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afrol News, 7 June - As the peace process in completing in war-ravaged Sierra Leone, focus is now on returning civilians to their homes and/or reconstruct these houses. Ten years of brutal warfare have not only left many dead and mutilated, but also many parts of the country in ruins. The Sierra Leonean government already is cooperating with several non-governmental organisations (Catholic Relief Services and ActionAid) and the UN development agency UNDP to implement a community reconstruction programme in the Kambia district in northwest Sierra Leone to rebuild homes destroyed in the war. The brutal RUF rebels had occupied Kambia town from 1994 until May of last year, causing years of human suffering. The occupation left widespread destruction, and impoverished families are unable to rebuild on their own. An assessment found that almost three quarters of the town's homes were destroyed. The eight-month initiative to rebuild Kambia, launched in December with funding from the Swedish government, "provides support for rebuilding homes, training in construction skills and creating job opportunities," reports UNDP. Participants build three and four bedroom homes using local materials. The UN agency reports that, so far, "240 of the 400 houses planned are constructed up to lintel level and roofed." All the houses need to be covered by roofs by July to protect the mud bricks and concrete plastering on the exteriors from heavy rains expected then. More than 4,000 people are to benefit from the project, according to the plans. These include families displaced from their homes, ex-combatants and other vulnerable groups, such as households headed by women and returning refugees. - As areas were liberated from the rebels and the disarmament and demobilization progressed, the need to assist communities in rebuilding their homes was unquestionable, said Alan Doss, UNDP Resident Representative and Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Sierra Leone. - With few donors and other partners on the scene ready to support rebuilding, UNDP moved in to fill the gap and act as a catalyst for other donors to participate in shelter reconstruction and rehabilitation, Doss added. This was made in close collaboration with the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Lands, Housing, Country Planning and the Environment. The programme complements an ongoing resettlement and reintegration programme and the government's national recovery strategy. UNDP holds that the programme encourages full community participation and promotes the use of local building materials, to strengthen local capacity. "It is also training participants in basic construction skills, which offer long-term job opportunities." Participants were selected in cooperation with local Community Recovery Committees. Confidence among people in the communities is rebounding and displaced families are returning. "I never thought that I would be able to rebuild and own a house, considering the level of destruction," said one aged community member. "Thanks to UNDP, we can still find somewhere to live after these terrible days," the UN agency quotes the local beneficiary.
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