Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka| Contact information | HFH Sri Lanka
22/5 Station Rd
Dehiwala 10350
Sri Lanka
Phone: +94 112714274
Fax: +94 112714339
E-mail: info@hfhsl.org
| | Web site | www.hfhsl.org
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Sri Lanka -- Habitat for Humanity Int'l 1
SRI LANKA, THE PEARL OF the Indian Ocean, has made steady progress since the opening of its economy in 1977. But the poor have seen few of the benefits.
Policies to alleviate poverty and development efforts by the government and international non-governmental organizations have been hampered by three decades on civil war. More than four million people are estimated to live below the poverty line with about half a million of them residing in slums and shanties.
There is now cause for optimism if, as expected, the government’s push into eastern and northern areas occupied by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam brings an end to the conflict.
Development was set back by the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 which left 100,000 homeless. The country is still recovering as reconstruction continues in the badly hit Eastern Province. Rehabilitation is still needed in the Northern Province.
Sri Lanka is highly rural; only one-in-five people lives in towns and cities. Rural dwellers lack access to water, sanitation, electricity, communication, roads and other infrastructure and services. The rural poor often live in makeshift shacks constructed of mud and discarded materials that offer scant protection from the weather and wildlife. Children living in these unsafe structures − which are damp, moldy and need constant maintenance − are often sick.
Shelter conditions for urban dwellers are no better. The influx of rural workers seeking jobs in the capital city of Colombo, has contributed to the growth of slums. The United Nations cites a shortage of affordable low-cost housing for low-income people as a major reason for the growth of such informal settlements. According to UN-HABITAT, more than half of the 2.3 million people living in Colombo live in slum conditions. Overcrowding is common. A five-member family in such areas has to make do with an average of less than 32 sq. m. (350 sq. ft.) of space. Typically, slum residents do not have legal rights to the land they occupy.
The government has two major initiatives to address substandard housing: the Million Houses Program and Urban Basic Services Program. These programs draw on community-based organizations to leverage local participation in shelter and infrastructure improvements. The government has also granted tenure to slum residents and increased investment in infrastructure. Still, more needs to be done.
By 2010, Sri Lanka is expected to face an shortage of some 650,000 homes, excluding those built for families affected by the tsunami. By then, about half of the population is expected to be living in urban slums.
Habitat for Humanity began operating in Sri Lanka in 1994, through affiliates. The model later evolved into a series of Habitat Resource Centers that support satellite centers and individual projects in four regions. Today, HFH Sri Lanka is probably the country’s largest home builder after the government.
The former affiliate, now satellite center, in Anuradhapura pioneered Habitat’s housing microfinance scheme, Save & Build, in 2000. This sees groups of about 12 families saving toward the cost of one house. When that amount is reached, Habitat matches their efforts with a loan to build two more houses, thus allowing three houses to be built. The cycle repeats until each group member has a house. Loan repayments are recycled into a fund to help other savings groups.
HFH Sri Lanka’s builds two-room core house covers about 24 sq. m. Under the Building in Stages model, once the initial mortgage is repaid, a second loan is taken out to finance a second section − either a third room or a verandah − is added, increasing the size to 32 sq. m. To reduce construction costs, savings group members make bricks as well as gather raw materials.
Habitat houses are kept affordable through the help of volunteer labor. Since the tsunami, HFH Sri Lanka has hosted more than 1,000 volunteers. More than 50 teams worked on post-tsunami reconstruction sites and more than 30 Global Village teams have built on regular sites.
Specialist construction teams, and 35 corporate teams sent by HFH Great Britain in partnership with UK-based communitychallenge were among those to work on post-tsunami projects.
Habitat also works with partners such as non-governmental organizations World Concern, World Vision, Tearfund and Christian Aid, as well as the United States Agency for International Development, and church groups.
HABITAT HIGHLIGHTS
• In January 2009, HFH Sri Lanka held a ceremony in Colombo for partners, donors and potential supporters to mark its 10,000th family served. The family came from Moratuwa.
• A draft of “The Indicators of Inadequate Housing in Sri Lanka”, a research report by a professor at the University of Colombo, was presented in January 2009. The Tearfund-supported project was spearheaded by HFH Sri Lanka which had convened an expert panel discussion in March 2007 to determine a definition of and indicators for inadequate housing.
• HFH Sri Lanka received a certificate from SGS, the Geneva-based inspection, verification, testing and certification company, for its sound management practices.
• In line with the seventh Millennium Development Goal on ensuring environmental sustainability, the Habitat Resource Center in eastern Batticaloa is building houses with environmentally-friendly and energy-saving features. Concepts of home gardens, solar cookers, garbage compost bins and wind pump systems are also introduced to home partners.
• A 12-member team from the US embassy in Colombo worked on two houses for tsunami-affected families in Moratuwa in the southwest.
• In mid-2007, Habitat marked the 2,000th house built for tsunami-affected families, in Samagiwatte village, Dangedera, in southern Galle.
• On Citigroup’s Global Community Day in November 2006, 53 volunteers from the banking group’s local office helped to build three houses in the southern coastal village of Nantota, Kosgoda, Galle
• A 12-member team from the US Embassy and USAID helped Habitat staff to build two houses in November 2006 in Wattala/Ja-Ela.
• In May 2006, Habitat completed a 196-house project in Mandana, Tirrukkovil, in tsunami-hit Ampara district in the east. The project was funded by chemical company BASF.
• HFH Sri Lanka was ranked “Best NGO” by recipients of tsunami-aid in Sri Lanka in a study conducted by San Francisco’s Fritz Institute; the award was made in December 2005.
COUNTRY FACTS
Population: 21.1 million (July 2008 est.)
Capital: Colombo
Area: 65,610 sq km.
Ethnic groups: Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)
Languages: Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8%. English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population
Religions: Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian
6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)
Updated January 2009
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