UNDP believes in the principle of ‘enabling' and not ‘providing'. It intends to build the capacities of the people by training and organizing them so that they can effectively continue to build their habitat even after UNDP gradually withdraws support.
UNDP aims to rebuild a self-sustainable habitat in Orissa. It does so by acting as a facilitator for the effective implementation of the development efforts of the Government and other partners. It promotes the use of cost effective and local economy generating materials and techniques of construction. By taking up a survey exercises it helps the people to build up their communities in a planned manner and with a minimal disaster risk. By training the people in the art of building using appropriate building materials and technologies, it generates employment for them. By organizing these people in federations towards empowering them.
Broadly, their efforts are directed towards stabilizing and building up Partnerships, Networking with individual and organizations including government, Resource Mobilization and Timely delivery of assignments
On the people interviewed
Key people met form the shelter team
Mr. Saroj Jha, The Assistant Resident Representative, Vulnerability Reduction and Sustainable Environment, UNDP
The Shelter Project has been his brainchild and initiative.
Mr. Hari Kumar, The Programme coordinator for the Shelter project
He is the person behind the actual planning and implementation of the shelter project. Previously working as an Engineer in the Habitat Technology Team at Trivandrum, he was already exposed to building in energy and cost effective technologies. But the challenge for him was how to be able to introduce a completely new technology in a region and at the same time find acceptance for it. He visualises things in both the contexts; the grassroots and the national and global level. He has placed the reins of the shelter project in the hands of his second in command, Mr. Anindya Sarkar to begin a new programme on earthquake risk management being implemented nation wide.
Mr. Anindya Sarkar, The Programme Officer, Habitat Development
Anindya had visited UNDP as a part of his research for his final year course in planning at the School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi and decided to join the team as soon as he graduated. Since then he has been in charge of overlooking the implementation of the shelter project at the field level. He draws personal satisfaction in working with people on the field. He is now rich with experiences in dealing with all kinds of problems that come in working at village levels.
Mr. N. P. Panigrahi, NUNV Planner Specialist
A planner by qualification and an ex-employee of the government of Orissa, he is now the head of the UNDP team in Kendrapara district. Being a native of Orissa itself, he takes great pride in the tenacity of his people in the face of the natural calamities that they face regularly.
He personally believes that the rural people know best how to live appropriately build for themselves. Hence, for him an appropriate technology is the one that comes form the people or is an improvement of the existing style of building, without disturbing their existing lifestyle as against something alien and imported from another place.
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