Arugam Bay Road Build by the Community
6 December 2005
Arugam Bay Rebuild Road
One Road – Self Help
What a day! Blisters, redder face than normal but a day of achievement and personal satisfaction! A unique day!
Today the community of Arugam Bay did something to support it’s self and paid for it! Cash! It helped itself to help itself (you know what I mean) and improve the community.
Began a couple of weeks ago when a meeting was advertised by Fred at Siam View; It did not happen the first time but we managed to get a second meeting organised. At this meeting, it transpired that we did not have an overview on what was and had been happening as a community in ABay. Therefore another meeting was required to get facts about what the NGO’s had been doing and what plans for the future.
The invitation went out, a week later than had hoped (See my bad back etc) and not to everyone we had hoped. (Invitation & Minutes on www.lookinglost.com ) Now, I am a great believer in things happening for a reason, and to cut a long storey short, the highest priority that the members of the meeting came up with was “The Road”.
The only road through ABay is a joke! No work or maintenance has been done on it since Tsunami; the only work was done in the sight of international press to repair the section that leads to the bridge we depend on. Even since this was completed March 2005; No! Work of maintenance has been done on the new 200m section and the 1km through ABay has disintegrated to worse than a “Dirt Track” Craters, gullies, potholes, collapsed embankments not a “Road” at all.
So with no help from Government or the Tsunami agencies (they offered but government refused permission!) the old saying “Sometimes it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission” came into play.
The meeting came up with an estimated cost of $500 to level and repair, not tarmac but hard pack surfacing “Backfill?”
With the remaining funds I have available from the/your donations, I undertook to underwrite the cost to a budget of $500; meeting happened Friday 2nd December the enthusiasm and empowerment was such that date was set for today Tuesday 6th December.
One thing taking on a “Community Project” Another getting community to assist?
The local supplier of the “Mud, Backfill” or whatever it is called did his bit and gave a good price, the instigators managed to get a “Chain Gang” including themselves together and willing supporters joined in to play their part in a unique way.
Have to say a little disappointed in the turn out of the community in helping us to help them and get stuck in on the “Chain Gang” BUT what was new, unique and a great effort by supporters was “Tin Rattling”!
Every one who came up or down the road,(as we shifted many tons of dirt), by foot, bicycle, tuk tuk, van or truck were near enough attacked by initially, 2 great Dutch girls and 1 very pregnant lady, Liz, then as the idea caught on the local supporters joined in to obtain contributions from all who use the road. To the extent, they collected nearly half of the end of day cost!
Everyone who saw what was going on or who contributed said, “What a good idea it was” to repair the road and in most cases they understood why they should contribute! A Revelation and success by my standards!
Started at 8am waited till 10 for the first tractors to arrive full of dirt, mud backfill or whatever it is called, 6 hours later we had completed the objective, the worst sections including those at the bridge, repaired to a standard equal or greater than the “Road Authorities” had achieved!
Budget $500, actual cost $377 - 25% under budget!! + Contributions mean an actual cost of our funds $212! What a result!
52 loads of the stuff, 6 hours of back breaking; blistering work, a chain gang, 20 odd people helping, organising, working together (of course sometimes more supervisors than workers).
Result a road you can pass without feeling you are on the Paris-Dakar rally and a sense of achievement as well as hopefully an inspiration to others to take on the task of “One Road- Self Help” approach.
Question remains of why we had to do it and not the Government or it’s agencies but for now I rest, deep heat on aching back, drink a few beers with satisfaction that it HAS BEEN A VERY GOOD DAY!
Thanks to you for the funds, thanks to all those who cared enough to give their time and energy to the cause!
Citizen Jones reporting
For
www.lookinlost.com
Photos are on the site.
Steve
Post Script: - The road has now been graded and levelled. On the 7th of this month, USAID laid the foundation stone for the building of the new bridge to replace the current one damaged in the tsunami.
Around 150-250 people showed up for the ceremony, including high-ranking officials from the American Embassy along with local dignitaries and officials.