Sorry it has been so long without an update. The work here is overwhelming, and various events have made it difficult to stay in touch.

There is a desperate need for the work here; the impression the western press is creating that all is in recovery is far from the truth. The government has spent very little funds, and most people will still be in tents or rubble houses when the monsoons hit. The poverty, hopelessness, and overall devastation of this beautiful island is beyond belief. Every day something makes you realise that there is no way anything that we do is enough - there is always something more.

The original project was through Global Crossroads, to build permanent housing for families affected by the Tsunami. While the time spent was rewarding in the sense of a visible output - the house - the poor organisation, suspect family selection process, and complete lack of project management by Global led to many frustrating waiting periods where work was delayed. Tania & I agreed to help with the project management however the support promised by Global did not materialise, and we made the decision to join an alternative organisation. We did however succeed in working on the completion of two houses.

DO NOT GIVE YOUR MONEY TO ORGANISATIONS SUCH AS GLOBAL CROSSROADS. THEY ARE NOT SET UP TO PROVIDE EFFECTIVE DISASTER RELIEF AND THERE ARE OTHER ORGANISATIONS THAT WILL PROVIDE FAR BETTER OPPORTUNITIES TO AID THE PEOPLE OF SRI LANKA.

I am now working with Project Galle 2005 - http://www.projectgalle2005.com - which is a frontline aid programme.

Having raised concerns over the sanitation and tent quality at many of the camps and the lack of drainage with the monsoon coming early, it was agreed that we would begin a large scale joint project with the United Nations - UNCHR, UNICEF & World Food Programme, with CHF International ( http://www.chfhq.org ), and with Red Crescent. The scope is to prioritise camps for upgrades, work with the government, community leaders, camp owners (e.g. Italy have donated around 1000 tents to the original camps), and technical experts in identifying solutions to bring the camps to an acceptable standard of living. Thereafter there will be the implementation of the upgrades for the first 20 camps identified for phase 1. Phase 1 will provide a significant improved standard of living for 3500 people from almost 1000 families, and ensure the survival of the camps through the monsoon. Phase 2 will include further camps, with a total of 63 identified for upgrade. I have also proposed an ongoing education programme for the camp leaders, which the UN have signed off yesterday.

I have been selected by the joint organisations to head this up as Programme Manager for the overall project. This means I am in regular meetings with the UN agencies and CHF & Red Crescent, as well as with local government, to ensure all parties are working in coordinated workstreams.

As I have only a week or so left, I am trying to drive through the government permission (via UN intervention), the assessment and detailed solution designs for each camp, and create the detailed implementation plans including government & stakeholder signoff. I also need to concentrate on handing off and training up resource for the actual implementation management.

Phase 1 of the programme will run throughout April, and I am under constant requests by PG05, the United Nations, and CHF, to extend my stay to manage the implementation. I have explained the situation that while I am able to fund my stay, it would require paid leave from Zurich, and that this was agreed only until the end of March. It is clearly something that I feel is extremely important, and I have therefore agreed to request an extension to my leave. Watch this space…