Thirty houses in Galle district were ceremonially handed over to Tsunami-affected families in the villages of Akurala and Kahawa. Funded by Marks and Spencer with the support of Care International, these houses were built by the community led by the Sarvodaya Shramadana Society as part of the movement’s post-Tsunami reconstruction work.
Mrs. Mendis and Ms. Rushton ceremonially open one of the new houses
The construction work was launched with the laying of the foundation stone on 19th September. Twelve of the houses are located in Akurala while eighteen are in Kahawa. They were built on land belonging to these families. The houses were ceremonially handed over by Mr. John Culley, the Second Secretary – Political and Public Diplomacy of the British High Commission; Mr. Nick Osborne, the Country Directory, and Ms. Abi Rushton of Care International, Sri Lanka; Mr. M.G.S. Dharmasena, the Additional District Secretary of Hikkaduwa; Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, the Founder-President of Sarvodaya; Mrs. Udani Mendis, Deputy Executive Director; Mr. Subasena De Silva, Deputy Executive Director; and Mr. Upali De Silva, District Coordinator, Galle. Care also gave each family household goods worth about Rs. 25,000 each.
Mr. Subasena De Silva and Mrs. Mendis join one of the beneficiaries to light the oil lamp
Mr. Culley, Mr. Osborne, and Dr. Ariyaratne on the porch of one of the houses along with the benefiting family and other Sarvodaya officials
Dr. Ariyaratne and the new house-owner cut the ceremonial ribbon watched on by the other ceremony participants
The new house next to the temporary shelter that has housed the family in the months since the Tsunami
The community expresses its gratitude
Dr. Ariyaratne and others inspect the new houses