PRIVATE SECTOR TO ADOPT ISLAND IN THE MALDIVES
Male, Maldives, 8 February 2005 -- Big businesses are readying to adopt
small islands in the Maldives through a pioneering effort aimed at helping
people affected by the tsunami to rebuild their homes. The ADOPT AN
ISLAND
initiative was officially launched in the Maldives today by the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at precisely 9:30 am, the exact
time
the gigantic tsunami devastated one-third of the Maldives' inhabited
islands, just over a month ago.
The new initiative invites private donors to ADOPT AN ISLAND and thereby
directly help one or more among the worst affected communities to rebuild
or repair their houses.
In the Maldives, the tsunami forced thousands of people from their
homes
and, in some cases, their communities.Thirteen islands had to be completely
abandoned as all the buildings and infrastructure were smashed and fresh
water sources contaminated by the sea.
Now, for the first time in its history, the Maldives has internally
displaced people, numbering in the thousands. "While everyone in
the
Maldives has made great efforts to rebuild their shattered communities,
outside assistance is needed if the challenge of rebuilding one-third
of
the countries' inhabited islands is to be met," UNDP Resident
Representative Moez Doraid said.
Earlier, the UN made an appeal to donor countries for funds to support
critical relief and recovery efforts in the Maldives but, despite the
overwhelming generosity for tsunami-affected people, until now only
half
the money needed by the UN has been secured. Critical areas such as
rebuilding homes and helping people get back to work are still seriously
under funded.
The ADOPT AN ISLAND initiative provides a new avenue for private donors
to
help some of the worst hit communities in the Maldives. "Recovery
begins
with a home," Mr. Doraid said. He explained that ADOPT AN ISLAND
was part
of a programme to address the immediate and now urgent need for shelter
in
the Maldives.
Companies or donors who ADOPT AN ISLAND can directly support some of
the
most devastated communities to rebuild or repair their homes, Mr. Doraid
said. Adoptions would cover the cost of purchasing and delivering essential
construction materials like cement, steel, timber and tin. Island
rebuilding teams would be established and paid through the programme,
generating much needed income opportunities for many islanders.
The most expensive adoption (US$4.4 million) would enable more than
a
thousand people to rebuild and move back into their homes. At the other
end
of the scale, $95,000 would help 58 families mend their dwellings.
Mr. Doraid said the ADOPT AN ISLAND initiative had generated great
interest
from the private sector even before the official launch today, and several
companies were within days of adopting an island.
"Hundreds of communities in the Maldives are scared by the biggest
natural
disaster ever to strike this nation. By adopting an island, donors to
the
initiative can send a direct message of solidarity and hope to the people
of the Maldives," he said.
Those interested to support the ADOPT AN ISLAND initiative can send
an
email to: adoptanisland@undp.org, or visit www.mv.undp.org.
For further information, please contact: in Maldives, Lisa Hiller,
tel.
+960 792 468, lisa.hiller@undp.org ; kari.blindheim@undp.org, tel. +960
791
941; in Thailand, Cherie Hart, tel. 662 918 1564 , cherie.hart@undp.org
;
in New York, Dan Shepard, tel: 1-212-906-5325, dan.shepard@undp.org.
UNDP is the United Nations worldwide development network. It advocates
change and provides countries with access to the knowledge, skills and
resources their populations need to improve their lives.
To receive more UNDP news bulletins about development issues and projects
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www.undp.org/dpa/pressrelease/releases/2005/february/pr8feb05.html
