Psychosocial Response for Affected People by Tsunami

Name of the project : Psychosocial Response for Affected People by Tsunami
Name of the Organization : TECH
Location Iranaimadu Junction, Kilinochchi
TELEPHONE NO: 0212285009
EMAIL:suhunans@yahoo.com
BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER:

Conotact persons`s Name: S. Suhunan
TITLE: Executive Director
ADDRESS: TECH, Iranai madu Juction, Kilinochchi

LIST OF THE NAMES OF THE RESPONSIBLE MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZA- TION ALONG WITH THEIR NORMAL OCCUPATION:

Prof. A. Navaratnarajah (Chairman, TECH)
Mr. S. Sundarmoorthy Director, TECH

CONSULTANT :
Implementing Partner: TECH collaboration with Vizhi –

Association for Psychosocial Development.
03, Kandy Road ,
Jaffna .

Description of the organization :
TECH is registered as an Non Governmental, non political Organization with the Government of Sri Lanka, and a member of the Consortium of NGOs.

The mission of the to promote self sufficiency and self reliance utilising locally available resources of North-eastern Sri Lanka

VIZHI:
The need for an Institution to deal and aware on psychosocial problems saw the establishment of the Vizhi - Association for Psychosocial Development October 10 th, 2003 . Since then it evolved in creating awareness on psychosocial problems such as child abuse women problems and in developing psychosocial skills among youths, pre – schoolteachers and women groups. Training, awareness and allied services are provided at its centre at “Vizhi” and out – reach centre.

Vizhi is a non-religious; secular, indigenous intermediary organization registered as a voluntary service organization under the registration and supervision act No. 31 of 1980. Its registration No. is J/DS/SS/NGO/25.

After the Tsunami disaster Vizhi is functioning as a member of “Mental Health Task Force in Disaster” also providing crisis intervention activities among the welfare camps in Jaffna .

 Contact Person of VIZHI: T.Julythayan

Objective of the organization

• Provide counselling and other psychosocial issues
• Creating awareness on Psychosocial issues among children, women and youths.
• Empower the people among it.
• Training of community Psychosocial works.
• Conduct seminars and workshops on psychosocial issues.
• Capacity building of the communities-Children, women, youth

 Summary:
The people lived in the costal areas were affected by the Tsunami disaster and over 30 700 people were killed. More than 15 000 people injured. Also people lost their properties and living places. The people have not only their properties and living places along with a death of many people, but also they all are mentally affected by this massive disaster. They are talking among themselves over and over that what has happened. This disaster has deeply wounded in their mind.

Those affected people recent Tsunami disaster are in need of psychological and material needs. In this matter, government, NGOs and other institutions and individuals provide materials. But apart from this psychological need is also must to rebuild their life in a prefer way.

 

Objectives of the VIZHI’s program

• To provide counselling and other allied services.
• To support people back to their mental health.
• Empower affected people to rebuild their future.
• Provide a better coping mechanism for people to face day-to-day people.
• Improve the people’s capacities in their
• To attain efforts, unity, activating the society and self-activation.

Target Group:
This programme will be conducted in the areas of the affected people by the Tsunami disaster. Especially in the following transits Camps and villages in Vadamarachchi North divisional secretariat where people were badly affected:

• Manlakadu,
• Munai – Point Pedro. (Moorkkam)
• Viaparimoolai – Point Pedro.

And this programme will be implementing around the Jaffna to aware among the people.

Coastal areas of Sri Lanka have been destroyed by a Tsunami that hit innocent people and their property without any warning whatsoever. In reviewing list of the dead with ICRC and government counterparts in a few districts, early findings indicate that children and women were more hardly hit. The majority of killed persons were women and the children and the elderly. This may be because of simple fact that men may have been away from home and would have been stronger and able to climb up in trees and on building more quickly.

The psychosocial and social impact on individuals and families is severe. People who have been affected are afraid that this may happen again, and there fore it is still difficult for them to imagine going back to their place of origin. With more that 30 700 people dead and still counting, each people has lost either their family or friends, most of the displaced have witnessed people die as a result of the floods. Others have been there in the aftermath to collect burn and bury bodies. Also, over a million people (5% of the population) have been rendered homeless. At the displacement sites, people are idling and bored, there is very little for them to do in order to regain normalcy and strengthen coping mechanisms.

