A
few miles past Sri Lanka’s southernmost town of Matara
over 150 people gathered on a tropical hill near the town of
Dikwella to witness the laying of a house foundation which marks
the beginning of the International Federation of Red Cross and
Red Crescent’s (Federation) post tsunami construction
program in Sri Lanka.
The tsunami destroyed all but six of the 22 houses in the small
fishing hamlet of Gandera Wella and for former residents like
T B Peter Silva, a local fisherman, it has been difficult to
move on from the tragedy. Together with his three children Mr.
De Silva has been camping out in the remains of his partially
destroyed house close to the sea. ‘The children still
bear the scars - it’s hard to move on. They are fearful
of the sea, if the tide is high they think another tsunami is
coming and they run’.
Girls and boys in their school uniforms stood on either side
of the tree-lined road leading to the site, sporting the Sri
Lanka Red Cross Society vests worn by volunteers. In accordance
with Buddhist tradition an auspicious time was chosen for the
ceremony. As Monks chanted ‘seth pirith’, the ancient
form of blessings during any Buddhist event in Sri Lanka, Tony
Maryon, Head of delegation with the Federation and Jagath Abeysinghe,
President of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) lit the
traditional oil lamp and together with beneficiaries who will
receive the new houses, turned toward the east and laid the
first stones for the foundation of a house at exactly 10:08am.
This is the first of the Federation’s multilateral reconstruction
projects across tsunami-affected areas of Sri Lanka’s
coastal belt. Together with the SLRCS and partner National Societies,
the Federation has pledged to build up to 15,000 houses.
“Now that we are receiving land allocations from the Government
our reconstruction program is set to gather pace. Next week
work starts on 25 houses on land allocated a few kilometres
away in the same district and further projects are set to start
in the adjoining districts in the next few weeks”, explains
Tony Maryon.
A number of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies working together
in Sri Lanka have projects that are well underway. The Turkish
Red Crescent Society is also building several hundred houses
in Matara district. A month ago, the Malta Red Cross Society
completed and handed over 62 houses and a medical centre to
beneficiaries further south along the coast in Tangalle. The
Belgian Red Cross has provided funds to beneficiaries to build
homes in Beruwela, many of which are under construction with
others completed, and the Irish and Spanish Red Cross Societies
will shortly begin major housing projects in Kalutara and Galle.
While there is still much to be done, the International Federation
and its member Societies efforts to provide tsunami-affected
communities with permanent shelter are gathering speed across
a broad area of coastal Sri Lanka.
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Sri
Lanka Red Cross Society President Jagath Abeysinghe checks
his watch for the auspicious time to lay the first house
foundation for the IFRC housing project in Matara. Head
of Delegation for IFRC in Sri Lanka Tony Maryon looks
on. Photo: Rukshan Ratnam/International Federation (p13183)
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Sri
Lanka Red Cross Society volunteers take part in traditional
religious observances at the foundation laying ceremony
for the IFRC housing project for tsunami affected in Matara,
southern Sri Lanka. Photo: Rukshan Ratnam/International
Federation (p13184)
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The
International Federation and Sri Lanka Red Cross Society
staff pose with some of the beneficiaries at the site
of a Federation housing project for tsunami affected people
in Matar, southern Sri Lanka. Photo: Rukshan Ratnam/International
Federation (p13185)
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