Thiraimadu

The Helvetas /Skat contribution comprises 100 houses including infrastructure, one pre-school and one community building. The soft components of the project include coordination of donor activities, livelihood activities, capacity building, hygiene training and home gardening.

The Thiraimadu Relocation Scheme in many ways illustrates the “ills” of post-tsunami rehabilitation efforts – lack of coordination, non-fulfillment of pledges, fluctuation in governmental policies and donor presence – concentrated within one setting. Government’s ambitious scheme of a “largest relocation site in Sri Lanka” was not facilitated with adequate planning and coordination capacity, and delays stretched over more than eight months. Out of a total of nine NGO’s, only Helvetas/Skat and SLS remained at the site to fulfill their contracts, the others lost belief in a successful Thiraimadu reconstruction.

With an extension in project duration and increase in the budget approved by Sws in February 2006, Helvetas/Skat started construction on their own initiative and acted as a spearhead in the reconstruction of Thiraimadu. The success of Helvetas/Skat encouraged the other orgainsatons to resume their activities. Slowly but steadily they came back and started construction work. By now, four other NGO’s have rejoined and about 500 houses are under construction. In April 2007, the SKat/Helvetas activities were completed, and the field office in Batticaloa was closed down.