Rapid Livelihoods Assessment in Coastal Ampara & Batticaloa Districts, Sri Lanka
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RAPID LIVELIHOODS ASSESSMENT IN COASTAL AMPARA & BATTICALOA DISTRICTS, SRI LANKA 18th January, 2005 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Save the Children carried out a rapid livelihoods assessment in coastal areas of Ampara and Batticaloa districts between January 5th and 11th to acquire a basic understanding of the different economic activities undertaken prior to the December 26th tsunami within affected communities and nearby towns and villages. The information will be used primarily to inform SC’s own interventions, but may also be of interest to other agencies working in this sector. Information was gathered using qualitative semi-structured interviews with individuals and small groups of purposively-sampled livelihood groups. It is acknowledged that information is incomplete, but it is hoped that the qualitative and contextual information here will assist in interpreting more quantitative data gathered by other agencies. For the population affected by damage to their homes, repair and reconstruction of housing was consistently listed as the top priority in the recovery process, and in many cases is a necessary first step before they can focus their energies of income-earning activities. The assessment confirmed that the largest affected group in these areas were fishermen, but highlights that there are at least 4 categories of fishermen, with different arrangements for payment and sharing of fishing catches, and with very different pre-tsunami incomes. For this group, repair or replacement of fishing boats and equipment is a clear priority. Unskilled casual labourers form a substantial part of the population, and are at the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum. They were employed in a variety of activities, some of which are seasonal, such as house/ garden cleaning, assisting masons and carpenters, assisting fishermen, and harvesting nearby rice fields. Restoring the income of these groups requires supporting those who previously employed them, although in the short-term employment on a cash-for-work basis in local cleaning and reconstruction activities would be very worthwhile. A variety of groups key to the functioning of the local economy and to the reconstruction process also require support, such as carpenters, masons and shopkeepers, in the form of tools or financial capital to re-start their businesses. The majority of female-headed households and households heavily dependent on income from women were among the poorest in these communities. These women were mainly engaged in activities such as petty trading, vegetable sales, snack sales, and crafts such as sewing and weaving, and most of these had very poor returns. This group also need their productive assets replaced, and in some cases working capital to restart businesses. Newly- widowed households will be of particular concern, and additional support for example in skills- training will be required to enable these households to cope with their new situation. In almost all areas, markets were found to be functioning normally, and prices were unchanged from pre-tsunami levels. With goods available in the market and a rice harvest due within the next month, cash-based interventions will be more appropriate than food aid to meet ongoing relief needs. Save the Children is also concerned that the conditions exist for serious protection risks to arise, particularly for children from the poorest families. These are in relation to the targeting of emergency relief, sexual exploitation and under-age recruitment into armed groups. Although not exclusively related to livelihoods, these risks provide further urgency to livelihood recovery activities. 1. Introduction Ampara & Batticaloa districts are in the Tamil-dominated Eastern Province of Sri Lanka, and were among the districts worst affected by the tsunami. The estimated total population of the DS Divisions on the coast of Ampara totals 297,105, while in for Batticaloa it is roughly 464,000. Of these, 103,285 and 56,473 are estimated to have been displaced as a result of the tsunami, and greater numbers have been otherwise affected. In Ampara, 10,436 people are estimated to have died, while in Batticaloa 2,820 are estimated to have died. The rapid livelihoods assessment below was carried out with the aim of getting an initial understanding of livelihoods patterns that were in existence in these areas prior to the tsunami on December 26th, and how they were affected as a result of the tsunami, and thereby to provide recommendations primarily for Save the Children’s interventions, to inform SC’s livelihoods-related advocacy work in the country, and to help inform other agencies planning interventions in this sector. This report presents a description of the activities of people in a variety of occupations prior to the tsunami, then illustrates how the tsunami affected those activities, and finally provides broad guidance on the types of interventions that would be appropriate to enable people to recover. 