ChapterV

Recommendations

Introduction

Based on the data analysis and the findings of the study the following
recommendations are forwarded. They are made to the Central Government,
Government of Tamil Nadu, the international organizations, local non-governmental
organizations and communities who are interested in working with the refugees. The
recommendations are applicable to all the Sri Lankan refugees staying in the camps in
Tamil Nadu. The recommendations are presented according to the identified capitals
of the refugees in relation to the livelihood issues that were studied. Specific outputs
are suggested as for their assets. The final set of recommendations is made to
researchers who are interested in further studies on the refugees and their problems.

1. Social capital
The refugees have strong networks within the camps and outside the camps. It is these
networks that form the foundation of their social capital. Hence it is important to pay
attention to the strengthening of the social capital. The camp committees which play a
major role in strengthening the social capital were found to be weak and lacked
dynamic leaders. Hence it is suggested that the camp committees are strengthened. It
could be done through improving their self concept, leadership role, conflicting
strategies, counseling workshops and interpersonal skills. This would help to interact
with the inmates of the camps efficiently.

1.1 Strengthening Relationships

The houses of the refugees are in close proximity to one another. The interaction is
limited to the members of the self help groups. Interaction between the members
gives a sense of belonging to a group who feel alienated from their own country.
Hence, the leaders could identify areas of interaction within the camp. This will
reduce their feeling that they are refugees and in an alien soil. This could be done

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through common celebrations like festivals and national days and other important
occasions.

1.2 Youth and Social Relations

Conflicts inside the camp, most of the time, started with problems arising from male-
female relationships especially among youth. Elopement is common in the camps.
The youth who are in love use it to force the parents to get them married. This created
rift among the members of the camps and sometimes led to open confrontation. Boy-
girl relationship is a major issue as the girls remain at home with little privacy.
Further, a gainful employment will reduce such incidents. The elders need to
understand youth psychology better which will make them more tolerant.

1.3 Intra Youth Relationships

Youth is power and greater interaction between the youth of different camps will give
them greater confidence in themselves and companionship. The interactions between
camps are limited to a few games and tournaments. One could think what would the
effective strategy to bring them together often. It could be recreation, games traning
workshops and skill training.

2. Economic capital
2.1 Joint investments
The refugees who were interviewed expressed the feeling that they were not being
able to make sufficient amount of money to save and lead a meaningful life. Many of
the jobs that they did were unskilled. Jobs were based on individual contracts or
through refugee contractors. Very little attempt was made by the refugees to be self
employed due to lack of resources invest. Though individual investment may be
beyond the capacity of many, joint efforts could be made to undertake small business
which could be within their capacity.

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Another reason for not starting small business within the camp seems to be
nonpayment of debts. This indicated the low paying capacity of many refugees. Given
the condition of refugees, it would be difficult to suggest an effective solution,
However, the formation of self help groups appears to have improved the purchasing
power of the refugees

2.2 Income Generation

Yet another way of improving the economic capital is to encourage the refugees to
undertake income generation. They could procure raw materials, distribute among the
refugees and tale back the finished goods and find avenues for marketing. This will
epable the refugees to make use of their free time and earn an additional income to
supplement their doles.

2.3 Camp level production of sustainable goods and services

The necessary goods for the consumption of the camp inmates could be encouraged.
The people who are willing to produce commodities could be given micro credits to
start small scale businesses. The goods could be marketed through the members of
the self help groups. This would benefit the producers and the self help groups. Some
of the common goods that would be in demand are mixed masalas for cooking,
natural cosmetics, herbal oils, coconut milk products and a range of thing needed for
cooking.

2.4 Encourage job diversity

Painting and centering are the most popular occupations among the male refugees.
They like this job as it is regular and it also gives them a lot of free time. They they
seem to select this work. If they could be open to the other opportunities as well, it
would be possible to learn newer skills and better pay. They could be encouraged to
look for alternative employments through career guidance and skill based training.
This could be more relevant for youth.

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2.5 Professional Education
Restrictions to take up professional courses in the government colleges and lack of
professional employment opportunities discourage the refugees to go for professional
education. Despite this, many of the younger persons have taken to employment in
the field of engineering, software development and architecture. The success stories
of these young persons' could be highlighted so that the school going children will be
motivated to take up professional education and thus gainfully employed.

2.6 Home Based Agro Industry

For the refugees who are involved in domestic work, home based agro industry is a
positive choice. Kitchen gardens, mushroom cultivation, poultry, and stall fed
livestock are some of the opportunities that are open to them. They point out that
lack of space was a constraint. But the success stories of those who have boldly
undertaken such activities is encouraging. The other refugees could be motivated yo
take up these occupations by seeing the economic benefits of those who have
undertaken such occupations by seeing the economic benefits of those who have
undertaken such occupations. The refugees could be given training in modern
techniques for these.

2.7 Right to Freedom of Movement

Accoring to the regulations of the camps, the refugees should report themselves at the
time of checking. If they were nor physically present, their registration will be
cancelled. This gives them tension. The jobs necessitate their stay in their work place,
especially when they have to travel long distances. It is suggested to the government
that the rules could be modified so that they could report to the nearby police station
where they work.

