United Nations Development Programme 2005 - 2008 UNDP Tsunami Recovery Efforts in the Maldives RESTORATION OF LIVELIHOODS SHARING EXPERIENCES Table of Contents I Foreo w rd 1-2 Background 3-4 Livelihoods at a glance 5-6 Map 7-8 Donors & Partners 9-10 The Livelihoods Team 11-12 Profile: Agriculture 11 Story: The Young Agri-Shop Manager 13-14 Profile: Fisheries 13 Case Study: Naifaru Fish Market 15-16 Profile: Waste Management 15 Case Study: Waste Management in Baa Maalhos 17-18 Profile: Women's Livelihoods 17 Case Study: Hydroponics for Vilufushi Community 19-20 Profile: Small Grants Programme funded by South-South Grant Facility (SSGF) 19 Story: Broadband Internet to Hinnavaru Homes 21-22 Profile: Livelihood Support Activities - Micro Credit, Capacity Building & Decentralisation 23-24 Profile: Handicrafts Pilot Project 23 Story: A Woodworkers's Dream 25-28 Implementation Strategy 29-31 Primary Challenges 32 Case Study: Social Centre in Shaviyani Maroshi 33-36 Lessons Learnt & Best Practices 37-39 Conclusion & Way Forward FOREWORD Despite the overwhelming nature of the losses of the recovery intervention. December 2004 tsunami, many Maldivians are on the road to recovery; survivors have recommenced work, Our efforts to assist in the process of recovery for communities are close to completion, and several men and women determined to achieve self- have bounced back while others continue the steady sufficiency, has not been without obstacle. Human progress toward recovery. Through grants, loans and resource shortages, geographical barriers, the capacity building exercises, the United Nations construction boom and working with organizations Development Programme has worked to help with limited capacity in formal project management survivors of the tsunami restore their businesses and are just some of the challenges that had to be incomes, and find opportunities to remain outside addressed and overcome during our operations. the boundary lines of poverty. In spite of the barriers, the achievements highlighted For UNDP,the Tsunami Recovery Programme has been in these pages give testament to the success of of utmost significance. It is through the extraordinary UNDP's work. Under UNDP's commitment to generosity of our donors, government counterparts, “building-back-better”, foundations have been laid in many areas for future growth and development. UNDP support was critical in supporting the fisheries and agricultural sector; our contributions are reflected in initiatives to develop capacity of government counterparts such as the Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Marine Resources and in introducing and implementing new innovative approaches such as the AUTOPOT growing systems, creation of fish markets and stimulating women's livelihoods through opportunities to address inequality. Support in participatory development through involvement of island-based organizations, particularly NGOs, paves the way for future efforts in decentralisation, local governance and increased strengthening of civil society. Moreover, in order to address ways of establishing the civil society and private-sector partners, that public-private partnership, efforts have been made UNDP has been able to help people and communities in integrating livelihood activities of communities in the Maldives to recover their livelihoods. with local tourist resort operations. With the nationwide Tsunami Recovery Programme Today, as the country embarks on major transitions; drawing to a close on 31 December 2008, this is a from its efforts to achieve democratic reforms and good time to reflect on and assess the effectiveness graduate into the UN's group of 'middle-income' of the relief and reconstruction operations. countries, the lessons learnt and experiences of the tsunami will be reflected upon while moving forward This report serves a dual purpose; - to outline the towards achieving the development goals of the work that has been undertaken by UNDP and partners country. to restore and improve the livelihoods of the tsunami-affected people and; to share the lessons UNDP remains committed to helping people create learnt in the process. sustainable, improved livelihoods, as well as preventing more people from facing the possibility of An important component of the Tsunami Recovery a life of poverty. Programme was the Livelihoods Project as it covered recovery efforts in 17 atolls and addressed a wide range of sectors; ranging from agriculture and waste PatriceCoeur-Bizot management to decentralization - that required UNDP Resident Representative immediate response as well as short to medium-term Maldives I BACKGROUND 1 For the Indian Ocean nation of the Maldives, In light of the tremendous challenges facing the tsunami of 2004 represented the worst natural the