CODE) AN OVERVIEW OF PARTNERSHIP GARDENING.

After discussion and workshops with the team, on Friday 9 June we will have a formal meeting with senior sta from the Department of Agriculture. These sta has already applied criteria and has assessed potentially, those who will qualify for assistance, working in partnership with both ASB and the Department of Agriculture. We will also be undertaking discussion with sta from the thirteen divisional secretariats in the Hambantota District as well as the village headman from the currently existing 568 Gramasevakas. It will be sta from these organizations that will provide the information upon which a starting point will be established. To begin, ASB sta will identify, in collaboration with social mobilisers and AG sta twenty of the poorest households from within the wider community. These households will be divided into two groups of ten households. ASB sta will establish rapport with all members of the two teams selected to participate in the pilot community development project, partnership gardening. The projects will be implemented in stages, but importantly all members of the households will be provided with opportunities to clearly articulate their needs and assessment of their individual levels of poverty will be addressed. In order to establish individual home gardens, teams from the Department of Agriculture, together with the ASB teams will assist in implementing the home gardens. They will be provided with information and assistance in applying companion planting, longterm and short-term crops, application of chemicals and fertilizers, harvesting and storage. Depending on location, bore water or common wells will be provided. The major dierence in the application of this project is that all members of the twenty households will work together to establish the individual gardens. Once the twenty individual gardens have been established, ASB sta will work with households to discuss and make plans for the harvesting of their cash crops and harvests will be pooled so that the families obtain the best price for their crops. In addition, a vital element of the process as it unfolds is determining if any potential problems or issues may have arisen, and ASB sta will provide counseling, advice, support and information. Importantly, on evidence of hard work and commitment, two members of the twenty households will be employed to act in the role of supervisors in situ. Each household will also be provided with twenty ve chickens for egg production and meat. If there is evidence of solidarity and good working rapport established amongst all twenty households, households will be provided with two cows (two cows per ten households) for milk, both for household consumption and sale. This process will be applied on the basis of milestones achieved. Post project monitoring and evaluation will be established to provide support and measurement of long term sustainability. TIME LINE & EXPENDITURE None of the households will be provided with cash. ASB will procure all goods and services at an estimated cost of SLR25000 (twenty ve thousand rupees) per household. This sum will also include the procurement of water, seeds, fertilizers, poultry and livestock. The Department of Agriculture will also be providing in-kind contributions to each of the participating households. (This has been determined through preliminary discussions. The major thrust for this is based on current GOSL planning for the elimination of poverty and associated principles.)

ASB Foreign Aid

in Asia

n ll e n S er of rs m er

It is estimated that processes will commence immediately and a total of 200 people will be assisted every two months. One thousand of the poorest and most disadvantaged Sri Lankans will be provided with food and income in a time frame of ve months. The mechanics of service delivery will be ne-tuned and amended as required for the duration of the process.

July 2006 5 Issue 01

COMPUTE The second training component is computer classes in which the participants learn the use of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access. The application of these programs enables their users to eectively use computers in their daily work to process information and compile a comprehensive output. The demand for IT training is high in the district. The three team members post training from Singapore Informatics have begun to delivery training, in the main to senior sta from the District Secretariat, including the District Secretary. In addition, the Compute Team has designed and will deliver training to members of the Youth Access sta team. Momentarily, the IT courses are run in the IT facilities in the ASB oce and will expand to schools, public and private institutions in the towns and

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rural areas of the district. In parallel, a survey is conducted to identify the capacity and needs of local ICT training institutions.

ASB Foreign Aid

in Asia

CONNECT The new project is called Connect. It aims at bringing ICT and internet technology to the district. It will start with increasing the capacity of the local government to use ICT in their daily work. This will improve the work ow, introduce technical standard procedures and reduce time for specic tasks and activities. The project is a combination of software (training) and hardware (ICT facilities). It is in its very initial stages in which the project idea is being developed. On the basis of the cooperation with the District Secretariat, their needs in ICT will be identied.

and its new animators. Part of what was to come out of this session was to prepare the groundwork for the Animator Training Sessions that would start at the end of this month and continue over the next two to three months. A total of six animators were chosen to participate in the training sessions. The training consisted of preparation, story and painting as well as conducting the daily exercise in body wisdom. Space for the location of where all animators for the project will be trained, is located in the garden of the Program Managers sta house. In addition to utilizing this garden space, the Program Manager has provided one large room for the storage of equipment, and has constructed two new outdoor toilets for sta use.

