Earthquake: Iran - ACT: 07-Dec-04
Action by Churches Together (ACT)
Appeal - Iran
Bam Earthquake - Rehabilitation MEIN - 42 (Rev 2)
Appeal Target: US$ 3,133,786
Balance Requested from ACT Network: US$599,794
Geneva, 7 December 2004
The earthquake in Bam that left behind 26,000 casualties, 75,600 homeless
and 5,204 orphans is approaching its first anniversary.
Almost one year after the earthquake, the general situation can be
characterised as that of transition from recovery to longer-term
rehabilitation and reconstruction. The most important reconstruction
activity to take place now is the rebuilding of the city of Bam itself.
Iranian authorities opted to first engage in the reconstruction of
destroyed or damaged houses in the rural areas while working on the
formulation of a Master Plan for the city of Bam, which has been recently
completed. In total, 25,000 housing units (of 60 - 120m2) will be
constructed. Iranian authorities hope that international NGOs and aid
agencies will take responsibility for 3,000 - 4,000 housing units in Bam.
ACT members who have responded to the life-saving needs in Bam, Iran are
Norwegian Church Aid (NCA), Hungarian Baptist Aid (HBAid) and ACT
Netherlands/Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (ACTNL/PDA). They have all
also got involved in reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in Bam,
which, given the bureaucracy-related obstacles on the ground, may take
several years to complete.
This revised appeal includes ACTNL/PDA's updated and extended proposal
consisting of new elements as follows:
- construction of shelters for female-headed households
- technical advise on urban shelter construction
- water/sanitation
- construction of a treatment center for substance abusers
- publication of the ACT psycho-social manual in Persian
- photography activities for children and youth
The program of HBAid was closed in September 2004, while NCA's program is
approaching its official closure on 31 December 2004. For information on
their programs, please refer to the original ACT appeal MEIN-42 and its
first Revision.
Project Completion Date:
NCA - 31 December 2004
PDA/ACT NL - 30 July 2005
HBAid - 31 August 2004 (closed)
Summary of Appeal Targets, Pledges/Contributions Received and Balance
Requested
NCA
PDA/ACT NL
HBAid
TOTAL US$
Total Appeal Target
1,009,040
1,836,146
288,600
3,133,786
Less
1,049,479
1,236,352
279,600
2,565,431
Balance Requested from ACT Alliance
-40,439*
599,794
9,000**
* oversubscribed
**the balance will not be requested due to the program closure
Jenny Borden
Interim Director, ACT Co-ordinating Office
REQUESTING ACT MEMBER
ACT Netherlands (Kerkinactie and ICCO) - the Netherlands
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) - USA
IMPLEMENTING ACT MEMBER & PARTNER INFORMATION
ACT Netherlands is the joint relief and rehabilitation programme of ICCO
and the United Protestant Church in the Netherlands and continues the
emergency work previously carried out by Dutch Interchurch Aid and, later,
the Disasters and Refugees Unit of Kerkinactie.
ACT Netherlands has been involved for more than five years in supporting
Afghan and Iraqi refugee-related projects in Iran through partner
organisations IRAC (the Iraqi Refugee Council) and Ockenden International.
It is also a member of the Tehran-based International Consortium for
Refugees in Iran (ICRI), which seeks to mobilise support to the refugees
in Iran, co-ordinate the work of international organisations, and engage
in advocacy and lobbying on refugee issues.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is an ecumenical ACT member based
in Louisville (KY) in the United States. It is active in supporting
emergencies work through the ACT network, with particular emphasis on
Malawi, Liberia, and El Salvador.
PDA is one of the ACT members that has developed an expertise in the field
of post-disaster psychosocial work. It has a pool of psychosocial experts
who provide training and consultancy, as well as assist local
organisations in designing and developing context-responsive psychosocial
programmes. Through some of its staff members, PDA has good knowledge of
Iran, and of the churches operating in the country.