country in the aftermath of the tsunami, UNDP disaster in the country's history. Comprised of 1,190 launched a nation-wide tsunami recovery coral islands with an average elevation of 1.8 metres programme with a focus on five main areas: about sea level, and dispersed across 900 kilometres of ocean, the Maldives is home to some 300,000 Shelter response and recovery; people virtually all of whom were affected by the Infrastructure restoration; disaster. Though the loss of life was not as great as in Livelihoods restoration; several other countries there were approximately Disaster risk management; and 100 fatalities the tsunami's impact on the Maldivian Aid coordination. economy was unparalleled, washing away 62 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in a matter of Specifically, the Livelihoods Project aimed to minutes. By comparison, other tsunami-affected restore livelihoods and food security on the worst countries suffered losses of 3 to 5 percent of GDP. affected islands in the areas of agriculture, fisheries, waste management, women's livelihoods, and On nearly all of the country's 200 occupied capacity building. islands, the people of the Maldives found their livelihoods in ruins. Tourism, fisheries, and agriculture, which together comprise more than two- thirds of GDP, were among the hardest hit sectors. Many tourist resorts were damaged and had to close; large numbers of fishermen lost their boats and women their home-based fish-processing businesses; and some 15,000 farmers lost a year's harvest due to salt water contamination of agricultural land. 2 LIVELIHOODS PROJECT at a glance Objective: The objective of the UNDP Tsunami Recovery Livelihoods Project was to restore livelihoods and food security and to revitalise the most affected families and small enterprises in the fisheries sector (2,783 affected people), in agriculture (2,924 affected farmers), among unemployed men and women (2,342 affected people), and in tourism, manufacturing, and other sectors (2,660 affected people). Budget: $6.2 million Direct Beneficiaries: 12,000 Strategy: The strategy of the Livelihoods Project was based on the National Recovery and Reconstruction Plan developed by the Government of the Maldives as well as the Tsunami Recovery Plan developed by UNDP. The project closely followed the “building back better” theme of the UN Recovery Strategy, which seeks to ensure that communities are better off following the recovery process than they were prior to the tsunami. Duration: The project was officially signed on May 2005 and closed on 31 December 2008. However, all major activities were completed by the end of the first quarter of 2008. Coverage: 109 islands across 17 atolls 3 UNDP MALDIVES TSUNAMI RECOVERY PROGRAMME Restoration of Livelihoods (Relief Phase & Recovery Phase) Small Grants Fisheries Waste Management Agriculture Women's Livelihoods Programme (construction of fish (cash-for-work and (agriculture extension (assets replacement/ funded by SSGF markets/tuna jerky waste management services on 14 islands) skills training on (grants to 30 training on 5 islands) centres on 16 islands) 15 islands) CBOs and local NGOs) In addition, activities such as the provision of TheRecovery Phase 2006-2008 focused on micro-credit loans, capacity-building of local island- strengthening the livelihoods of these affected based organizations, and support to decentralisation communities through skills development, the in local governance complemented the efforts of the introduction of improved production techniques, project. New possibilities for income generation value-addition methods (e.g., processing and and/or alternative livelihoods were explored through improving quality of products), establishing a pilot project on revival of the local handicrafts productive infrastructure, and by facilitating industry. partnerships and networks with civil society, the private sector,as well as the government. During theRelief Phase 2005-2006 , immediate needs of the communities to restore and restart their income generation in agriculture, fisheries, and home-based businesses were met through the provision of cash and the replacement of assets that were damaged or lost in the tsunami. 4 MAP 5 3 6 DONORS AND PARTNERS 7 The following Donors and Partners, through Environment Research Centre (ERC) of their generous contributions and invaluable the Ministry of Environment, Energy, cooperation, have made an important and Water (MoEEW) difference in the lives and livelihoods of the Ministry of Finance and Treasury island communities of the Maldives. Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture, and Marine Resources (MoFAMR) Donors Ministry of Gender and Family (MoGF) The European Commission International Agencies: The European Community Humanitarian