Dear All,
here is a report from Oxfam GB of their Tsunami Relief work in the A&N
islands. This has been sent by Aditi Kapoor who can be directly contacted at
AKapoor@...

It would similarly be nice and very useful if other members on this group
can bring to our notice other such reports and assessments
thanks
Pankaj Sekhsaria

Oxfam GB
Andaman and Nicobar Islands Tsunami Relief Project
Summary: December 28, 2004- Present

Overview


On December 26, 2004 the Indonesian island of Sumatra experienced a
devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 9.3. The force of the quake
deformed the Indian Ocean floor and resulted in a tsunami wave with immense
force, the effects of which were felt in areas great distances from the
epicenter. Among the areas affected were the Andaman and Nicobar islands,
along the eastern coast of India

The Andaman and Nicobar islands consist of more than 500 islands, of which
only 31 are inhabited. Due to the proximity of the Islands to the epicenter,
the Andaman and Nicobar islands acutely felt the effects of the tsunami.

¨ Oxfam GB was the first international aid agency to visit the region
and actively initiate an assessment and resultant relief program
¨ Oxfam arrived 2 days after the tsunami; it has now remained actively
involved in the region for the past 6 months
¨ Oxfam operates in all the tsunami affected islands of
Andamans -South Andamans, Little Andamans, Car Nicobar, Great Nicobar
(Campbell Bay), Nancow - in the areas of Water and Sanitation/Public Health,
intermediate shelter and livelihoods
¨ Oxfam now operates with a staff of 22 and a budget of 3 million GBP
for the year
¨ Oxfam has initiated a range of projects that aim to provide
immediate aid, rebuild destroyed communities and improve the overall quality
of life of the affected individuals by establishing long-term solutions
aimed at involving the local population as well as various local and
international NGOs to forge a cohesive network that can resiliently recover
from future disasters as well as prevent previously observed levels of
damage in order to preserve and protect the culture and communities that
exist within the region
¨ Oxfam has been working with the NGO Society for A&N Ecology since
the beginning and supported it to organize a music concert to raise funds.
[see http://www.telegraphindia.com/1050329/asp/nation/story_4544917.asp]

Intermediate Shelters
· Immediately following the tsunami, temporary shelter sites
constructed
· More than 10,000 families directly affected by the tsunami
· Local government provided temporary accommodation for 3 months;
inadequate to house total affected population
· NGOs asked to construct 4 immediate shelter sites; Ministry of
Home Affairs provided specifications, materials, designs and the choice of
location
· Oxfam constructed 162 shelter units at Brich Gunj site, houses
approximately 800 people; 57 shelter units constructed at Bamboo flat site,
both in South Andamans.
· Oxfam identified the need for a community meeting-place at each
shelter site; constructed 4 traditional Nicobari huts at 4 sites to provide
the population with a common area to gather
· At many locations, such as its site at Brich Gunj, Oxfam has
established an innovative Cash for Work (CFW) livelihood program
· This CFW program employs individuals from affected communities and
provides them with opportunities to earn a stable income
· The program magnifies benefits to community by employing
individuals and hiring them to develop and construct infrastructure within
community
· CFW program is based on concept of community wide vocational
training, specifically tailored to training vulnerable groups, such as
women, to provide skills, like masonary skills, that can be used in future
to ensure financial security and independence
· Little Andaman region greatly affected; Oxfam has played a major
role in restoration and development here as well
· Government identified community structures/schools needing
improvement; Oxfam is currently surveying and beginning work on 3 community
structures/schools
· Materials, such as tools, provided to aid in construction of
traditional tribal structures
· In Shoul Bay, construction of a prototype of permanent housing to
begin
· Design focuses on energy efficient, sustainable structures, making
use of local materials
· Second prototype will be constructed following initiation of
first site
· Immense opportunity and potential for the community; construction
necessitates active community involvement and elicits public opinion
· CFW programs directly benefit motivated members of community
· Overall result aimed at aiding and ameliorating situation of
vulnerable groups within community

Water/Sanitation
· Oxfam has been involved in improving public access to direct water
sources, facilities and improved conditions throughout the Andaman and
Nicobar region
· In the South Andaman region Brich Gunj is a prime location for
water/sanitation projects
· Pioneering approach to water storage: Rooftop Rain Water
Harvesting System (RRWHS)
· System possesses 108,000 liter capacity, makes use of available
natural resources to directly benefit the affected population
· Oxfam has supplied its sites with T-11 water storage tanks, each
with a capacity of 11,000 liters.
· The Brich Gunj site houses 3 such tanks; tanks also installed at
both the Chauldhary and Namunaghar sites. Installation to occur on the
islands of Katchall and Teressa
· Oxfam actively involved with the local government, who aid in
water distribution at the various sites
· Oxfam has constructed 162 toilets and washrooms at the Brich Gunj
site and 57 at the Bamboo flat site, equaling one toilet and washroom per
family at each location
· Well cleaning is another important facet of the wat/san project
· In South Andaman, 250 open wells drained, disinfected, cleaned
· In initial emergency phase, numerous toilet and washroom
facilities constructed in various relief camps
· In the town of Wimberlygunj, various wat/san activities will soon
take place, all part of the CFW program. Activities include drain cutting to
prevent soil erosion, sea bunding, open well construction, and check dam
construction
· Geohydrological survey used to identify 35 shallow wells; Digging
using community involvement will soon commence
· Activities focus on concept of watershed management, with special
attention for water storage and utilization for irrigation, domestic and
consumption purposes

