Plans for livelihood development in tsunami-affected areas

The Livelihood Unit of the Reconstruction and Development Agency (RADA) is mandated by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to uplift the affected livelihoods of the tsunami affected people.

RADA Livelihoods Division works closely with Government agencies, communities, development partners (Donors, INGO/NGOs) and private sector to recover local economies devastated by the tsunami by way of planning, policy development, coordinating, facilitating, fast tracking, monitoring and evaluating livelihood recovery activities across the affected districts and divisions.

Central to the work of RADA Livelihood Division is the initiation and coordination of a holistic and participatory planning process at divisional level to ensure the optimum allocation of resources for tsunami recovery efforts in the field of social protection, local infrastructure development, and local economic development or information and information systems.

During a series of participatory workshops, ideas, suggestions and comments of the affected people, local government representatives such as District and Divisional Secretariat Officials, Pradeshiya Sabhas, Urban Councils, and Municipal Councils, Private Sector and I/NGOs were incorporated. The resulting Divisional Livelihood Development Plans (DLDPs), reflect short and medium term recovery requirements of affected communities.

DLDPs are finalised for the 7 tsunami affected districts of Ampara, Batticaloa, Galle, Hambantota, Jaffna, Kalutara, Killinochchi, Matara, Mullativu and Trincomalee. These plans will be presented to Government officials, development partners and private sector representatives on the November 9 at Cinnamon Grand Hotel, Colombo in the presence of Minister of Labour Relations and Foreign Employment, Athauda Senaviratne.

The DLDPs provide a planning framework consisting of sets of prioritised needs based projects that still need to be implemented to guarantee full recovery of livelihoods of families and businesses in tsunami affected areas.