UNHCR Shelter Program
The shelter program, the shelter program, hmmm? Where to start? Let's start with UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). They are sponsoring the shelter program in East Timor. There are eight NGOs, including IRC, working with and funded by the UNHCR to distribute "shelter kits" to East Timor's 35,000 most needy families. The UN will ship these kits in three phases to four ports around the country. A "kit" contains enough cement, timbers, corrugated tin sheeting and tools to build a modest home (5 meters by 7 meters), with local construction techniques. IRC is taking responsibility for 3,500 of those kits. We will be distributing materials for and monitoring the building of 1500 houses in Los Palos District, 1000 houses in and around Dili, and another 1000 in Oekusi (a small East Timorese enclave in West Timor - Kind of like the Gaza Strip.) We have 9 months to complete the project (my contract is still for only six months). The work offers some very unique challenges and I'm enjoying it.
In the last two weeks the three of us have been primarily focused on Los Palos. We will not become involved in Dili or Oekusi, until the Phase II materials arrive. To sum up my last few weeks. I've been whiling away the time trying to meet with local leaders, visiting all the "desas" (villages) I'll be working in, obtaining warehousing space, hiring local staff, and finalizing our budget. Meeting with local leaders has been difficult because know one seems to know who they are. There has been a major changing of the guard within the CNRT and folks here don't know who is out and who is in. The Church and UNTAET have been very helpful and as soon as the local political chaos subsides a bit we should be able to move forward.
For warehousing I found a government gymnasium just outside of town. All the doors and windows have been destroyed and removed and parts of the roof are missing. However, I did manage to find a carpenter in town that can do the repairs if I am able to obtain the materials (this work has to be done before my building materials arrive in port and there are almost no materials available locally.) The building is controlled by UNTAET, so leasing it should not be a problem.
Jennifer and I are working to make our original budget fit within the parameters dictated by the UNHCR. A big problem right now is that all eight NGOs in the program are attempting to do the same thing and no money is to be released until all eight budgets are just right. The first phase of materials are due to arrive in two or three weeks and we are still unable to put in a purchase order for trucks (with a lead time of up to 12 weeks) until everyone's budget is approved. Not good!