TODAY'S TOP STORY

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga greets Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao before their talks at President’s House yesterday.

National Action Plan for tsunami children's welfare

WOMEN'S Empowerment and Social Welfare Minister Sumedha G. Jayasena has decided to prepare a National Action Plan recommended by the Government for the welfare of tsunami victim children. Under this plan funds will be utilised according to the plan, a ministry official said.

He said that the main intention of this plan is to ensure development and protection of the tsunami affected children.

The plan will be formulated after holding a series of discussions with all non-Governmental organisations working in tsunami affected areas.

The first discussion took place at the Galle District Secretariat on April 7 attended by Minister Jayasena. All MPs representing Galle and Hambantota districts, Provincial Council and Pradeshiya Sabha MPs, State officials and representatives of the NGOs were present.

All ongoing projects implemented by the NGOs such as pre-schools, day-care centres, vocational training centres, loan schemes, self-employment schemes, welfare programs related to the disabled will be streamlined according to the National Plan.

The Government's plan will be presented to the participants during the discussion and an investment plan will be formulated.

The program is a joint initiative of the Women's Empowerment and Social Welfare Ministry and the UNICEF. The same discussion will be held early May with the participation of NGOs, State officials and all the other parties in the North and East.

Following this another discussion will be held in Colombo with the participation of all officials in South and North-East Provinces.

Follow-up monitoring will be done during a period of two years with the participation of UNICEF and the ministry. Women's Empowerment and Social Welfare Ministry Additional Secretary W.H.W.Soysa will co-ordinate the program.

People displaced by tsunami moving into safe accommodation - UN Humanitarian Co-ordinator

THE tragically high loss of life, the number of those displaced and the sheer size of the district have presented significant challenges to all the UN agencies and NGOs working in Ampara.

But, now we can see real progress being made; people displaced by the tsunami moving into durable and safe accommodation able to look to a more hopeful future, said UN humanitarian Co-ordinator Miguel Berno.

He was speaking at the handing our 42 temporary houses to tsunami displaced families in Kalmunai and Ampara. UNHCR representative James Lynch also participated.

The whole UN country team in Sri Lanka is proud of what has been achieved during the initial relief phase and examples such as the construction of these temporary homes, augurs well for the next phases to come Bermeo added.

Built by UNHCR through its implementing partner the Rural Development Foundation (RDF), with water and sanitation facilities provided by UNICEF, the pilot project is a precursor to the construction of 2,500 more shelters in Ampara district, to be erected at a rate of 500 per month. A further 1,500 temporary houses have been pledged by UNHCR if required.

Zafira and her family were one of the first to move into their temporary houses on Thursday. Having previously lived only 30 meters from the shore, Zafira lost her seven-year-old son in the tsunami, which claimed a total of 900 lives in Marathamunai, Kalmunai Division. The tsunami took away my son, my home and all my possessions.

'My husband does not want to return to his fishing, instead he hopes to work as a local vendor and earn a living around Marathamunai," she said.

Bridging the gap between emergency shelter and reconstruction, temporary houses are becoming more urgently required with the imminent onset of monsoonal rains in the coming weeks.

The transitional shelters (measuring 12 x 16 feet) consist of two partitioned rooms built within a galvanised iron frame, and are compliant with the internationally-recognised Sphere standards for a family of five persons. The brick foundation provides a firm, impregnable base, with plywood forming the upper walls.

The roofs are made of zince aluminium. More expensive than tin, zinc aluminium has the added benefit of not conducting heat to the same extent as the cheaper option, ensuring greater comfort for those living inside.

The need to keep occupants cool is also recognised through the inclusion of a gap between the top of the outside walls and the zinc aluminium roof. However, at 6 foot in height, the walls will adequately furnish resident with privacy and security.

Lynch, said "the process of building transitional shelters is as important as the outcome. Close consultation with beneficiaries is vital to UNHCR when planning the construction of shelters", he added.

"We aim to keep communities together, and this requires careful attention in the process of identifying land on which to build.'

Designed to be mass-produced, the transitional shelters can still be tailored to suit the particular needs of beneficiaries.

UNHCR continues to work on its transitional shelter projects in Ampara and Jaffna, where the UN Refugee Agency recently completed 210 temporary houses outside Manikadu town. A future transitional shelter project is planned for Trincomalee.

Khalid