Here Dr. Ari is pictured lighting the traditional coconut oil lamp to begin construction of a house. To the right you can see a photo of a child lost to the Tsunami and the Foundation Stone to be laid for the house. This family lost 2 children and their grandmother. The youngest child was only an infant, and all they have left is a drawing.
The house being built is small compensation, but it enables the family to start living again. Housing is one of the Ten Basic Needs Sarvodaya strives to provide, and building has begun on land like this – outside of the 100 meters. Technical, material and financial support are provided by Holcim (the cement manufacturer) and coordination and labor comes from Sarvodaya and the community itself.
Right now there is a heat wave in Sri Lanka and it is brutally hot, but people work through the day. First they dig the foundation and lay the cement, which is the stage observed in the photo gallery (Click Photos in the Menu above).