150 route de Ferney, P.O. Box 2100 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland Tel: 41 22 791 6033 Fax: 41 22 791 6506 e-mail: [email protected] Appeal Coordinating Office Nicaragua Relief & Rehabilitation of Earthquake Victims – LANI01 Appeal Target: US$ 97,547 Geneva, 22 September 2000 Dear Colleagues, On 6 and 7 July 2000 the city of Masaya and its municipalities were affected by two earthquakes. The first one was of 5.4 on the Richter Scale with its epicenter in the valley of the Laguna de Apoyo, 35 km south of Managua City. It caused comprehensive damage to dwellings and agriculture of peasant farmers in the area. The second earthquake was of 5.2 on the Richter Scale with its epicenter in the hills of the Coyote, affecting directly the city of Masaya and the Municipalities of San Juan de Oriente, Catarina, Dario, Diriomo, Niquinohomo y Nindirí. ACT members in Nicaragua responded immediately with their own resources to help the most needy in the crisis phase. The Lutheran Church of Nicaragua along with Centro Intereclesial de Estudios Teológicos y Sociales (CIEETS) are submitting a proposal to help the most vulnerable of the affected population with reconstruction of houses and income generating projects. The proposal comprises the following components: ¨ Food distribution ¨ Reparation of damaged houses ¨ Reconstruction of pottery and bakery kilns ACT is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies meeting human need through coordinated emergency response. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland. Nicaragua – Relief & Rehabilitation Earthquake Victims 2 Appeal LANI-01. Project Completion Date: 31 December 2000. Summary of Appeal Targets, Pledges/Contributions Received and Balance Requested LCN CIEETS Total Target US$ Total Appeal Target(s) 21,246 76,301 97,547 Less: Pledges/Contr. Recd 0 0 0 Balance Requested from ACT Network 21,246 76,301 97,547 Please kindly send your contributions to the following ACT bank account: Account Number - 102539/0.01.061 (USD) Account Name: ACT - Action by Churches Together Banque Edouard Constant Cours de Rive 11 Case postale 3754 1211 Genève 3 SWITZERLAND Please also inform the Finance Officer Jessie Kgoroeadira (direct tel. +4122/791.60.38, e-mail address [email protected]) of all pledges/contributions and transfers, including funds sent direct to the implementers, now that the Pledge Form is no longer attached to the Appeal. We would appreciate being informed of any intent to submit applications for EU, USAID and/or other back donor funding and the subsequent results. We thank you in advance for your kind cooperation. For further information please contact: ACT Co-ordinator, Thor-Arne Prois (phone ++41 22 791 6033 or mobile phone ++ 41 79 203 6055) Or Elsa Moreno (phone +41 22 791 6420) ACT Web Site address: http://www.act-intl.org Ms. Geneviève Jacques Thor-Arne Prois Rev. Rudolf Hinz Director ACT Coordinator Director WCC/Cluster on Relations LWF/World Service Nicaragua – Relief & Rehabilitation Earthquake Victims 3 Appeal LANI-01. THE LUTHERAN CHURCH OF NICARAGUA (LCN) I. REQUESTING ACT MEMBER ¨ The Lutheran Church in Nicaragua (ILFE) II. IMPLEMENTING ACT MEMBER & PARTNER INFORMATION The Lutheran Church in Nicaragua (ILFE) is a non-profit association which obtained legal status on 18 September 1990. The central headquarters of the ILFE is located in the capital of the country. It has experience in the development of emergency actions in the face of natural disasters such as Hurricane Joan in 1987, the tidal wave in 1992 and Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Currently, ILFE is implementing the second phase of the Integral Rehabilitation project for the communities affected by the Hurricane Mitch tragedy. II. DESCRIPTION OF THE EMERGENCY SITUATION Background Two severe earth tremors with an intensity of 5.9 and 5.2 on the Richter Scale shook the southwestern area of Nicaragua on the afternoon of 6 July. The tremors was felt in the entire country with the exception of the departments of Rivas, León, Chinandega and a part of Bluefields. Thirteen of Masaya’s communities were affected: Catarina, San Juan de Oriente, Diria, Diriomito, Valle de la Laguna, Ermita, Pacaya, Quebrada Honda, El Chilamate, Masaya, El Túnel, Nandasmo, Niquinohomo, and Pacayita. El Valle de Laguna and Ermita were the villages that were most severely hit, with the Los Pueblos Plateau being less affected. The tremors caused mudslides on the lagoon’s slopes which totally or partially destroyed houses, latrines and kilns. In addition, there was a suspension of communications, electricity and potable water service. The Lutheran Church arrived with its Medical and Emergency Team at the epicenter of the earthquake in the Laguna de Apoyo (Apoyo Lagoon), almost immediately after the earthquake had struck the city of Masaya. Rescue efforts were coordinated with the Red Cross and the Department Emergency Committee. Medical assistance was