The earthquake of January 2001 caused widespread damage to life and property in the state of Gujarat. The initial ameliorative efforts towards providing immediate relief in the form of food, shelter, medical help etc have now stabilized with many national and international agencies contribution in this direction. It is now time to bring about efforts for the restoration of the livelihoods of the effected in order to ensure that they are able to rebuild their own lives and look towards the future.
The Government of Gujarat has entered into an agreement with the Asian Development Bank for Loan under Gujarat Earthquake Emergency Reconstruction and Rehabilitation project. Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority is the implementing body for this project. As a part of this ADB funded project, Women’s Livelihood Restoration Project (WLRP) is initiated by the Commissioner office, Women and Child Development Department, Government of Gujarat.
The women of the earthquake-affected area have always been economically very active and have therefore suffered due to loss of livelihood. It is in this context that special efforts are needed to restore the economic livelihood of these women affected by the earthquake.
Objectives
To establish a mechanism for sustainable economic livelihood restoration of the women affected by the earthquake. The project should look at the revitalization of traditional livelihoods and also explore new sources of livelihood with sufficient market potential.
20,000 women in the above-mentioned affected areas of Gujarat. The Project will attempt to target 20,000, of the most poor and vulnerable women in the area. Widows, disabled or women from female-headed households would constitute at least 20% of the targeted women. Proposals for rural as well as urban areas would be considered.
Need Assessment Study
The need assessment study will identify the existing economic activities of the women in the project area, constraints, market linkages and raw material sources. In addition, the study will also identify the potential for micro venture enterprises, and other new economic activities, and identify the technological gaps. The study will also need to delineate a fresh strategy to address the issues and technological gaps.
Allocation of funds
The fund’s allocation will be in the form of a grant subject to the following conditions. Training 35% of the total funds will be allocated to training-related projects.
Projects other than training projects will account for the rest of the 65% of the funds. In order to bring in some level of ownership and proper implementation of the project, the proposing agency will contribute at least 10-20% of the total funds required for the project as decided by the committee.