DESCRIPTION OF EMERGENCY SITUATION
Description of the Current Situation in Bam
The earthquake, measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale, left behind more than
26,000 dead, 30,000 injured, and up to 75,600 homeless. About 85 percent
of housing and infrastructure was destroyed. In the rural areas, 14
villages were affected, with 90% of the houses completely or badly damaged
and in need of reconstruction.
Detailed statistics about specific population categories reveal the scale
and extent of the human tragedy resulting from the earthquake. The quake
left behind 5,204 orphans (of whom 2,322 lost both parents). Of the 2,500
women who head their households in Bam and surrounding areas, 80% (or
2,000) were widowed in the earthquake. Looking at the number of
fatalities, this is an area that has lost at least one quarter of its
population, with loss affecting almost every single family.
According to the UN, the number of people affected by the loss of economic
activity (due to damage to property and infrastructure) is as high as
200,000. The World Bank's estimate of cumulative losses attributable to
the earthquake is $ 1.5 billion, while Iranian government sources give a
higher figure.
The official Task Force on Reconstruction also regularly publishes lists
of needs and projects for which international support is requested.
These lists include various sectors (social services, educational
institutions, rehabilitation services, prevention services, and sports /
culture).
After the initial co-ordination structures and mechanisms, which UN-OCHA
had facilitated, formal meetings between the Task Force (representing
Iranian authorities) and international organisations present in Bam are
now held regularly. International organisations, including ACT
Netherlands / PDA, are also required to submit regular progress reports
and plans to the Task Force.
The number of international NGOs present in Bam has substantially dropped
once the immediate relief phase was completed. As for Iranian NGOs and
community-based organisations, a survey conducted by ACT Netherlands / PDA
in September concluded that they generally lack capacity and project
experience. Amongst them, there is consensus on disaster preparedness and
disaster management training as a priority.
Project Completion Date:
The revision of the appeal will extend the project completion date from 28
February to 30 July 2005.
The reasons for the extension are as follows:
Delays in starting the programme (explained in the interim narrative
report)
Delays in granting permissions by the Iranian authorities to international
organisations to start shelter construction in the urban areas of Bam and
Baravat. The ACT Netherlands / PDA programme includes a substantial
shelter construction component, which can only be completed by the end of
July 2005.
BENEFICIARIES
For the new activities, listed and detailed below, programme beneficiaries
will be:
Activity
Households
Individuals
Urban shelters (60 and 85 sq.m)
75 (female-headed)
min. 300
Technical Advice on Shelter Construction
300 (direct consultancy)
general public
Water and sanitation (latrines / rural shelters)
Water and sanitation (infrastructure rehabilitation)
Water and sanitation (training)
60
villages of Eslam Abad and Dar Bagh
350
70
Treatment Centre for Substance Abusers
5,000
Photography Activities for Youth and Children
min. 250
EMT
20 participants
NEW ACTIVITIES INCLUDED IN THE REVISION
Construction of 75 shelters for female-headed households in Bam and
Beravat
The most significant change to planned activities is the addition of a
component for the construction of 75 shelters for female-headed households
in Bam and Beravat. This will cost an estimated USD 750,000 (at $ 10,000
per unit).
The go-ahead to international organisations to start assessment and
planning processes for urban shelter construction was only given recently
by the Iranian authorities. ACT Netherlands / PDA has already signed a
preliminary Memorandum of Understanding with the Housing Foundation
concerning the 75 units. Currently, ACT Netherlands / PDA are conducting
further negotiations with the Housing Foundation, which could result in
the increase of shelter units proposed.
For urban shelter construction, the Iranian authorities commissioned the
building of 12 prototypes. International NGOs, the Iranian private
sector, and governmental construction companies, all built prototypes,
using different materials and construction techniques, which are now being
exhibited for potential beneficiaries to visit and examine.
The idea is to present people with options, which have been approved by
the official Iranian agencies, as meeting the minimum requirements for
earthquake safety and which, at the same time, is affordable. Prices
vary, according to the quality of materials used and depending on total
shelter size (ranging from 60 to 120m2 ). Once people have chosen the
model they want, they face the task of choosing the construction company
they want to contract from more than 100 companies that have been licensed
to work in Bam.