offered and supplies and bedding were provided to the victims of the tragedy. The following is a summary of the damages caused by the earthquakes: ITEM TOTAL Victims 13,071 People Directly Affected 4,512 Deaths 8 Shelters/Homes 9 Damaged Housing 2,495 Destroyed Housing 357 Injured 42 Note: Figures were take from the nation’s daily newspapers. The majority of the houses in Masaya and surrounding communities were made of adobe reinforced with wood Nicaragua – Relief & Rehabilitation Earthquake Victims 4 Appeal LANI-01. or cane with roofs made of clay tiles. These constructions have very little chance of withstanding the force of tremors and were mostly destroyed. The tremors also totally destroyed the kilns of the artisans of San Juan de Oriente. Another problem that Nicaragua faces is that the Construction Code, dating back to 1973, has not been updated. However, it does include seismic zoning guidelines that are not always met as they are not freely available to the population. People build where it is convenient for them without taking into consideration, or even knowing about the areas that are vulnerable to seismic risks. On top of the issue of lack of zoning is the problem with quality of construction as it is not rigorously supervised by the Ministry of Construction. III. GOAL & OBJECTIVES The goal is to contribute to the rehabilitation of the most vulnerable affected families in the proposed sites through an Integral Support Project. This project will supply housing reconstruction materials and food and will guarantee pastoral accompaniment that will help to reduce the pain and trauma suffered. In addition, construction materials will be supplied to rebuild the pottery kilns that will allow artisans to recover their sources of household income and to be reintegrated into the socio-economic activities of the country. Objectives ¨ Provision of construction materials for those whose homes have not been repaired/rebuilt. ¨ Distribute food to the direct victims of the earthquakes. ¨ Support the reactivation of artisan works through the construction of pottery kilns. Item Numbers Food Distribution * 570 Housing Reconstruction in Masaya 10 Construction of pottery kilns in San 11 Juan de Oriente Repair of pottery kilns in San Juan de 89 Oriente 680 (*) packages IV. BENEFICIARIES INFORMATION & TARGETED AREAS The Project will benefit families with few economic resources that by themselves cannot assume a debt with the National Bank or a large expenditure to rebuild their homes or their kilns to start back on the road to self sufficiency. The majority of these people are very poor and survive by working as domestics, street vendors or by manufacturing and selling artisan goods. The number of beneficiary families will be: Community Assistance Quantity People Families 1. Masaya Rebuilding of Houses 110 10 Food Distribution 1,710 285 2. San Juan de Oriente Rebuilding and Repair of 525 100 Nicaragua – Relief & Rehabilitation Earthquake Victims 5 Appeal LANI-01. Pottery Kilns TOTAL 2,345 395 It is worth mentioning that the 395 families are not necessarily members of the Lutheran Church, but residents of the above-mentioned sites. Criteria for the selection of the beneficiaries ¨ That they be direct victims of the earthquakes. ¨ That they have not been given the same type of aid by another agency. ¨ That their houses and pottery kilns have collapsed or have suffered partial damage due to the earthquake. Geographical Coverage There are two proposed sites to be benefited in the Department of Masaya. These are the departmental seat (Masaya) and San Juan de Oriente. In Masaya the community assisted will be Monimbo, which was the most affected by the earthquake. V. PROPOSED EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE AND IMPLEMENTATION The Integral Rehabilitation Project for the Victims of the Earthquake in the Department of Masaya includes pastoral care, food distribution and supplying construction materials for houses and pottery kilns. Food Distribution Food will be distributed to the most vulnerable affected families in three of the nine refugee settlements that were established by the Village Emergency Committees. Each family will have the right to receive one packet every two weeks during one month. The food packages should be considered as a supplement to the family’s diet and will contain: 5 kilos of sugar, 5 kilos of rice, 5 kilos of beans, 1 liter of vegetable oil, 1 pound of coffee, 3 units of soap for washing, 1 kilo of salt and 3 plastic bags. Housing Reconstruction This program will allow for the improvement of living conditions for the families affected by the seismic movements in the Monimbo community in Masaya. The selection of the beneficiaries was made by the staff of the LCN - a civil engineer- who made an inventory of the damages jointly with the members of the community. Housing materials will be distributed to the families. The beneficiaries will rebuild their houses by themselves.