After the disaster people have material needs and also psychosocial needs such as Security, recognition, moral support, awareness, guidance love hope and belonging. For longer lasting psychosocial need is very important in developing people back to their normal life.

According to district secretariat of Jaffna , the death amounts to 1256, injured 1647 and missing 1240. Among the missing it is believed that most of them have died. Out of the 13652 families displaced from costal areas 48729 people are living in 16 temporary welfare camps. They all will be settled in new erected transits camps closer to displaced areas by the 25 of January.

People affected by the disaster have started to express their effects of the psychological damage. It includes their helpless positions, depression disturbed sleeps, nightmares flashback and etc… These are common reactions in the type of incidents, but a real affects will take a few months later. It will develop into a very harmful action among the community for a long-term period. In this a psychosocial intervention is a must to reduce the psychological effects in the community.

According to Economists and Psychologist those affected by Tsunami disaster, will go down in their living standards. As such psychological empowerment is a must to bring their living standards to a much better level then their previous standards.

Following psychosocial intervention activities have to done to maintain the people’s mental health as healthy level.

1. Individual level.
Crisis intervention / Supportive listening (- With in 03 months)
Psycho - education
Relaxation
Moral support/Traditional support
Counselling
Relaxation
Guiding and Follow up.

2. Family level
Family counselling
Awareness / Psycho – education
Empowerment.
Income generation programmes
Coping activities to rebuild their present situation

3. Group level
Therapeutic play activities through children clubs
Core group training
Supportive groups for women children and youths.
Leadership
Awareness programmes

4. Community level
Forming village level psychosocial team.
Psychosocial Training programmes.
Awareness Programmes
Cultural activities / Common mourning activities.
Other supportive activities.
Alcohol awareness.

Expected results (outcome)

• Improvement of the well being of people
• Achieve self-empowerment.
• Coping of people with their day to day activities/problems
• Protection against suicide and other unwilling activities
• Children will do their normal activities
• People are aware of psychosocial problems and handling ways.
• By achieving the above, will improve the mental physical and social stability of individuals, families and community.

Monitoring and Evaluation

An officer will be appointed by our organisation to be in charge of the above programme. He will personally inspect those who are employed there, get their reports and will discuss with them and carry on his duties.

Mental health Task Force in Disaster will give the monitoring and supervision, which is coordinating all psychosocial works in Jaffna district.

Observing whether it is carried out in this programme.

 Sustainability

 In every affected village a Core group will be developed. They will keep on their activities in these villages for a long period.

We will also organise psychosocial team in villages in which Grama officers, teachers Religious leaders Youths and others. They will also contribute to continue these activities.

Our (Vizhi) organisation guidance supervision and training in a long time.

16. Detailed Budget for 02 Years.

Details	Unit	Unit cost	1 st Year	2 nd Year
Psychosocial team and staff allowances
Psychosocial workers/counselors	12×10	8,000.00	960,000.00	960,000.00
Project Coordinator	12	12,000.00	144,000.00	144,000.00
Clerk	12	5,000.00	60,000.00	60,000.00
Training and Awareness
In service Training	100hrs	400.00	40,000.00	40,000.00
Refreshment for awareness programmes	40	500.00	20,000.00	20,000.00
Travelling for awareness programmes	10	5,000.00	50,000.00	50,000.00
Sub Total 01			1,274,000.00	1,274,000.00
Operational Costs
Stationary and other office materials	12	5,000.00	60,000.00	60,000.00
Refreshment	12	1,000.00	12,000.00	12,000.00
Maintaining servicing equipment & furniture	12	2,000.00	24,000.00	24,000.00
Travelling allowance	11×12	1,000.00	132,000.00	132,000.00
Telephone cost	12	2,500.00	30,000.00	30,000.00
Rent	12	6,000.00	72,000.00	72,000.00
Postage	12	1,000.00	12,000.00	12,000.00
Sub Total 03			342,000.00	342,000.00
Total			1,616,000.00	1,616,000.00
Unforeseen	12	5,000.00	60,000.00	60,000.00
Grand Total			1,676,000.00	1,676,000.00