EXPLANATION OF EXPENDITURES to APRIL 5
Land Purchase 1500000 rupees
The purchase price of 1 500 000 rupees for the
land included the lawyer’s fee and the stamp
cost. The land is located about 4 km inland from
Galle. It is well drained and already had two
existing wells on the site, one of which would
require cleaning and refurbishing to make it useable
again.
Jack Tree Purchase 170000 rupees
The jack trees would have been part of the land
purchase but we originally thought they needed
to be removed in order to build the houses. The
landowner from whom we purchased the property
had planned to log the trees himself prior to
us beginning house construction and therefore,
had deducted them from the purchase price. However,
once we realized that none of the jack trees required
cutting in order to build the houses, we opted
to pay the owner the equivalent value he would
receive for cutting the trees. There are only
eight jack trees on the site but they possess
very high timber value because of their excellent
lumber qualities. We felt it was worth keeping
the jack trees because they provided much-needed
shade and a food source (jack fruit) for both
the recipients and for the monkeys that regularly
visit the site. The new recipients will also not
be allowed to cut the jack trees, a rule enforced
by the village headmen.
Initial Survey (Perimeter) 10000 rupees
The initial survey re-established the lot boundaries,
which had last been surveyed in 1926.
Excavating/leveling costs 61000 rupees
A wheeled backhoe with a clam bucket on the front-end
loader was hired to level the building sites and
provide road access for materials delivery. Leveling
also included the demolition of the decrepit old
building which had been on the site from the time
of the original survey. It also included the cost
of a dump truck used to remove debris from the
site. In total the excavator and truck were on
the site for three days.
Falling costs 3300 rupees
A faller was hired to cut down trees that were
an impediment to road and house construction.
1300 rupees of the total falling costs were spent
on the removal of a single coconut tree by a specialized
cutter after the construction of several houses.
We had overlooked the need for this tree to be
fallen in our initial assessment and bringing
it down required a specialized faller to first
climb the tree and remove the upper third with
ropes and a hatchet. He received almost double
the daily pay of a skilled mason for less than
an hour’s work but anyone who saw the process
transpire will attest to the fact that he easily
earned his money!
Milling costs 5700 rupees
We utilized the wood from almost all of the trees
which we needed to cut down. One was too rotten
and several others were too small to have any
value. But a crew arrived at the site with a portable
sawmill and custom cut any useable timber to our
specifications. We managed to get enough timber
for scaffolding planks and a full set of forms
for pouring the concrete ringbeams.
Extra lumber 10500 rupees
We could have managed with just the one set of
forms we had milled from our own timber but it
was well worth it to purchase extra lumber for
a second set. Often, we were ready to pour a ringbeam
on one house before the concrete was set on another
one. Having two sets of forms allowed us to continue
to move forward without delay.
Tool Purchases 25200 rupees
This number would have been significantly higher
but for the generosity of some of our volunteers.
Many thanks to Andy, Karen, Brent, Trudie, Shilpa,
Brian and Jim, who all brought tools and supplies
from home and insisted on donating them to the
project. Among the tools we purchased locally,
the circular saw proved to be the most invaluable,
shaving significant time off the roof construction
process.
Materials 1 922 000 rupees
By far our largest expenditure, the materials
cost per house broke down as follows:
Cement 26500 rupees
Sand 35000 rupees
Concrete blocks 40500 rupees
Aggregate (gravel) 11000 rupees
Large blast rock 7500 rupees
Re-bar 3200 rupees
Roof rafters and beams 25000 rupees
Timber for doors and windows 67500 rupees
Roof tiles 35000 rupees
Locks and hinges 2000 rupees
Paint and whitewash 4000 rupees
Red floor cement 2000 rupees
Varnish 1500 rupees
Plumbing supplies 2000 rupees
Electrical supplies 11 500 rupees
There were a few additional minor costs but the
above costs covered almost all of our materials
expenditures.
Sri Lankan management 267500 rupees
Initially, we hired two Sri Lankan managers and
one assistant manager for the site. They acted
as translators, negotiators, supervisors and purchasers.
After March 15, it became apparent that two managers
was excessive, at which time we cut back to just
one.
Sri Lankan labor 558100 rupees
The cost of Sri Lankan labor, particularly masons,
is extremely cheap. A skilled mason normally receives
the equivalent of about $6.00 US per day while
a mason’s helper receives just $3.50 per
day. We increased their respective wages to $7.50
and $4.50 per day, still exceptionally low for
the value we received.
The breakdown between the various labor activities
was as follows:
Masonry: 299100 rupees
Carpentry: 241500 rupees
Electrical: 17500 rupees
Van Rental Costs 87500 rupees
We rented two vans for most of the month of February
when our volunteer numbers were at their maximum
and just one van for the remainder of the time.
The van cost ten dollars per day to rent.
Diesel Costs 33000 rupees
Diesel costs for the van were five dollars per
day.
Drinking water 23 900 rupees
W.O.R.K. paid for people’s drinking water
at the site. A five liter bottle of water cost
90 cents and an average person consumed about
2.5 liters of water per day.
Site security 45000 rupees
This expenditure was higher than what we had anticipated
paying. Prior to our arrival, promises were made
to a local neighbor by another aid organization
working adjacent to our site. He had been promised
a new home plus 60 rupees per day in return for
watching over the site. The organization failed
to live up to its commitments and we agreed to
cover some of these for the man, whose family
has been living in a make-shift lean-to carved
out of the bank. We provided all of his renumeration
in the form of materials to be used for his new
home, thereby ensuring that the money was put
to good use. A small portion of the total was
used to provide materials for another neighbor
who had also watched over the site periodically.
Electricity charges 3000 rupees
We paid the above amount in return for the use
of a neighbor’s power supply to run the
skill saw, electric drill, hand planer and sander.
Worker bonuses 134 000 rupees
We found that our masons were highly underpaid
relative to their skills and to how hard they
worked. Visiting their homes, we also quickly
realized that many of them could not afford to
live in homes any better than the tsunami victims
we were housing. So we decided to provide them
with bonuses. A number of volunteers also chipped
in and helped them out on an individual basis.
Account Opening/Closing
The cost of opening and closing our local checking
account in Galle.
Media video 2500 rupees
We needed to have some sort of formal documentation
of our efforts. In Sri Lanka, this entails paying
the local media to shoot video and write a short
story in the newspaper.
Well costs 50000 rupees
At the time we left, the second well had been
drained, cleaned out and fully refurbished. It
would require one more draining and a purity test
after we left.
Final survey 20000 rupees
This will entail dividing the area into individual
lots for the respective recipients.
Transfer of final deed 66000 rupees
This process will take several months but is key
to the successful completion of the project. Each
property will be deeded to the youngest child
in the family in order to ensure that the recipients
are not able to sell it for at least a decade.
Electrical hook-up 250000 rupees
At the time we left, we still had not received
an official estimate on the cost of putting in
poles and three-phase wiring from the nearest
source. The above amount was the final ‘guesstimate’
we received before leaving, an amount which would
leave us 130000 rupees or 1300 US dollars short
of completing the project.
A detailed breakdown
of how all our raised money was spent building 7
houses.
© 2006 W.O.R.K.