Cash for repair and reconstruction project Sri Lanka

The tsunami that struck Asia on 26 December 2004 was one of the worst disasters in recent history. Sri Lanka was among the countries hardest hit, compounding the effects of 20 years of civil war. People’s immediate priorities were to find shelter, safety, meet basic needs, trace and mourn loved ones. The population affected took shelter with relatives and friends, in temples, mosques and public buildings such as schools. Subsequently, transition camps and temporary shelters on site were built by various agencies. Permanent housing, however, soon became a key concern. Support to housing in Sri Lanka was characterised by considerable confusion and controversy in the implementation of policy and programmes of assistance. Government imposed a ‘buffer zone’ – a no-construction zone- of up to 100 in the South and West and 200m in the North. It took more than a year for the decision to reduce the buffer zone to 35-50m. The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) adopted a two pronged approach to housing: Cash assistance to home owners to build their houses on their own plots, known as ‘owner driven’, or´Cash for Reconstruction and Repair` (CfRR); Contractor built houses in relocation sites outside the buffer zone or on the original plots of land, known as ‘donor driven’.