This campaign has now closed
The tsunami that struck Sri Lanka in December 2004 caused the displacement of 500,000 people. In the face of such a sudden and large-scale disaster, it is widely acknowledged that at times the humanitarian responses were inadequate, inconsistent and inappropriate. In 2007, the Government, aid agencies and local communities are still not sufficiently prepared to respond to the rapidly changing post-tsumani reconstruction needs of the country. RedR has been tackling this issue by running a Learning Support and Capacity Building (LSCB) programme in Sri Lanka since February 2005, to provide learning support to national and international humanitarian agencies. There is now an increased demand for adequately trained aid professionals, largely due to escalating violence and ongoing civil conflict in Sri Lanka. Also a factor is the lack of sufficient resource material and competent trainers, and the limited budgets for training of local government and aid agencies. RedR will be addressing these increasingly urgent needs by extending and developing the LSCB programme. The programme will be vital in improving the quality and effectiveness of post-tsunami reconstruction and rehabilitation in Sri Lanka, and in preparing communities for future disasters.
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Over the last three years we have developed a wide range of high quality, tailored and user-friendly training courses on themes including emergency preparedness, community based disaster risk management and good practices in humanitarian relief and development. We have created a variety of resource materials and established a head office in Colombo and five field offices across Sri Lanka to cope with the demand. We now have a staff team of 3 international and over 20 national staff. Using our expertise in the humanitarian learning sector worldwide, our vast experience in Sri Lanka and the lessons learnt in the past, we aim to build upon current activities, designing and delivering relevant training to all humanitarian agencies in Sri Lanka that are in need. Although the primary beneficiaries of this project are those from conflict and disaster affected communities, our services will be used by local, national and international agencies that provide humanitarian relief and development support to these communities. We plan to provide expert training to over 1,850 humanitarian professionals in Sri Lanka during 2008-09. We will make our service more widely accessible to all agencies in need. This will be done by delivering more courses in field locations, by subsidising fees and by providing more training in the local language. Coordination with other agencies will also be key to ensure the quality and success of the programme. By enhancing the capacity of local, national and government agencies in Sri Lanka to respond to post-tsunami reconstruction and to prepare for future disasters, this programme will reduce the vulnerability of conflict affected communities in Sri Lanka and help both rebuild and save lives.