Evaluation of Red Cross Movement Livelihoods Programming for Tsunami Recovery in Sri Lanka

This evaluation has examined a remarkably diverse range of Economic Security and Livelihoods programmes implemented by the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (RCM) in Sri Lanka since the Asian Tsunami of December 2004. Ranging from the application of Economic Security approaches in emergency response for displaced victims of conflict, through to long term programmes to develop cinnamon oil production, what all these activities share in common through more than 40 projects, is that they have all been implemented outside Federation institutional strategy, policy and guidelines.

This evaluation offers a set of recommendations to build on the existing programme implementation in Sri Lanka, and feed into Federation strategy development. These recommendations suggest ways to urgently address the pressing issue of very poor working relationships within the RCM in Sri Lanka, how to bring existing livelihoods programming into a more defined approach of Integrated Assistance in Sri Lanka, and how at the higher institutional level the Federation might embrace more mainstream approaches of Integrated Assistance and Disaster Risk Reduction effectively applied across Disaster Management Cycle.