July 2006  Issue 01

The Childrens Garden Project (Kalabala Bindu) The three team members under the direction and tutelage of the Consultant from Batticaloa and the Technical Advisor have completed their second and third workshop in putting together and operating the Kala Bala Bindu Project in Hambantota. The focus was to complete what was started with the Mystery Painting Mythography and Mediation and move on to the role of image and narrative on the garden path. Story telling is the key, using our Mystery Painting, Story Stone objects and words taken out of the Labyrinth to create a poem. All of this is to lay the ground work for the cohesive practice, which arises organically out of an understanding of the creation of the Garden Path. This is what will give the direction and provide the momentum for the formation of the new garden in Hambantota

ASB Foreign Aid

2005-2006.

in Asia

ASB Kilinochchi

During 2005, ASB, SAH and SAH developed its phase III post-tsunami intervention in the North and signed a oneyear partnership agreement. The Solidar programme is called the RECODE Programme. In the project ASB has the lead responsibility for all physical infrastructure development and manages the Solidar Northern Oce through the ASB premises in Kilinochchi. ASB Sri Lanka has been instrumental in creating the Solidar INGO Consortium in Sri Lanka. Based on leveraging the established strengths and competencies of each member organization, the consortium has developed a jointimplementation approach to post-tsunami reconstruction and rehabilitation activities in the North-East of the country and has pioneered new levels of close cooperation and collaboration at the programmatic level. The physical infrastructure activities are principally funded by NPA and SAHs respective post-tsunami supporters, namely, the Norwegian Foreign Aairs Ministry and Swiss Solidarity Chain as well as with a majority funding coming from ASB and ADH. NPA undertakes logistics and supply chain management and runs the Solidar Project Oce in Colombo. SAH are the lead organization for the Community Infrastructure and Livelihoods Rehabilitation Project which is co-funded by ASB. Based on pragmatism, trust and mutual reciprocity, individual consortium partners work to achieve their own organizational mandates while working to common programme goals. This arrangement has created powerful synergies that increase overall programme performance and deliver signicant costsavings. It also provides opportunities for other members of the network to channel funds and technical assistance into projects. The Village Reconstruction & Development Project The VRDP Project is a comprehensive phase III post-tsunami reconstruction project being undertaken by ASB and its fellow Solidar INGO Consortium members NPA and SAH. The project involves the construction 1,125 permanent houses in six relocated village sites from scratch during the period

After extensive discussions with the local government authorities and the political wing of the LTTE, ASB/ Solidar were allocated the responsibility of building 6 villages in 3 community clusters of Muranthankerny Division, Vadamarachchi East. The project sites in Vadamarachchi East are located on a strip of land separated from the mainland by a lagoon which is approximately 10km north of Elephant Pass. The area has been heavily aected by war and remnants of the conict - including landmines and other UXO The overall goal of the programme is to complete the reconstruction of six villages allowing the communities of these villages to resettle in their new homes and establish livelihoods. The specic purpose of the Physical Infrastructure component of this proposal is to support the construction of 1125 private houses and both access and internal roads within these communities. In addition to the houses and roads, construction of community buildings include facilities for CBOs such as those for shermens and womens societies in addition to preschools, community halls, playgrounds and market and shopping complexes. To ensure that village construction is appropriate for the population and are according to local standards, religious believes and the cultural context of the area, high emphasis was laid on the participation of the people in the communities. Regular consultations with the VDFs, with CBOs and with individuals in the villages help to understand the needs and expectations of the people. ASB is not building houses but homes and communities and while this practice of liaison adds a signicant time to the overall programme, the engagement of the beneciaries is essential for the success of the resettlement process At this time the total number of houses under construction is 184 between all the sites in Vadamarachchi East. Out of these 184 houses 20 are co-funded by UNHCR. Construction Activities in Chempianpattu North has the highest progress rate. This is due to several factors which include the early allocation of land, the relatively good cooperation from the community and the absence of land disputes. The total number of houses under construction in Chempianpattu North is 137. In Uduthurai, a new model was introduced, after the PDS engineers (local authority) approved the structural design and the materials used. As it is often the case with introducing new ideas to a traditionalist community the reaction to the use of alternative materials and construction