The authorities will grant each family entitled to a new house the
equivalent of USD 4,300. People then have to cover the remaining costs,
either through their own means or through loans (at an interest rate of
2%, going up to a maximum of 15% depending on loan size, repayable in 15
years). In other words, the governmental grant will cover 43% of the
minimum shelter construction cost (the minimum being 60 square meters in
size).
Even with the availability of loans, the most vulnerable sectors of
survivors will find it difficult to take the burden of repaying the costs
of construction and sustaining their households. Consequently, there is
strong justification for engagement in this activity with careful
targeting of the most needy of survivors.
The Iranian authorities, as indicated in the introduction to this
revision, are expecting international NGOs to assist 3,000 - 4,000
families in constructing their homes.
The ACT Netherlands / PDA programme will target the most needy of
female-headed households, mainly composed of families which lost the male
breadwinner in the earthquake.
The decision to target this specific category was taken in light of the
findings of a detailed report prepared by the ACT member Norwegian Church
Aid and UNICEF on the situation of female-headed households in Bam. ACT
Netherlands / PDA presence in the field, and contacts with women's groups,
have both strengthened motivation to serve this particular group.
The NCA / UNICEF report described the vulnerable situation of FHHs as
follows:
With the great loss of family members and the total destruction of homes,
the women have been put in a vulnerable situation. The feeling of
insecurity colours every aspect of their lives, and makes it difficult to
cope. Not only is there a physical threat, but also the women are left
with anxiety and possible isolation. Also, the possibility to cope in
such a situation is very difficult, because the women are left without
feeling protected - even by police or other authorities. Because these
women's everyday life is filled with problems, it is often difficult to
meet new challenges. There is just not enough energy and space.
The uncertainty of the widows' housing situation makes it very difficult
to have a sense of control. To be able to plan for the future, or even
for the next few weeks, is almost impossible because of the lack of
knowledge about whether or not they are moving to a guest village. The
difficulty of planning can make it hard for the women to feel that they
can deal with eventual challenges and that they master the overall
situation.
And:
The financial situation for the widows is very difficult (=85) The women's
financial problems are not only related to providing food for themselves
and [their] families, but also to enabling further education for the
children. In addition, the financial situation will be closely related to
the feeling of coping.
Unemployment has been and is a great problem [for women] in Baravat [and
the Bam area in general]. Not having a steady income is of grave
financial concern, and might cause distress and psychosocial problems.
It may also, for those already poor, keep them in a life of poverty,
without the possibility to improve their situation. In addition,
particularly problematic to the [Bam region], the lack of employment
[coupled] with its negative social implications and the feeling of not
mastering different challenges, may lead women to turning to drugs as a
means of escape.
PDA / ACT Netherlands field staff will use questionnaires (used previously
in selecting beneficiaries for the rural shelters component) in
identifying the 75 beneficiaries. ACT Netherlands / PDA are already in
contact with 65 women who head their households through the
income-generating project (see interim report), but will be surveying a
larger number for more accurate targeting.
There is a possibility that the number of urban shelters to be constructed
will be higher than the stated 75. ACT Netherlands / PDA are at present
negotiating with the Housing Foundation, which offered to channel the
grants allocated for the 75 beneficiaries to ACT Netherlands / PDA, so
that they can reach a higher target. If an agreement is reached donors
will be informed.
One shelter model was decided on for all 75 beneficiaries. Two types of
houses will be provided, depending on the household size:
- 60 square meters for households with up to 4 members
- 85 square meters for households with more than 4 members
The projected start date for construction of urban shelters is January
2005 and the completion date is foreseen as July 2005.
Technical Advise on Urban Shelter Construction (the Young Architects'
Association - YAA)
The scheme outlined above, i.e. providing people with the freedom to
choose the model of house they want (from 12 available models) and the
contractor they want (from more than 100 possible companies) is -on the
one hand- a democratic measure that is to be commended, while -on the
other hand- it will cause those who are not knowledgeable about the
technical and financial aspects of construction a lot of confusion.
