Focussing Persons with Disabilities
Rebuilding Kudawella to an Inclusive Community
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- The tsunami left devastation and death - many people lost their homes and needed to be reallocated beyond the 100 m buffer zone along the coastline of Sri Lanka. © CBM
The need after the tsunami was great and manifold. Therefore, a comprehensive approach was needed, to ensure a future for the people of Kudawella. To make the project implementation transparent and community development participatory, CBM’s partner Navajeevana Development Alternatives, with CBM co-worker Christin Lidzba managing the project, attended meetings with the Kudawella community. There, all people with or without disabilities had the chance to ask questions, communicate their needs and comment on the progress of the rehabilitation.
School and New Houses
Schooling and Advocacy
Construction of a temporary school unit for CWDs has been funded by NDA to ensure education for CWDs until the permanent school building (funded by UNICEF) is completed. New students can be admitted in the next school term at Jayawickrama Maha Vidhalaya. To develop one of the existing five pre-schools in Kudawella into an inclusive pre-school, meetings with teachers and pre-school-children will be held.
Raising awareness for the needs and rights of people with disabilities is necessary. The whole community of Kudawella joins for a meeting once a month, and CBM’s partner uses this opportunity to increase the level of awareness on disability issues and create a sense of responsibility and commitment in the community. This objective is supported by awareness-raising activities in the community of Kudawella as it took place in the schools in January 2006.
Construction of a temporary school unit for CWDs has been funded by NDA to ensure education for CWDs until the permanent school building (funded by UNICEF) is completed. New students can be admitted in the next school term at Jayawickrama Maha Vidhalaya. To develop one of the existing five pre-schools in Kudawella into an inclusive pre-school, meetings with teachers and pre-school-children will be held.
Raising awareness for the needs and rights of people with disabilities is necessary. The whole community of Kudawella joins for a meeting once a month, and CBM’s partner uses this opportunity to increase the level of awareness on disability issues and create a sense of responsibility and commitment in the community. This objective is supported by awareness-raising activities in the community of Kudawella as it took place in the schools in January 2006.
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- In Pahajjawa, the construction of new and accessible houses for people with disabilities is well underway. © CBM
New Houses for 55 Families
A total of 15 of 55 houses at the Pahajjawa site (new name of the village since spring 2006: Navadivipurawa) were built for persons with disabilities who lived in the 100m buffer zone from the coastline. Since December, people with disabilities have been visited at home, to find out about their specific needs, according to family background, age, and the socio-economic situation of the family and types of disability. Accessibility of the whole site and the houses will be ensured. An accessibility advisor from John Grooms (nongovernmental organisation for people with disabilities based in the U.K.) currently supports NDA in ensuring that the newly constructed houses meet individual requirements of persons with disabilities.
The Pahajjawa site, with at total of 55 houses, also needs tar roads with side drains and culverts, a sump and an overhead tank (125,000 litres) to ensure the supply of water to houses in the hilly area. Major landscaping work will also be necessary to ensure the overall accessibility of the hilly site. Electricity will also be provided. To control lagoon pollution in the long run, a separate special sewerage system will be constructed.
Further information: Other Steps to Rehabilitate Kudawella
Read more: Kamala Takes Her Life in Her Own Hands
Go back: New Homes and Hopes
A total of 15 of 55 houses at the Pahajjawa site (new name of the village since spring 2006: Navadivipurawa) were built for persons with disabilities who lived in the 100m buffer zone from the coastline. Since December, people with disabilities have been visited at home, to find out about their specific needs, according to family background, age, and the socio-economic situation of the family and types of disability. Accessibility of the whole site and the houses will be ensured. An accessibility advisor from John Grooms (nongovernmental organisation for people with disabilities based in the U.K.) currently supports NDA in ensuring that the newly constructed houses meet individual requirements of persons with disabilities.
The Pahajjawa site, with at total of 55 houses, also needs tar roads with side drains and culverts, a sump and an overhead tank (125,000 litres) to ensure the supply of water to houses in the hilly area. Major landscaping work will also be necessary to ensure the overall accessibility of the hilly site. Electricity will also be provided. To control lagoon pollution in the long run, a separate special sewerage system will be constructed.
Further information: Other Steps to Rehabilitate Kudawella
Read more: Kamala Takes Her Life in Her Own Hands
Go back: New Homes and Hopes
