EDITIONS: | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |   [ MANRECAP ] Bulletin No.7 APRIL 2005 - NOVEMBER 2004 No. 7 Article #1: Training on Cement Block Making   A Training on Technical know-how for casting Cement Blocks using block making machines supplied by MANRECAP/JICA was held by the Technical unit of MANRECAP. This was a prime need of the focal village communities to involve in construction work. Under the community contract system the community based Organizations have entered into contract and constructing the Multi Purpose Halls in their respective villages. The term of community contract is now changed as Community Managed Rehabilitation (CMR) which defines that under the Government tender guidelines, construction of small scale infrastructure can be under taken by approved CBO’s. It also means the development of social, financial, construction skills and group management would strengthen the cohesiveness of the village. The experience and knowledge gained through the CMR has strengthened the community to produce standard cement blocks for sales. This is an indicator for empowerment of the community and will enhance their income through group work.   Article #2: Introducing Saving Habit / Micro Finance Activities   Exchange programmes and study tour were organized between the Women Saving Bank members of Colombo & Mahawali system “C” with Women Saving Group of the focal villages of MANRECAP. This programme not only encouraged and motivated the saving habit among the women groups in the focal villages but also given an opportunity for mutual understanding among ethnic groups. There are 36 saving groups formed between August and September 2004 in the MANRECAP villages and functioning with minimum average saving of Rs. 10,000/= in each group. This indicates that the need of the community is unique irrespective of any differences of language or race.   Article #3: Promoting Education to the Children of Focal Villages The shortage of teachers is common in all schools in Mannar District. However, this problem is verse in the Vellankulam and Thevanpiddy schools because the available teachers attendance too are very poor. This is due to the non availability of descent houses for accommodation for the teachers. To circumvent this situation 02 teachers quarters one for Vellankulam school and another for Thevanpiddy school is under construction with the CMR concept offered on contract to the community. This will help the teachers to live in the village and impart their knowledge to the children. The construction is funded by MANRECAP with the concurrence of the Zonal Director of Education, Madhu and the Director of works Ministry of Education NEPC Trincomalee.   Article #4: Rehabilitation of Paliaru and Division Weir (Anicut) Under the rehabilitation of minor irrigation, Paliaru area was selected to augment the abandoned minor tank called Karayankannadikulam by providing a channel from Paliaru anicut to irrigate 60 hectors of paddy land. This diversion weir (anicut) collapsed and washed off due to heavy floods experienced during October 2004. It is imperative that without constructing the diversion weir on Paliaru the Karayankannadi project cannot be implemented as planned at the same time this will affect the 160 ha. of paddy land under irrigation Adampankulam irrigation scheme. The MANRECAP has undertaken to prepare a development plan of irrigation system by construction the anicut and this project will be implement in the 2nd fiscal year with the approval of JICA.   Article #5: Soft Loan for Development Activities An awareness programme was held in the focal villages with the involvement of women saving groups in collaboration with the Hatton National Bank officials on the poverty alleviation micro finance project (PAMP) funded by JBIC through the Central Bank to the H.N.B. to provide soft loans to the needy community to generate sustainable income to circumvent the economic problems which they lost due to ethnic war. A schedule and a constitution for small group with H.N.B. collaboration is in progress.   Article #6: Plant Nursery To rehabilitate and promote the income generation activities, an action to accelerate the Agriculture sector has been initiated by MANRECAP. At the moment with two plant nurseries have been established in Sewa and Ganeshapuram villages. These nurseries will be equipped with micro sprinkler / drip irrigation system and planted with varieties of crops as demonstration plots. This project will give awareness on water management and will encourage the community to engage in vegetable, other field crops, cash crops and fruit cultivation etc. to enhance their income to attain self sufficiency and to provide a good nutritional food for their family especially the children and lactating mothers who are deprived at the moment without proper income.       Article #7: Training, Preparation of Guidelines on Financial, Technical, Management of Common Resources and C.M.R. The training on Financial Technical, Resource Management and Community Managed Rehabilitation (C.M.R) was periodically conducted by the MANRECAP staff to the community to create confidence and strength to improve the ability of the community. The guidelines pertaining to the community have been prepared in Tamil language and distributed among the members of the CBOs to refer doubts and other requirements while implementing the development projects under MANRECAP concept.   Article #8: Repairs to Flood Damaged  An emergency programme was initiated by the MANRECAP to repair access road to Kurai and Seethuvinayagarkulam villages with culverts which was completely washed off due to the heavy floods in November – December 2004. This damage has completely disturbed the mobility of many village communities where these villages are situated about 8 to 10 k.m. away from the nearest sub town of Illupaikadavai. The whole repair work was carried out by the community from those villages under community contract system / community managed rehabilitation (CMR). Now, the road and culvert is intact and the movement of vehicles and the community along this road is normalized.   --->   Article #9: Construction of Tub Well MANRECAP focal villages have been suffering for a long time without substantiate safe drinking water. There are one or two deep open wells supplying drinking water for the entire village families and that wells too becomes dry during the dry season and face sever hardships to find drinking water. To circumvent the situation MANRECAP identified the communities’ need of drinking water through CAP (Community Action Plan) Workshop and decided to provide safe drinking water which is one of the prime requirements of the resettled community. In view of providing this facility to the focal villages of MANRECAP project, preliminary hydrological and geophysical surveys were done by the expert from Water Resources Board, Colombo. Accordingly, Miocene sedimentary limestone aquifers areas were detected and 07 tube wells have been constructed with the installation of diesel pumps in focal villages of Manthai West AGA division, to pump out the water for their domestic requirements. These wells will be commissioned to the community and the responsibility of maintenance and monitoring will be the community by themselves. -> ->   Article #10: Sewa Village   1. Temporary Hut used for preschool, and for other multipurpose utility before the commencement of MANRECAP / JICA Project. 2. The new multi purpose hall to house the Pre school, meeting hall and Library while on construction by the community after the commencement of MANRECAP / JICA Project 3. The complete Multi purpose hall constructed by the community   Article #11: Ganeshapuram 1. Temporary Hut used for preschool, and for other multipurpose utility before the commencement of MANRECAP / JICA Project. 2. The new multi purpose hall to house the Pre school meeting hall and Library while on construction by the community after the commencement of MANRECAP / JICA Project 3. The complete Multi purpose hall constructed by the community   Article #12: Paliaru 1. Temporary Hut used for preschool, and for other multipurpose utility before the commencement of MANRECAP / JICA Project. 2. The new multi purpose hall to house the Pre school, meeting hall and Library while on construction by the community after the commencement of MANRECAP / JICA Project 3. The complete Multi purpose hall constructed by the community     MANRECAP BULLETIN Editor and publisher: MANRECAP All correspondence should be addresses to: T. Saisho, MANRECAP / JICA, District Secretariat, Mannar, Sri Lanka Phone: 023 – 2250029, Fax: 023-2250067, Internet address: http://www.manrecap.com  Comments and Suggestions: info@manrecap.com  PREVIOUS MONTHLY BULLETINS | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |