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Past e-Newsletter issues:
Issue 1, December 2005
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© UNDP Maldives 2006

UNDP Engages Private Sector
through Adopt-An-Island
When the tsunami struck the nations of the Indian Ocean in December 2004, the United Nations responded with a UN Flash Appeal — an emergency funding mechanism designed to address such extraordinary disasters through ad hoc government contributions. However, it was soon apparent that the situation in the Maldives was unique, and that additional funding would be necessary if the nation was to “build back better,” in the words of former US President Bill Clinton, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery.

Of all the nations ravaged by the tsunami, the Maldives was among the worst hit in terms of impact upon the country’s population and economy. A third of the 300,000 population suffered from the loss of homes, livelihoods, and essential infrastructure, and more than 60 percent of GDP was destroyed. Through Adopt-An-Island, UNDP has sought to build partnerships with the international donor community — including the private sector, civil society, and traditional donor governments — to close a recovery and reconstruction funding gap of some US$100 million.

The initiative has been highly successful in generating awareness of the plight of the Maldives, which was largely overlooked in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami due to far greater death tolls in other affected countries. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that donor support is matched directly to a specific project, such as rebuilding homes and harbours. By mid-2006, UNDP had raised $41 million, and of these funds $18 million (44 percent) was mobilised through Adopt-An-Island. Of this amount, $3 million was raised from the private sector, foundations, and civil society organizations and $15 million from governments.

What is notable about the private sector support is that few major international corporations or civil society groups have a presence in or ties with the Maldives. Supporters of the Adopt-An-Island initiative include the Bush-Clinton Tsunami Fund, The Coca-Cola Company, the Brunswick Corporation, the UN Foundation, Banyan Tree and Huvafen Fushi resorts, and several grassroots organizations from Australia and the United Arab Emirates. Together, these UNDP partnerships are providing direct assistance to the people most affected by this tragedy, and are helping communities to build a new and better life for years to come.

UNDP Partners with Coca-Cola
and UN Foundation
Two global icons — The Coca-Cola Company and the United Nations Foundation — have forged a collaborative partnership with UNDP to provide a sustainable water and sanitation project on Dhambidhoo Island in Laamu Atoll. When completed, Dhambidhoo will be one of the first islands other than the capital, Male’, and the resort islands to provide sustainable sanitation services for all its residents.

Located 228 km to the south of Male’, Dhambidhoo was badly hit by the 2004 tsunami disaster. Extensive degradation of the island’s environment has highlighted the urgent need for adequate sanitation provision. At the completion of this project all households and public buildings will be fitted with a durable, water-tight septic tank and connected to a sewage network. Through this sanitation model the effluent discharge from household septic tanks will be channeled safely through a network of pipes to a treatment plant and after passing through a biological filter, will be used for irrigation or disposed to a soakage pit to re-charge ground water. Sludge accumulated in septic tanks will be delivered to a treatment plant and dried before being used to produce fertilizer or to reclaim low lying land in the island. This will bring an end to the pre-tsunami practice of discharging raw sewage directly into the island’s lagoon or into the groundwater. In this way, the project strongly supports the post-tsunami approach of “building back better.”

The project has been designed and is being implemented in close partnership with local authorities, community leaders, and the Island Development Committee to ensure continued local relevance, true community ownership, and sustainability. Residents will be provided with the necessary training and technical assistance to operate and manage the system in an effective manner. In addition, the “Dhambidhoo model” has been designed so that it can be replicated in other island communities across the Maldives.

“The new sanitation system will be managed by the community and will be both environmentally and financially sustainable,” said Oren Schlein, Senior External Relations Advisor of UNDP Maldives. “Once it is up and running, pollution of the island’s precious groundwater and its ecologically fragile lagoon will be a thing of the past. And that means a better life for everyone on Dhambidhoo.”

This partnership is part of a regional UN/Coca-Cola public-private partnership initiative that is also supporting water and sanitation reconstruction activities in tsunami-affected areas of Indonesia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. “Partnership is essential to build back better after the tsunami,” said Elizabeth Fong, Regional Manager of the UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok. “It’s about listening to the needs of tsunami-hit communities and supporting their aspirations in a locally relevant and sustainable way.”

The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest beverage company, working with bottling partners in over 200 countries, including the Maldives. The company is involved in an array of partnerships around the world to protect and preserve water resources and to enable expanded access to clean water in under-served communities. The United Nations Foundation, founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner, builds and implements public-private partnerships and works to broaden support for the United Nations system through advocacy and public outreach.

Voices from… Huraa Island Kaafu Atoll

Hassan Imad is a budding entrepreneur who lives on the island of Huraa in Kaafu Atoll. A hardware engineer by training, Imad is the owner of two souvenir shops, both of which suffered extensive damages from the tsunami. The waves that crashed through the island swept away most of his wares, and what remained was rendered unusable. “All in all, I lost about Rf.25,000 (US$1,960) worth of goods. This was a terrible loss,” said Imad, who started up his business with a Rf.100,000 (US$7,843) loan from a local bank. The two main sources of income for the 700 people of Huraa are the fishing and tourism sectors — the latter mostly in the form of souvenir shops aimed at tourists who visit the island on day excursions. Located in the midst of a cluster of resorts, the island is ideally placed to benefit from the industry. Indeed, nearby resorts include the up-market Four Seasons, located right next door on the island of Little Huraa. However, making matters worse for local shop owners such as Imad is the fact that business has suffered a huge decline since the tsunami. As Imad explained, “There are around forty souvenir shops on the island, all competing for the same tourists. Before the tsunami, we used to get between forty and fifty guests a day. Now we are lucky if we get forty a week.” Imad attributes the downturn to two factors: “Several of the resorts in the vicinity suffered extensive damage and had to close for repairs. Though most of them have reopened, key ones—such as the Four Seasons — remain closed. However, the principal reason for our losses is the state of our harbour, which was damaged during the tsunami. Many of the bigger boats that carry tourists have found it difficult to dock at the island. After repeated unsuccessful attempts, many of the resorts have decided to take their guests to islands with easier access.” Imad has taken his losses on the chin and has sought to diversify out of the tourism business. Spotting a niche, he decided to convert one of his shops into a cyber café, providing the people of Huraa with a service hitherto unavailable to them. When he submitted his proposal to the local bank he received another loan, this time for Rf.200,000 (US$15,686). Imad acknowledges that this step is a risk, but he is confident that it will reap rewards, both for him personally and for the community as a whole. “There hasn’t been as much demand for the internet as I had initially expected,” admits Imad. “This is partly due to old fashioned thinking among some of the island people. They hear a lot of negative things about the internet but are not aware of the positive aspects. We are working to let them know that there is a world of knowledge out there and that the internet is an incredibly useful and educational tool. Once that message gets through I am sure that things will pick up.” Despite the economic challenges, Imad reports that the people of Huraa are optimistic about the future and have no plans to shut down their shops and look for other ways to earn a living. “People are not thinking of letting their shops go. We believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Guest arrivals will increase and our harbour will eventually be repaired,” he says with good-natured optimism. “We expect the Four Seasons to re-open in less than two months. I hope that that will signify the start of our recovery.”

Island Profile Dhambidhoo Island, Laamu Atoll Cost of Recovery: $2,183,333 Funding Requirement: $300,000 for sanitation Donors: Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), The Coca-Cola Company, UN Foundation Demographic Profile Size: 46.6 hectares Population: 866 Distance from Male’: 228 km
Overview Located in the southern atoll of Laamu, famed for its relatively large islands, the people of Dhambidhoo rely primarily on agriculture and fisheries for their livelihoods. The tsunami caused widespread devastation in Laamu Atoll, which suffered the greatest number of fatalities in the country with 22 confirmed dead and a further three missing. With the support of UNDP, the people of Dhambidhoo have united as a community and have bravely begun to rebuild their shattered lives. Tsunami Impact • Two people were killed by floodwaters • 48 houses were badly damaged and 29 destroyed • 124 people continue to live in temporary shelters UNDP Projects Shelter: AusAID has funded the reconstruction of the 29 destroyed houses. The work is being supervised by UNDP and is expected to be completed by the end of 2006. The 48 damaged houses are being repaired by householders with funding from the Maldives Government. Sustainable Sanitation: A partnership of UNDP, The Coca-Cola Company, the UN Foundation, and AusAID will see Dhambidhoo become one of the first islands other than Male’ and the resort islands to provide sustainable sanitation to all its residents. (Please see related article in this issue.) Livelihoods: UNDP and the Australian Government have provided fishing gear and agricultural materials (e.g., seeds, organic fertilizers, and tools) to hundreds of island residents.

	Message from… Stuart Hawkins UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok
Greetings from the UNDP Regional Centre in Bangkok. Last November, I was “loaned” by Coca-Cola to UNDP for a 12-month assignment to support a partnership project of the UN system, The Coca-Cola Company, and the UN Foundation focused on water and sanitation reconstruction in tsunami-affected communities of Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Maldives. With over US$2 million in matching funds from The Coca-Cola Company and the UN Foundation, the project focuses on the sustainable provision of fresh water and sanitation services – an essential element of the longer-term post-tsunami rebuilding effort. The overall partnership project has been progressing well, and much preliminary work has taken place to design the project activities in a way that supports government and community priorities in each country and builds upon ongoing UN tsunami recovery efforts. In the Maldives, this project is assisting the community of Dhambidhoo Island by providing a sustainable sanitation system for all 866 island residents. In March, I traveled to Dhambidhoo together with UN and UN Foundation colleagues to meet with residents and community leaders and to take a first-hand look at the rebuilding efforts. As we walked around the island I was struck by the visible signs of destruction that still remained well over a year after the disaster. While recovery is clearly underway, with many damaged homes now rebuilt, there’s still work to be done. And as we talked with island residents about the upcoming sanitation project, they reiterated a clear message: There is an urgent need for improved sanitation, and this project will meet that need. These sanitation needs are not, of course, unique to Dhambidhoo. The lessons learned from this pilot project are intended to provide the Government of Maldives and the development community with a model that can be applied to future island-based sanitation projects throughout the country. Partnerships, as we all know, are essential to “building back better” after the tsunami, and we are optimistic that this particular partnership will make a real difference to the people of Dhambidhoo Island—and to many other Maldivian communities in the future.