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3. Physical Capital
3.1 Housing, Water and Sanitation
In all the camps that the study was conducted housing and toilet facilities were a
major concern. This has resulted in insecurity among the women and young girls. It
has also been a cause od unhygienic environment. It is important that the houses are
repaired and better toilet facilities are provided in the camps. Though organizations
such as OfERR and ADRA are involved in the process of improving the housing and
sanitation, there is a need to do more to address these concerns in all the camps.

3.2 Safety in the Camps

As the houses are no well protected, petty thefts and even large scale robberies are
common. Apart from improving the housing conditions, the camp committees could
initiate better security arrangements in the camps.

3.3 Identification of Local Resources

The refugees have been living in these camps for many years. Yet the study indicated
that they were not aware of the locally available resources. Their livelihood
opportunities would improve if they were aware of these resources. Hence it is
suggested the NGOs could help them to understand the situation of the local areas, in
and around the camp. Further NGOs also could prepare a resource map which could
be further made available to the refugees.

4. Human Capital
Human capital has been an important area of investment for the refugees. The
refugees feel that this is one of the most important capitals that they could take back
when they return to their country. This could help them to start their life with a certain
advantage. Hence they take all the trouble to educate their children and the dropout
rate among them is low. The children could be encouraged to make use of the
opportunities the government and the NGOs provide to maximum capacity.

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4.1 Soft Skills Development
Apart from the academic education, the youth could be trained in skills that are in
demand and would stand them in good stead then they return to their country. They
could be skills like carpentry, plumbing, electricians and embroidery. These will not
only give them employment opportunities but also help them to develop greater
confidence in themselves which they lack so much.

4.2 English Improvement

Communication in English is important. The refugees do not have adequate skills in
this. This stands in the way of their getting better paid jobs. It is suggested that the
children are motivated to study more seriously. The NGOs could conduct regular
spoken English classes to the youth. The school children could be trained for a month
during the summer holidays.

4.3 Counseling
Over the years, there have been many youth who have committed suicide. The main
reasons have been discontentment, problems in relationship, lack of goal orientation
and other similar factors. The existing facilities for counseling the youth have been
inadequate. Hence it is suggested systematic efforts be made to make available
professional counseling and help the youth to find meaning in life which will build
the human capital.

4.4 Non-Formal Trainings

The decision making ability among the middle aged refugees appear to be wanting.
Because of this they encounter problems within and between families. This affected
the harmony of the camps. Hence it is suggested that they be given non-formal
education on regular intervals on family relationships and decision making.

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The refugee service organizations could take interest in this and get help of the nearby
academic institutions to give meaningful training to this middle aged group.

4.5 Restoration of Quotas for Professional Education

Up to 2003, the government of Tamil Nadu had a quota for the Sri Lankan refugees in
professional colleges. This was withdrawn in 2003. The government could rethink of
introducing this quota system as it would help the refugees to get a better job and that
they could use this knowledge for nation building when they return to Sri Lanka.

4.6 Awareness
Awareness of the concepts of democracy, human rights and peace building need to be
increased at the camps. This has to be done along with balanced information about Sri
Lanka. It will help the refugees to understand the issues of Sri Lanka and enable the
refugees to actively take part in the nation building process.

4.7 Self Help Groups

The self help groups have been a good resource in the camps. Currently they are
restricted to a developmental role. It is necessary to federate them and enable them to
actively participate in a rights based dialogue to create a gender balanced society.

5. Environmental capital
5.1 Renewable Energy
Though the refugees have no control over the location of the camps, they have been
involved in planting trees and protecting the environment. However, much can be
done in the camps. Vermi composting, better solid waste management, utilization of
solar power and biogas for lighting are some areas that are in the nascent stages in the
camps. With little help and considerable motivation these can be made a reality.

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5.2 Rainwater harvesting
Since many of the camps are located near the dams they face regular droughts. This
can be overcome to a certain extent by investing their energy in harvesting rain water
through scientific techniques. In consultation with organizations that specialize on the
environment the natural resources could be put to use. Water bunding, soak pits and
storage tanks can be developed to fight drought.

Some environment protection campaigns can be successfully carried out in camps.

Plastic free camps could be the first step towards enlightening the community on the
environment.

6. Suggested further studies

6.1 A study on the resilience of the refugees living in the camps
6.2 A study on the skill sets of refugees living in camps
6.3 A study on the women's contribution to livelihood of refugees
6.4 Impact of the self help groups on the members with reference to decision
making.
6.5 An enquiry into the impact of combined employment.
6.6 Impact of globalization on refugees
6. 7 How do refugees cope with the price rise?
These studies are helpful in understanding the various dimensions that influence the
life of refugees .

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 Conclusion

Having lived in the camps for nearly two decades the refugees have learnt to live
through the most difficult times. They have remained as a resilient community trying
to empower themselves amidst many challenges. With the government given
subsistence allowance they have been able to eke out a life free of malnutrition. This
speaks of the courage and spirit of the refugees to survive.

Since they believe that the camps they live in are temporary residences they grapple
with the hope of returning home some day. During their time of sojourn in India they
want to make the best use of the resources available here. The primary factor that they
want to use is education. This is in order to take it back and rebuild their lives in their
country.