2. Sources of information The assessment involved a series of qualitative semi-structured interviews in villages and towns along the coastal areas of Ampara and Batticaloa with purposively sampled groups and individuals from different livelihood groups and from local authorities, complemented by a variety of secondary data in relation to livelihoods. The fieldwork was carried out between January 5th and 11th, 2005. S Ministry of Fisheries, Karaitivu and Batticaloa S Fisherfolk in Sainthamarathu, Thirukkovil, Puttovil, Valaichenai, Oddamavady, Arayampathy S Casual labourers in Sainthamarathu, Thirukkovil, Puttovil, Arayampathy S Petty traders, shopkeepers, wholesalers – Thirukkovil, Akkaraipattu, Kalmunai, Batticaloa, Arayampathy, Chenkalady, Oddamavady S Muslim weaver families, Kalmunai (Marumuthimuna) S Tailors/ sewing women in Chenkalady, Batticaloa S Women’s groups in Sainthamarathu, Thirukkovil, Batticaloa S In-school and out-of-school children in Oddamavady and Batticaloa S Local authorities S GA’s Office and coordination meetings S National-level secondary data Previous brief fieldwork in Galle and Matara districts from January 2-3 was used to reproduce some indicative information on the tourist sector and 3-wheeler drivers, who were not assessed in the Ampara and Batticaloa assessment. 3. Who was Affected by the Tsunami? S Boat owners S Fishermen/ boat crews S Casual labourers S Farmers S Shopkeepers/ Businessmen S Artisans: masons, carpenters, sewers, weavers S Petty Traders During the rapid assessment, estimates were made by interviewees of various occupations of their average monthly incomes. These are shown in the graph below to illustrate the relative returns to various types of livelihood strategies, including different types of fishing. It is important to note that the activities predominantly carried out by women are among the most poorly paid. In many cases women’s activities are secondary sources of income to the household, but where the household is female-headed the likelihood of poverty is high. 50000 45000 40000 Sample Pre-Tsunami Monthly Incomes by Occupation, Ampara & Batti 35000 30000 Colour code: - Pink = Predominantly Female Activity 25000 - Blue = Predominantly Male Activity 20000 - Green = Mixed Activity Average Rs per Month 15000 10000 Average cost of minimum food and non-food basket for family of 5 = approx. Rs.5,000/ month 5000 0 Tailor (unspecialised) Weaver (piecework) Petty trader (veg.) In many households, particularlyBeach seine atlab otheure rpoorer end of the wealth spectrum, a variety of income-earning activities are carried out. For example, most of the labourers involved in beach seine fishing, and to a lesser extent those in sea canoe fishing, Snack seller IBM Boat Owner = Rs.105,000/ month also do some urban or agricultural casual labour. Remittances from a family member working overseas are typically in addition to anotherWeaver source. (home) The majority of foreign workers come from poorer families, but as they pay off debts and then start remitting for the benefit of the family, they can quickly moveSea up ca noethe fishwealtherman spectrum. As mentioned above many activities predominantly done by women are in addition to a low return activity by their husband. Town casual labouring It was not possible to get clear estimates of the proportions of theA gricupopulationltural labourer in each (seasonal) category, but it was consistently estimated that 70-90% of the population were involved in fishing. Using secondary data on the fishing fleet in addition to the limited Tailor (skilled) information from the field on this topic, a rough wealth breakdown is tentatively presented as follows: 3-wheeler driver OBM Deep Sea Fisherman Foreign migrant remittance Sea canoe owner Beach seine boat owner OBM Boat owner IBM Deep Sea Fisherman IBM Boat owner Very Poor Poor Lower Middle Upper Middle Better Off 5-15% of Popn. 50-60% of Popn. 20-25% of Popn. 10-15% <5% - Single, low-income - Small fishermen - OBM fishermen - Beach seine & - Big boat owners earners (veg./ petty - Casual labourers - Canoe owners OBM boat owners - Large business traders, some - Some secondary - (Artisans?) - IBM crew owners casual labourers) income (petty trade, - (Junior formal - Senior formal - Majority of widows veg. unspecialised employees?) employees - Disabled female artisan…) - (Small - With children out shopkeepers) of school < Rs.5,000/ month Rs 5 – 7,000/ month Rs. 7 – 15,000/ Rs. 15 – 35,000/ > Rs. 35,000/ month month month 4. Livelihoods Strategies and How They Were Affected 4.1 Fishing At least 4 types of fishing practices occur in this area. The wealth of the people involved is related first to whether they own the boat or work as the crew or the actual people who go out and do the fishing, or as a labourer who drags in the nets. The second determinant of wealth is the type of fishing done, with more capital intensive fishing generally providing higher returns to all those involved than less capital intensive types. The fishing season in this area is different to the south due to the different monsoon. For most types of fishing, there is an off-season from November to mid-January during the monsoon when seas are too rough.