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Habitat for Humanity Tsunami Response Activity
Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) has an active presence in six of the countries affected by the December 26th Indian Ocean tsunami. The initial response plan calls for transitional and permanent housing projects in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Thailand.
Immediately following the disaster, the organization began working with the local Habitat offices and international partner organizations to assess and respond to needs. The initial plan covered homes for 25,000 families in the first phase, but given more recent information on the scope of the damage and the dire circumstances for those in thed disaster area, Habitat will continue to accept and dedicate pledges to tsunami relief as long as needed. The housing plan for the initial phase was changed to 35,000 homes.
Phase I
The immediate priority is to help families move out of the overcrowded, diseased and crime-infested camps and other temporary shelters and into transitional housing.
Phase II
Over time, HFHI will begin working with families in transitional housing to build more permanent structures with additional rooms.
Disaster Response Technical Centers
Supplementing these building initiatives, HFH will develop Disaster Response Technical Centers in the countries affected. These centers will provide technical expertise and assistance to families, Habitat affiliates and partners in the first stages of construction. Eventually, the centers could become permanent training centers to teach people how to make their own homes and how to make and use affordable building materials such as earth blocks, roofing tiles, and doors, windows and frames.
Funding
Habitat for Humanity estimates it will cost approximately US$25 million to provide the 25,000 transitional houses over 2 years.
The first response teams are now in action in four countries, and the building centres are ramping up. The first official Canadian volunteer will be on one of the April teams, training to take the first Canadian team to Sri Lanka in May, followed by a second team a month later. Habitat is also opening a Canada Global Village office this summer so Canadians can work through the Habitat Canada national office rather than having to work through the United States.
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