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Ampara was devastated by the Tsunami suffering in excess of 12,000 deaths and leaving almost 100,000 homeless. Until three years ago it was also host to skirmishes between LTTE and Government groups, and hence is one of the poorest districts in the country. Many reports suggested that very little work was being done to help the is placed people in the area, and we decided to go and assess it first hand.

The primary interest in Ampara was the provision of semi-permanent housing. These shelters are quick and cheap to erect, and are used in the transition from tented refugee accommodation to permanent housing. It is indisputable that a huge number of shelters are needed in this area. However Aid Sri Lanka have decided this is not a wise investment of donated funds. This decision was based on four principle factors:

Firstly, the Government has imposed building restrictions on the East coast, making it illegal to rebuild residential properties within 200m of the coast. The majority of Tsunami victims live in this 200m zone, and thus provision of shelter is complicated by relocation schemes. Some of the sites for relocation are up to 5km inland. Since many of the displaced people are fisherman, we did not want to facilitate migration of fishing communities so far inland as this would inevitably damage there livelihoods.

Secondly there are 65 NGOs currently operating in the Ampara district, and many are committed to the provision of transient shelter. At a Government meeting we discovered 25621 shelters had been pledged, when only 18637 are required. Most of the housing projects were under way or starting imminently.

Finally there were a number of logistical problems with operating in Ampara. All our Sri Lankan volunteers are Singhalese, but the dominant language on the East Coast is Tamil. We have prided ourselves on our ability to react quickly and empathetically to any situation. However, this was only possible through trusted relationships with Sri Lankan friends, and an established network of contacts in the local area. With no Tamil speakers, we would have to start anew and compromise on speed and efficiency.

We still believe semi-permanent housing is a priority, and have decided to continue to look for potential sites elsewhere in the country, where Aid Sri Lanka can continue to work quickly and efficiently with proven volunteers.

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