To make good choices, people have to be well informed. Acting on this
principle, ACT Netherlands / PDA have developed - together with the
Kerman-based Iranian NGO, the Young Architects Association - the idea of
providing technical and financial advise to people on the qualities of the
various prototypes, and on the financial and contractual aspects of
entering into agreements with constructors and banks that provide loans.
The Young Architects' Association will:
Organise collective workshops / meetings to explain in a simplified form
the characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of the various available
prototypes, as well as the basic issues that need to be taken into account
when taking a loan, or signing a contract with a construction company.
Provide individual, more detailed consultation to 300 families, with
priority to low-income families
Prepare and disseminate booklets containing the essential information on
the technical, contractual and financial aspects of house construction
These activities will not only provide a much-needed service to earthquake
survivors, but also contribute to building the capacity of a young and
inexperienced NGO by involving it in a project that is demanding and
challenging. The project will be a learning process for the Association,
and will bring to the fore many issues related to disaster preparedness,
earthquake safety construction, and "how to work with people" in a
practical way.
ACT Netherlands / PDA are working closely with the YAA in developing the
project, and will be ready to provide it with the needed advice once
implementation starts.
The projected period for this activity is November 2004 - January 2005.
Water & Sanitation (watsan)
In NCA's Bam appeal (MEIN-42) and also in the original PDA / ACT
Netherlands appeal (MEIN-42, revision 1) it was indicated that NCA will
complement the ACT Netherlands/PDA programme's shelter component with
water and sanitation activities. This has now been worked out and an
Agreement of Co-operation signed with NCA to this effect.
Training on water and sanitation issues has been identified as a priority
(both for Iranian NGOs and for state agencies) as there is a general lack
of knowledge and skills in this area. The themes to be covered are:
conducting water and sanitation assessments after a disaster, planning and
organising immediate watsan interventions, and the Sphere standards as
they apply to the watsan sector. This is another intervention
contributing to capacity building of local structures.
This training will be provided to 70 people from NGOs and different state
agencies (national and local). Two training sessions are planned and will
take place in November - December 2004. The NCA-seconded expert will
deliver the training. NCA is covering the trainer's costs.
Other water and sanitation activities that will be implemented are:
Building 60 latrines for the constructed rural shelters in the villages of
Eslam Abad and Dar Bagh
Solving the problem of a problematic canal in the village of Eslam Abad.
Installing water and sanitation facilities at the four constructed
community centres
Assessing, planning, and implementing the water and sanitation works at
the 75 urban shelters
Construction of a Treatment Centre for Substance Abusers
Even prior to the earthquake, the rate of substance abuse among adults and
children was high in Bam. The disaster, with all the loss, uncertainty,
and traumas it brought about, has led to the exacerbation of the problem.
Some reports indicate that the rate of substance abuse in Bam could be as
high as 70%. The problem is so pervasive that adults who are addicts give
opium to their children (to quiet them down, or even as a form of
medication for ailments).
While the problem is at such a scale, facilities and services to deal with
it are extremely few and poor in terms of staffing. An indication of the
general lack of resources allocated not only to this problem, but to
meeting the psycho-social needs of the survivors, is that the State
Welfare Organisation (one of the main organisations providing
psycho-social support) had to decrease the number of centres it operates
in Bam from eight (immediately after the earthquake) to three, due to
financial problems. Similarly, the number of psychologists working in the
area has decreased, and SWO is unable to provide minimum financial support
to the 150 psychosocial volunteers it recruited and trained after the
earthquake.
At present, there is no active programme in Bam dealing with the problem
of substance abuse. The list published by Iranian authorities of public
places to be reconstructed, and for which funding is sought, includes only
two "treatment and rehabilitation centres for the addicted". Even
assuming that these are indeed constructed, they will not be sufficient to
deal with the large number of people who are substance abusers in the Bam
area.
PDA/ACT Netherlands will be constructing a treatment centre of around
300m2. The counterpart organisation for this project is the State Welfare
Organisation. It has provided ACT Netherlands / PDA with the
specifications of the facility it needs (number of rooms, and the size of
each room).
