Large areas of Sri Lanka affected by two decades of war are now suffering the effects of the tsunami. Before the waves hit the coast of Sri Lanka on 26 December 2004 the NTNU Research Group on Forced Migration had started discussing a researcher-practitioner collaboration on recovery after war in Sri Lanka. Our partner, FORUT – Campaign for Development and Solidarity, has been involved in development assistance and relief work in Africa and Asia since 1981 and is the largest Norwegian NGO in Sri Lanka.
The aim of the collaboration, beginning in May 2005, is to work with and through FORUT to further improve civil society capacity to design and implement efficient and appropriate post-crisis recovery programmes. The objective is also to influence a wider range of actors on the post-tsunami recovery scene, such as local and central authorities, donors, and national and international NGOs. The partnership will also enable the Research Group on Forced Migration and its university partners in Sri Lanka to develop practice- based insights. We aim to adopt a holistic approach to recovery focused around housing.
NTNU’s Research Group and FORUT will collaborate to learn from best practices elsewhere in the world. This will entail challenging and dialoguing with FORUT and other NGOs in ways that aim to substantially raise over-all capability and sophistication of development thinking and skills in programming, monitoring, evaluation, reflection and administration. For further information contact: Simon Weatherbed, tel: + 94 777 585316, email: simon@forut.lk