July 2006 7 Issue 01

ASB Foreign Aid

in Asia

methods varies from approval to rejection. In order to move forward PICS have requested from the families who are happy with the model to register their names and to have the priority in getting their houses constructed. 51 houses are under construction at the moment at the state land. Most are at the foundation level. The work on the model house is ongoing. The roof works are almost complete. Access roads to allow delivery of materials have been completed in Chempianpattu North three sites. In Uduthurai East access roads to serve more than 50 houses has been completed. At the moment preparations are being made to continue the remaining access roads. In Vathirayan: half the site has been contracted and works have started. The Solidar Consortium has established a team of international and local experts to implement the reconstruction programme. SAH, with its background in community development and participatory approaches acts as consultant to the construction team to ensure that the beneciary involvement in the reconstruction process is an integral component. The three core INGOs of the Solidar Consortium: ASB, NPA and SAH have signed a Partnership Agreement that outlines the partnership relations and responsibilities of each organization in the consortium. In addition, Service Level Agreements (SLA) developed for various areas of the programme detail the working relationship and cost sharing mechanisms.

by ASB-BV to VH (Volkshilfe sterreich) for the amount of 473,420.01. The rest of the budget, VH is contributing for the implementation of the project. This means that ASB is not implementing this project but nancially supporting. The Project IND 0602, ASB-BV is nancially supporting the extension of the Kolping Matriculation School in Periakalapet India. ASB-BV will provide the total budget of 65,900.00, the German partner organization Sozial- und Entwicklungshilfe des Kolpingwerkes e.V. will be the implementing project partner for this project. The project duration is from 01.06.06 until the 31.07.07. ASB-BV is nancially supporting the construction of the community hall Dalitdorf Panjamteerthe while the German partner, ASB Landesverband Schleswig-Holstein, is implementing the Project IND 0603. The total project budget is 12,790.00, which ASB-BV is contributing to the project partner for implementation. The project duration lasts from the 01.01.06 until the 31.08.06. Pakistan Following the earthquake in Pakistan, October 2005, ASB-BV provided nancial support for emergency relief items in the aected areas. In the District of Mansehra in Pakistan, ASB-BV provided 27,000.00 to enable the ADH (Aktion Deutschland Hilft) emergency ight with Non-Food Relief items for 10,000 families (about 50,000 beneciaries). In Kashmir, 30,000 was given to the implementing project partner, Dnische Volkshilfe, to provide blankets for 6000 victims. At the moment, ASB-BV is assessing a project, PAK 0601, to undertake the repairing and reconstruction of houses for families who were badly aected during the earthquake in Kashmir. It is being determined where, to what extent and for whom this project can be implemented. The project budget is 245,190.50

July 2006 8 Issue 01

India

Due to the Tsunami aecting the area of Tamil Nadu in India, infrastructure as well as private houses and community buildings were badly destroyed. Within the project IND 0501, 100 houses will be reconstructed in 12 villages in the district of Nagapattinam. In addition, one community center is being reconstructed and as well one school and the corresponding infrastructure of the villages. Furthermore, psychosocial care of children, youth and adults is being undertaken in these 12 villages and trainings will be undertaken for women to introduce them into tailor skills. The project will continue until the 31.12.2006 for the total budget of 491,670.69. Financial support provided

The ASB Mission

The Workers Samaritan Federation (ASB) is an aid and welfare organization comprising 16 sub-national and 250 branches at the municipal, district and regional level as well as more than 100 non-profit associations throughout Germany. ASB has no political or religious affiliation and humanitarian and democratic principles are the basis of ASBs activities in Germany and abroad. The organization receives support from more than 1.1 million members in Germany. ASB Foreign Aid is actively engaged in emergency aid, rehabilitation and long-term development projects in Africa, Asia, Central America and Eastern Europe.
Editor, Design and Layout Clifford Terry Contributors Steve Durrant Dr. Cynthia Caron William Knox Cynthia de Kretser Stefanie Krause Alex Robinson Bapak Manuel Perreora Mesquita