HelpAge International has been working with local partner, HelpAge Sri Lanka, to help older people and their families rebuild their lives in Batticaloa and Ampara in the east of the country and Galle, Matara and Hambantota in the south.

The post-tsunami rehabilitation programme began in January 2005. Funded by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) through Help the Aged, it is part of a three-year initiative to respond to the Indian Ocean tsunami, taking place in three countries – Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India.

Key achievements in 2007

Sustaining a livelihood in old age

Loans were provided to almost 6,000 older people to help them rebuild their livelihoods. The money has been used to set up small businesses and replace livelihood tools and materials lost in the tsunami, such as boats and fishing nets. This has enabled older people to continue to contribute to their family household economy, benefiting almost 30,000 people in total.

The repayment rate of livelihood loans taken by older people across the south and east of Sri Lanka is very high. Older people have proved that they are able to sustain a livelihood and repay a loan.

Enhanced health and social protection for older people

Those who were unable to benefit from a livelihoods grant (almost 600 older people and their families) received a monthly cash transfer of up to Rs3,000 (US$27). The older people chose to spend most of their money on food and other essential household items. Such cash transfers are particularly effective in reaching the poorest and most vulnerable older people, many of whom receive very little government support.

250 age-friendly houses and 10 community centres were constructed to allow around 1,250 older people and their families who lost their homes in the tsunami to live in dignity in their own home.

57-year-old Nanammah lives with his wife. They sleep in one room and use the other for worship. He says: "We are very grateful for our home. Some other organisations provide houses but they are not like ours. It is large and comfortable and we feel very safe here."

Medical camps and Mobile Medical Units treated just over 27,000 older people, and 11,000 pairs of spectacles and almost 4,000 disability aids were distributed. Around 14,000 older people received eye-care treatment and just over 450 older people had successful cataract operations to restore their sight. Over 500 volunteers received homecare training and home visits were made to around 5,600 older people.

Over 900 latrines were constructed, and a well or a daily tankered water supply was provided to over 2,300 families, reaching around 11,600 people in total.

Psycho-social support was provided to older people in the form of assistance to make pilgrimages or attend religious or cultural programmes. These pilgrimages have allowed older people time to relax and reflect about the past trauma of the tsunami and look to what they want to achieve in the future.

12,555 older people have joined Senior Citizens' Committees. These committees have made a real difference, with older people reporting that they no longer feel isolated now that they have support from their community. The committees also enable older people to access healthcare programmes and livelihood loans and join pilgrimages.

Disaster preparedness and response

HelpAge International and HelpAge Sri Lanka are actively contributing to INGO and other coordination meetings and strategies to improve disaster preparedness and mitigation, focusing on the needs of older people. We are also working to ensure that communities are better prepared to protect vulnerable groups during and after emergencies, using the particular skills of older people to do so.

The future

In 2008, the HelpAge Sri Lanka Community Development team will carry out a further nine-month programme with DEC funding. This extended response programme will consolidate the successes of the original programme and, working closely with Senior Citizens' Committees, will try to ensure that those successes are sustainable for older people and their communities.