After the tsunami:

The changing place of women

by Sharni JAYAWARDENA

Disasters destroy and disrupt. Yet, a disaster *can *recreate and reconstruct. It can bring opportunities for people to rebuild their lives in ways that reconfigure social relationships. It can, for example, empower women. The December 2004 tsunami was no exception.

T. Rufia from Kalmunai, a 32-year-old mother of two girls, faced the challenge of the tsunami single-handedly, with her husband in the safer confines of a prison. Her house collapsed to the ground, but she and her children were unharmed. When the government gave her 250,000 rupees to build a new home, she knew it would not be enough, but focused on establishing a firm foundation for the family she is responsible for.

Even two years after the tsunami, tens of thousands of families in Sri Lanka were living in partially-built houses because the government grant they received fell short. This was when several agencies came forward to provide 'top-up' grants to help people restart from where they were forced to stop.

In the Ampara district, UN-HABITAT collaborated with Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) and the Solidar INGO Consortium to help 475 families complete their homes, rebuild damaged community infrastructure, and improve livelihoods.

Rebuilding Community Infrastructure and Shelter (RCIS) is a project that uses the key mechanisms of Community Development Councils (CDCs) and Community Action Planning (CAP) to ensure that people are well represented and active participants in their own development. CDCs identify and prioritize critical issues, plan action, implement activities and monitor work. In fact, money for all construction, capacity building and livelihood development activities is channelled through them.

Setting up the CDCs, however, is a complicated process. But, as Rufia points out, it is also an empowering one, both for the community and for individuals: "First, we needed to register the CDC with the local authorities. As its Secretary, I went with a few other office bearers to the Divisional Secretary's office to get this done. I then took on the responsibility of opening a bank account for the CDC. It was not an easy task because I had not done this before. Besides, no one took us seriously.

Today it's a different story. They treat us with respect. We manage millions of rupees through this account." In many areas of the country, socially and culturally imposed restrictions to women's mobility and social contact limit their access to information and undermine their confidence. Rufia is happy that she can now deal easily with banks and other institutions. After a year of being the CDC Secretary, she stepped down to let another member take up her position: "This is the policy of our CDC. When we are office bearers, we gain a lot of experience and we feel we should also give others a chance." With the 350,000 rupees she received, in instalments, from the RCIS project, Rufia completed her house to a 'secure and habitable' standard. This essentially means that her home has at least one lockable room and enough light and ventilation for healthy and comfortable living.

The image of the woman and child as victims of disasters is one that the media perpetuates. It is true that women are disproportionately affected by natural disasters because of their secondary status in society. But it is equally true that women are a vital part of disaster mitigation and response, often transcending their traditional gender roles when a disaster strikes. Rufia is one of many such examples. What's needed to sustain these gains is recognition.

Gunaseeli is the President of the Kundumadu CDC. She received only 100,000 rupees of the government allocation and was so much in debt that she even had to go into hiding from impatient creditors. To add to her problems, the house she managed to build had to be brought down because of its poor quality: "After the tsunami, everyone became a mason, and people had to go along with it. But things have changed now. We received technical advice from the beginning to the end of construction. Not just that, being a member of a CDC means that we can negotiate for better rates with construction workers who are good at their work and we can buy construction materials in bulk." The CDCs reserve 2.5% of the housing allocations for community development work. The project also provides 8,000 rupees for each household for infrastructure development. The CDC, through an entirely participatory process, decides how to put this money into good use. In Kundumadu, a multi-purpose building, on land donated by Gunaseeli, will serve as a pre-school and community centre. Building is still underway, but the CDC has already drawn up a maintenance and sustainability plan.Households located close to each other form 'cluster groups' so that more people are represented in the CDC and are better informed about what's going on. K. Gunaseelan, the project's Assistant District Manager for Potuvil, sees even more advantages: "Cluster groups help make things happen more democratically within the community. They also ensure that group members follow the construction schedules set by the CDC and lend a hand to those who lag behind." More women than men tend to participate in the cluster groups. They gain confidence to contribute more fully at larger meetings.

Cluster groups have become a means by which women get involved in project activities and are elected to influential positions in the CDC.

Kadija Umma, a mother of three, took almost four years to build her new home: "I was in debt, but used every cent of the 200,000 rupees I got from the government to build one room and part of the roof. When I got the money from UN-HABITAT, I got some good technical advice as well. I decided not to use asbestos sheeting for the roof and made my windows larger. So I've built a solid house that is good to live in. And the CDC was always there to help out".

Many post-disaster houses, often described as "donor-driven" are built to a prototype design and located a considerable distance from people's traditional homes and livelihoods. A considerable number of these houses remain unoccupied. Conversely, Kadija Umma feels a sense of ownership of the home she has finally completed. She values the fact that her home is "owner-driven", that it incorporates her basic requirements, including some improvements suggested by the technical officers: "I was very much part of the process of building my home. Now that I've built it, I can think of other things." Kadija Umma plans to expand her home when she makes the money to do it.

Soon after the tsunami struck, Kadija Umma was compelled to sell her jewellery so she could meet her family's urgent needs. Women are usually the first to lose their assets in times of crisis; when it is time to revive their economic activities, they have nothing to invest. RCIS has begun supporting people, particularly those who are the poorest, to rebuild their livelihoods by developing their skills and providing small 'start-up' grants. UN-HABITAT is linking the CDCs with other agencies so that people can benefit from a wide range of expertise and assistance. A. H. Mohamed Jezeer, the Training and Livelihoods Coordinator of the project, points out that a new and well-built house alone does not ensure a family's well being.

People need a dependable source of income: "Better livelihoods mean improved assets which, in turn, lead to reduced poverty and better resilience. This is what we want the RCIS livelihood initiatives to achieve."

V. Kanthi from Kundumadu in Potuvil has just completed her house and the project is helping her set up a small dairy-based enterprise. She is anxious to improve her income because she must bring up five children on her own. Ravia Amma learnt new home gardening techniques from her husband who was recently trained on the subject. She will use the garden produce to feed her family as well as to make some extra money. T. Rufia is intent on improving the tailoring business she began when she was donated a sewing machine after the tsunami. But what she really wants is to become a teacher, because she has seen the difference that knowledge can make: "It will be education first and employment next for my two daughters," says Rufia, "then they can think about marriage".