The centre will have the capacity to deal with 114 clients per day, and a
total of 3,000 clients per month. SWO's concept paper for the centre also
states "training and prevention programmes, such as life-skills training,
psycho-education, family education; and psycho-social health programmes
for the general public could be added for more coverage. Occupational
therapy could also be included for effectiveness of interventions".
The treatment centre will be staffed by two psychiatrists, four clinical
psychologists (with MSc. Degrees, two social workers (for outreach), two
nurses, and one technical administrator who is a psychiatrist.
Non-Construction Contributions to the four Community Centres
Of the four community centres whose construction was planned, one has
already been completed and it is hoped to complete the remaining three in
the period November - December 2004. In light of needs brought to ACT
Netherlands / PDA's attention by SWO (which will operate and manage two
centres) and the Kerman NGO House (which will be responsible for the other
two centres), the following items have been added to the revised budget:
Contribution to furnishing the centres (at USD 1,169 each, with a total
cost of USD 4,675)
Support to SWO staffing costs (both in the two community centres and in
the treatment centre for substance abusers)
Publication of the ACT Psycho-Social Manual in persian
SWO accessed the ACT community-based psychosocial manual through NCA and
UNICEF. Of the various available manuals dealing with this topic, it has
opted to translate the ACT manual and has used it in training staff and
volunteers.
The manual is ready to be printed for wider use, and also as a form of
institutionalising knowledge. SWO has done the translation itself and
asked ACT for a partial contribution to the printing costs.
It is planned that one of the authors of the ACT manual conducts training
on the use of the manual, concomitant to its publication. The visit by
the author will also be useful to the enrichment of the manual itself,
since SWO has made a number of cultural adaptations to the text.
Participation of 4 Iranian experts in the Istanbul "Disaster and Trauma"
Conference
As part of contributing to building local capacity and facilitating
networking and exchanges with regional counterparts, ACT Netherlands / PDA
will be covering the travel and accommodation costs of four Iranian
experts (two from SWO and two from the Ministry of Health) participating
in the conference on "Disaster and Trauma" in Istanbul.
The conference is organised by the Turkish Psychiatric Association and the
Association of Turkish Psychologists, both of whom were ACT Netherlands
partners in the post-quake programme implemented in Turkey. With ACT
Netherlands / PDA mediation, the conference organisers have invited the
Iranian experts to participate in panels. The themes of the conference
are highly relevant to the situation in Bam.
After the conference, the Turkish and Iranian teams will meet to discuss
possible co-operation.
Photography Activities for Youth & Children
In the framework of the appeal revision, PDA/ACT Netherlands will
implement an activity directed at youth and children, which teaches them
photography and uses this as a therapeutic tool as well as a medium of
expression that stimulates creativity.
A similar activity was successfully implemented in ACT Netherlands'
post-earthquake programme in Turkey. The Turkish partner organisation,
which implemented that project, will be invited to set up the activity in
Bam, in collaboration with youth groups and the Foundation of Iranian
Photographers. It is expected that setting up the activity and launching
it will require two months, after which the Iranian counterparts can
assume responsibility.
Psycho-social Consultants
With the increasing difficulties in obtaining visas for expatriates, ACT
Netherlands / PDA are considering more reliance on regional expertise,
particularly from countries, which experienced earthquakes in the past few
years (Turkey, India, Armenia). In addition, the diminishing investments
in psycho-social activities by the Iranian authorities leave funding gaps
which result in lower quality of services, since the more experienced
Iranian psychologists and psychiatrists cannot be retained in Bam.
The mid-term review that PDA/ACT Netherlands conducted in the field in
September highlighted the need to allocate more resources to meet the
costs of psychosocial consultants (both from Iran and the region) as well
as to contribute to the essential costs of psychosocial volunteers and
their training.
Changes to the Field Office and Administration Budget
The past seven months of presence in the field has tested the budget
allocated to the field office for administrative and logistic purposes.
