Sustainable development through post-disaster reconstruction: A unique example in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Sri Lanka, with its extensive coastal communities, was among the most severely impacted countries by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. The widespread devastation and consequent displacement of coastal communities spurred many reconstruction programs. The field of post-disaster reconstruction is characterized by the demand for rapid rebuilding and repair of housing and infrastructure, with a multitude of international and local agencies engaged over the immediate and short term in response to this demand. After a level of recovery has been achieved, most agencies move on elsewhere to address other priorities and rarely engage in strongly supporting the transition from recovery to long-term sustainable development. The post-tsunami reconstruction work in the village of Seenigama of a Sri Lankan local NGO, the Foundation of Goodness (FoG), demonstrates a different paradigm by serving as a vehicle for achieving long-term sustainable development by being embedded within the community. The FoG project underscores the significance, and perhaps necessity, of an integrated community development approach that caters to the various needs of the community, representing a systematic approach where housing infrastructure, services, facilities and livelihoods were all inter-linked. A key lesson is the long-term support, provided to the community by the implementing agency. In this way, in addition to addressing the immediate post-disaster reconstruction needs, FoG was able to cater to community needs that evolved and changed over time. This project was implemented after a huge tsunami disaster in a developing country that was being torn apart in a prolonged civil war, hence it also had it challenges. In the changing context of Sri Lanka with various internal and external pressures, a transformative narrative is likely to emerge in the future.