‘It was the sea breeze that I missed the most when I moved to my new house,’ says Sri Lankan tsunami survivor Mr Priyadasa. ‘My family feels safe now and we’re happy that we don’t live near the ocean anymore, but it was just so hot here’
Sitting on the veranda of his new house two kilometres from the ocean, facing a tropical garden where plants in many shades of green fight to grow on top of each other, it is hard to imagine the barren land that Mr Piyadasa inherited when he moved into his new house in the south of the island.
Two years ago the garden around his home was little more than one small tree growing on bare land. Feeling that they could not live without the shade and breeze they were used to in their former seaside house, the family started hauling buckets of water from the community well and growing the garden.
When Red Cross built a new water system in Seenimodera village earlier this year, the Piyadasa family had water available right at their house and the garden bloomed. Theirs was such a success that now a number of families in the village are growing their own gardens.
‘All five villages that live here have benefited immensely because of this water project,’ Mr Piyadasa says. ‘Its not only about having a nice garden but being able to grow our own vegetables for our own consumption. That has economical benefits for us as well.
‘I was the first one to build a garden for myself. Then later on other NGOs came and educated people about the benefits of home gardening and now about half the people here have their own gardens.’
About 270 families in the village now have access to the new water supply. To ensure the long term management of this supply, a group of community members have formed an own organisation that works with the Sri Lankan water board to handle maintenance as well as any problems. It is a system which is sustainable because it has strong involvement from the community, says Red Cross Field Coordinator Kefa Owino.
‘The water project is managed and operated by a community based organisation…a group of residents who are responsible for the operations and ensuring that water actually gets to the people who live here.
‘They have been keeping the system running, doing maintenance and repairs. The whole system works well, it’s very, very pleasing to see,’ Owino says.
With the new system up and running, Mr Piyadasa has even changed his line of work. He’s now employed by the community based organisation, reading water metres and distributing bills. He also runs small shop at the front of his house, selling food and home supplies to his neighbours.
‘This is our home now,’ he says. ‘Even my children don’t want to go back to our old place. We are happy here knowing we are safe from natural disasters like the tsunami. We are getting used to our way of life her. I am getting used to it.’
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Sitting on the veranda of his new house two kilometres from the ocean, facing a tropical garden where plants in many shades of green fight to grow on top of each other, it is hard to imagine the barren land that Mr Piyadasa inherited when he moved into his new house in the south of the island. Photos by Sujeewa de Silva/Australian Red Cross (p16862)
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Two years ago the garden around Mr Priyadasa's home was little more than one small tree growing on bare land. Feeling that they could not live without the shade and breeze they were used to in their former seaside house, the family started hauling buckets of water from the community well and growing the garden. Photos by Sujeewa de Silva/Australian Red Cross (p16860)
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| With the new system up and running, Mr Piyadasa has even changed his line of work. He’s now employed by the community based organisation, reading water metres and distributing bills. He also runs small shop at the front of his house, selling food and home supplies to his neighbours. Photos by Sujeewa de Silva/Australian Red Cross (p16861) |
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