The changes requested here reflect real needs, and real costs. The
changes are: Extending the contract period for the field co-ordinator, and
the number of budget items in line with extending the implementation
period of the programme Hiring an assistant co-ordinator for a period of
four months (November - February), which will see intensive preparations
and detailed tasks Hiring local support staff (mainly for assistance with
translation) Raising the monthly allocation for office / accommodation
space, to reflect real costs Breaking down transportation into two items:
first for transportation in Bam, and the second for costs of commuting
between Bam and Tehran
Staff and other administrative and logistic costs will remain low in the
revised budget, at 10.5% of the total.
BUDGET
INCOME (up to 15.11.2004, carried over from MEIN-42/revision 1) 1,236,352
ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE
Description Type of No of Unit Cost Orig Bud Rev Bud
Unit Units US$ US$ US$
Construction/watsan
Tempory shelters (36 square meters) house 60 5,600 336,000 0
60 sq.m. Rural shelters (skeleton) house 60 5,447 455,000 326,820
Completion of rural shelters house 60 420 0 25,200
(exterior walls and internal partitions) 0
Latrines for the rural shelters latrine 60 510 0 30,600
Technical Supervision (rural shelters) lumpsum 8,000 8,000 8,000
Water and sanitation training lumpsum 0 5,000
Community centres centre 4 12,390 32,000 49,560
Contribution to furnishing centres centre 4 1,169 0 4,676
Treatment Centre (290 sq.m) centre 1 30,000 0 30,000
Urban shelters for FHHs house 75 10,000 0 750,000
YAA - Info dissem. & technical advice lumpsum 31,750 0 31,750
TOTAL CONSTRUCTION/WATSAN 831,000 1,261,606
Psycho-social and Youth Activities
Training of Trainers (psycho-social) Lumpsum 5,000 5,000
Placement of psycho-social workers monthman 12 2,700 32,400 32,400
Publication of ACT manual (Farsi) Lumpsum 0 3,610
Assessment of NGOs Lumpsum 0 3,000
Support to SWO staffing costs Lumpsum 0 25,000
Iranian delegation Istanbul conference person 4 1,250 0 5,000
Support to Youth and Women's NGOs Lumpsum 5 10,000 50,000 50,000
Women's Sewing Project Lumpsum 0 35,670
Vocational Training for Youth Lumpsum 50,000 50,000
Photography activities for youth & children month 8 5,000 0 40,000
Psycho-social consultants Lumpsum 0 25,000
TOTAL PSYCHO-SOCIAL 137,400 274,680
Training and Capacity Building
Disaster Preparedness and Sphere Training session 2 5,000 5,000 10,000
Search and Rescue Training lumpsum 5,000 20,000
Search and Rescue equipment lumpsum 10,000 10,000
Publications (Sphere in Farsi) lumpsum 5,000 15,000
Trainers trainer 2 2,000 4,000 4,000
EMT lumpsum 0 20,000
EMT trainers trainer 2 4,000 0 8,000
TOTAL TRAINING & CAPACITY BUILDING 29,000 87,000
Field office and staff
Expatriate staff (Field Coordinator) month 16 4,500 54,000 72,000
Expatriate staff (Assistant Coordinator) month 4 1,845 0 7,380
Expatriate staff (Finance Manager) month 4 4,500 18,000 18,000
Expatriate staff (Psycho-social) month 4 4,500 18,000 18,000
Local support staff month 12 1,390 0 16,680
Office / Accommodation month 16 1,650 18,000 26,400
Communication month 16 300 3,600 4,800
Description Type of No of Unit Cost Orig Bud Rev Bud
Unit Units US$ US$ US$
Accommodation (Tehran) lumpsum 6,000 6,600
Transportation (Bam) month 12 1,500 12,000 18,000
Transportation (Bam - Tehran) lumpsum 0 5,000
TOTAL SALARIES/P DIEM, ACCOMMODATION & TRANSPORT 129,600 192,860
Admin/monitoring
ACT Netherlands PDA lumpsum 10,000 10,000
External Audit lumpsum 10,000
TOTAL ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE 1,836,146
Less Income to date 1,236,352
BALANCE REQUESTED FROM ACT NETWORK 599,794
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response. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of
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