The Livelihoods Unit of the Reconstruction and Development Agency [RADA], supported by the International Labour Organization [ILO], recently launched its District-based Coordination and Planning System (CAPS) to collect and update information on planned and on-going post-tsunami livelihoods recovery activities from a wide range of service providers. The objective is to provide district and divisional level decision-makers with the information required for coordination and planning of livelihood recovery activities and to minimize duplication in post-tsunami assistance.

According to Divisional Secretaries from the tsunami- affected divisions, the lack of detailed information of the support provided by a number of NGOs and INGOs earlier has been a key reason for duplication and replication of aid during aid distribution. The ILO’s Chief Technical Advisor, Doekle Wielinga, says CAPS collects details on post-tsunami livelihood aid distribution and service providers in a comprehensive manner. NGOs, INGOs and state institutions are now engaged with the CAPS in eight districts and provide details of their post-tsunami livelihoods recovery activities. The compiled information is distributed back to the participating (I)NGOs and is made available to district and divisional authorities. This information dissemination assists aid distribution agencies to avoid duplication and replication of target activities when planning future work in tsunami-hit areas, Wielinga said. Coordination between aid agencies and District and Divisional authorities is crucial. According to the District Secretary of Hambantota M.A.Piyasena, a number of tsunami-affected fishermen had received fibre glass boats from aid agencies without Divisional Secretaries of the area being aware of such activity.

The District Secretary of the Ampara District, Herath Abeyaweera, said he still needs more details of the aid distribution, especially for affected fishermen in the Ampara district.

"I do not know how many boats were distributed among the affected fishermen in the Ampara District due to the information-sharing gap," he said.

`A0According to the Divisional Secretaries of the tsunami affected areas in Sri Lanka, there are still a number of affected people in their areas that have not received adequate assistance from NGOs or INGOs.

Therefore, it is important that aid agencies coordinate their activities with the District and Divisional authorities and vice versa, said W. M. B. S. Nissanka, Acting Director of RADA-Livelihood.

He continued that the Monthly Livelihood Coordination meetings, organized through the District Secretaries, are an important platform for such co-ordination and that RADA District and Divisional staff are facilitating this process.

Wielinga concluded that CAPS is a useful tool for all stakeholders involved in livelihood recovery to share information and better coordinate their activities.