The US$ 50 million livelihood restoration project taken for the sidr-hit people is going to be launched this month with four worst affected upazilas being covered in the first Phase, reports UNB.

The second phase would be the formal project launch, which would take place simultaneously in all the proposed unions by the end of June this year, said a World Bank information note Thursday.

Social Development Foundation (SDF) would implement the project to meet the emergency need to support restoration of livelihoods with financial assistance from the World Bank.

A recent World Bank mission appraised the implementing agency about the project and discussed the scope of the first year work programme and its implementation plan. The project would be implemented as part of the government''s ongoing programme-Social Investment Programme Project (SIPP).

With a focus on sustainable livelihoods and empowerment of the poor communities, the ongoing SIPP is being implemented in the poorest districts of the northwest region covering 2 million people.

Given the emergency need to provide quick livelihood support to the cyclone-affected communities, the government and the World Bank have agreed to expand the project to the southern districts to address the livelihoods restoration needs of the affected people.

The objectives of the proposed project would remain consistent with those of the ongoing SIPP project, which aims to empower the poorest and most vulnerable and improve their livelihoods and quality of life by providing them with resources for small-scale infrastructure, training and skill development, and income-generating activities.

Given the nature of the post-Sidr emergency, the proposed project would facilitate the restoration and recovery from the damage to livelihoods, assets, and infrastructures. It would also build long-term preparedness by mainstreaming disaster risk reduction measures into the lives of the communities under the framework of the original SIPP.

"This is a holistic project that includes infrastructures, livelihoods, and institutional development interventions required for sustainable livelihoods opportunities and risk reduction." The additional financing would focus on the worst-affected districts (including Patuakhali, Barguna, Bagerhat and Pirojpur) covering about 12 to 14 of the most affected Upazilas and about 150 Unions.

About 150,000 affected families will be directly benefited from the livelihood support activities. However, the infrastructure rehabilitation and local-level institutional development will indirectly benefit approximately 1.0 million people. "We want development, not relief.

However, we''ll need some help to get back on our own feet," the information note quoted a community member from a remote island in Patuakhali district as saying. "The ideas of self-help and sustainable livelihoods opportunities this project would be like Notun Jibon (New Life) to us," he said.

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