Public Health Promotion
· Immediately following the tsunami, 3, 000 Emergency Hygiene Kits
distributed
· To date, 843 Emergency Family kits, containing foodstuffs, kitchen
utensils, hygiene packets, distributed in Great Nicobar; 1,850 in Nancowrie;
1,450 in South Andamans
· 58,600 chlorine tablets distributed for use in drinking water
· Awareness and education programs coordinated; focus on women's
issues
· Various partner groups identified and joined; Nicobar Youth
Association (NYA) in Nancowrie, West Bengal Volunteer Health Association in
Port Blair, NTRC in Car Nicobar, and DYC in Great Nicobar
· Along with NYA, 3,000 traditional sanitary towels made of cotton
cloth distributed to local women in Nancowrie; 576 transferred to Campbell
Bay, 768 to Car Nicobar
· To curtail the mosquito problem and subsequent malaria threat,
2,458 mosquito nets and 10,000 coils distributed
· Citronella oil, a natural mosquito repellent, extracted from
plants native to the region, introduced
· Citronella oil makes use of naturally available resources in cost
effective and indigenous method; benefited more than 1,000 people to date
· Via partner groups, local health workers recruited to gather
information and community support
· Community involvement: Oxfam organized Training of Trainers (ToT)
programs and Public Health sessions to educate the local population
· At first session, 36 participants, 27 of whom were women,
attended; 11 villages were represented
· Community Health Workers (CHW) designated to carry out programs
within respective villages
· Need for a medium to reach larger proportion of population; Oxfam
and Directorate of Health Services of the Union Territory, sought
partnership with All India Radio to coordinate broadcasts focused on health
and sanitation issues
· Informational broadcasts air during various time slots;
transmitted in traditional Nicobari language and Hindi

Livelihoods
· Livelihood activities focus on providing sustainable solutions to
the affected population
· Cash for work programs: one of most the important livelihood
activities in the Andaman islands; enable the local public to take an active
role and interest in their own affairs
o CFW programs set up for various tasks; road repair, drain cutting,
clearing of bushes, drain construction, compost pit construction, renovation
of ponds and restoration of beetle garden structures
o In Shoul Bay, tsunami caused submersion of local agricultural areas;
sea bunding projects raised barriers to help prevent additional water from
flooding the area
o Creation of farm ponds, used for irrigation and fishing during the
months when water is scarce
o Land-cleaning projects that aimed to remove debris from the land, to
increase the amount of agricultural land available
o Fencing erected around schools to prevent animals from entering the
area, preserving level of sanitation for the children
o Road repair vital to reestablish communication between villages
· Oxfam is actively collaborating with the regional Fisheries
Department
o To reestablish the trade of local fisherman in Nancowrie 76 boats
constructed to replace those lost
o To construct the boats Oxfam obtained information and feedback from
the fisherman to ensure that boats are specific to the needs of the people
· The Participatory Livelihood Mapping program collects information
about affected population
o Information obtained regarding the types of jobs people held prior
to the tsunami as well as their current interests regarding work
o Information used to develop activities that facilitate creation of
employment in different areas
o Assessments of other islands underway; specific livelihood programs
will be created for the various regions
· With the focus that affected peoples need lasting solutions, Oxfam
set up vocational training programs
o At the Brich Gunj site 10 masons, 2 of whom are women, trained and
have completed cement flooring for shelter site
o Vocational training also targets youth population; 15 individuals to
be enrolled in automobile repair workshop in Port Blair
o To support those in training programs, 100 masonry, 100 carpentry,
100 plumbing, 50 blacksmith kits distributed
o To support other industries, various tools and implements such as
axes and sewing machines distributed
o Little Andaman region, vocational training programs such as
tailoring, pickle making, handicraft making, masonry, plumbing and carpentry
established
· Oxfam is working to stimulate agricultural activity within the
region
o To further build self-sufficient communities, Oxfam is encouraging
and assisting the establishment of small agricultural plots and livestock
farms
o In areas such as Shoul Bay, beetle leaf gardens are a tremendous
source of employment; 1 beetle garden can provide work for about 60 person
days in a month; Oxfam aiding communities to restore damaged infrastructure
o In intermediate shelter sites, resembling "deserts amidst the
forest", such as that of Brich Gunj, Oxfam is encouraging establishment of
kitchen gardens for personal use by residents

Gender
· Through all of its activities, Oxfam is working on improving the
condition of women within the region
· Oxfam is providing gender sensitive facilities in its shelter
sites
· To provide opportunities to women, specific educational and
training sessions developed
· Sensitive to the needs of affected women and mindful of the need
to provide sustainable solutions, vocational training provided for women
· At Brich Gunj site, 2 of the 10 masons are women; 60% of those
employed are women
· Many CHWs are women; in PHP training sessions, 75% of participants
were women representing their respective villages
· In Great Nicobar, 80% of DYC membership consists of young,
educated women who assist in coordination and implementation of various
activities

/Ends


C/o Kalpavriksh
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908 Deccan Gymkhana
Pune - 411004
Tel: 020 - 25654239/25675450. Fax; 25654239
Email: pankajs@...; pankaj@...