Along with this the refugees have been reconstructing their livelihoods in accordance
with the Indian refugee context. From being dependent on fishing or agriculture many
have diversified their occupations and picked up skills and knowledge and other
areas. This is not only to survive but also to improve their quality of life and look
beyond sustaining themselves in the camps.

Given the camp circumstances they have learnt to thrive as a community converting
challenges in to opportunities. A good example of this is the self help groups. Since
the houses are located in one area, organizing them as groups has been easy. This has
led to savings groups and income generating ventures. The proximity to the group
members has facilitated the economic growth of the community. Another visible
improvement has been in terms of education. The refugees claim that if they had been
in Sri Lanka they would not have had the opportunity to send their children for higher
education. Having got the desired education they · are able to improve their living
conditions.

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Many refugees believe that this displacement though protracted has been a positive
experience despite the poor living conditions. They say that their ability to locate the
necessary areas of improvement and act has facilitated their development. This is
evident from the number of people who have been educated in the camps. The reports
of OfERR (2005) claim that over the years, at least 2000 refugee youth living in the
camps have been to college. Almost all those who have been born in the camps have
had access to formal education at the minimal level of XII standard. Many who have
completed schooling have taken to vocational education to qualify themselves
technically suited for jobs. A free list prepared by the self help groups indicated that
the refugees had a pool of 150 trades in which they are skilled. This includes a
considerable per cent of women as well.

Despite the training and formal qualifications the livelihood of the refugees in the
camps depended on a few available jobs. These jobs are mainly dependent on peer
influence and opportunities available around the camps. However, a few have
ventures far in search of jobs in far off places from the camps. This depended on the
rapport the individuals were able to build with the camp officials who permitted them
to stay away from the camps over prolonged periods of time.

While looking at the organization of the livelihood assets it was interesting to note
that there was a lot of attention given to social capital in the camps. This is obvious
from the fact that they have lived as a community in on& camp for over 15 years. The
social capital has also facilitated better livelihood scores in more than one camp. The
human capital and fmancial capital are also highly dependent on the social capital. A
good example can be cited from the experiences of a respondent who claimed that if
there are no good neighbours he would not be able to go for work, since he had to
take care of three children and an old mother. His wife who was ill could not provide
enough support to the family. The neighbours taking care of the kids enabled him to
go to work and earn a living.

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Similar accounts were common among the refugees as they considered socializing
and building· social capital were assets, which had many indirect benefits. On the
other hand, some camps that did not have a good social capital were seen to be doing
not so well in the other areas as well.

While examining the physical capital, the refugees appeared to have invested very
little. This was attributed to the role of the government that was in charge of issues
related to infrastructure. Nevertheless, some people have made efforts to repair their
houses, construct personal latrines and even have their own over head tanks.
Considering the temporariness of the camp the refugees have not invested much on it
and more over they did not see it linked with livelihood.

The analysis of capitals further points out a close connection between financial capital
and human capital. Though education or qualifications have very little impact on
income in the camps, the refugees believe that the education that they have gained
here will be useful to them some day when they return to Sri Lanka. This hope
motivates the refugees to get educated despite the difficulties.

Having looked into the overall refugee situation in relation to livelihoods it can be
concluded that the refugees living in the seven camps that were studied are resilient.
Despite the challenges faced due to their prolonged refugee life, they have managed
to live a healthy and productive life in the camps. At every moment they have
acknowledged the role of the Indian government and the people of Tamil Nadu for
accepting them as their brothers and sisters in distress. They have expressed their
gratitude to the state of Tamil Nadu in their Tsunami response. Refugees were the
first to reach the places where the disaster had struck. They were involved in clearing
the debris and the dead bodies, offering them last rites and a decent burial. Having
gained the confidence of the community they continue to work in the areas even after
three years.

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Though livelihood is dependent on several factors, in accordance with the definition,
the capacity of the refugees to attain their needs is very limited. Despite the fact that
they take a lot of effort to meet the daily physical and social demands the camp
environment, living conditions, opportunities, educational sanctions, psychological
stressors and so on are not conducive to facilitate a high quality of life.

The analysis of data both qualitative and quantitative enabled the testing of the
hypothesis. The hypothesis stating increased livelihood opportunities lead to better
quality of life has been proved relevant through the tests of association. The
hypothesis that states that education is not likely to be associated with livelihood was
proved right. The hypothesis of camp situation being associated with quality of life
could not be proved either way because of non availability of uniform data across the
camps. At the same time when it came to better economic status being associated with
a better quality of life, it was proved negative. In a refugee context money was one of
the determining factors but the major factor was a combination of social and human
capital. Finally, it was found that there was an association between the livelihood and
the economic status.

With a long term dream of returning to Sri Lanka, most of the refugees consider life
in the camps as temporary and artificial. They wait eagerly for that day when they
will get the news of a ship that is docked in the shores of Tamil Nadu, ready to take
them to their own homes where they can live without fear, violence, exploitation and
discrimination. They believe that when they return they will be able to restore their
lives and livelihoods.

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