Colombo (AsiaNews) – Funds from the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (NAFSO) and French organisation Pêche et Développement have given 11 families hit by the December 2004 tsunami a new home. The ceremony in which the key to the new dwellings were handed over took place last Wednesday in Hikkaduwa, Galle District. representatives from the world of politics and NGOs were present.
H.S. Raja, social welfare officer for the Provincial Secretariat in southern Hikkaduwa, praised the work by the two organisations for the “quality of the buildings compared to others built under post-tsunami plans in the area.”
“Although they are not many, the quality of the material and methods used (would-be owners built the homes themselves under the supervision of the Southern Fisheries Solidarity) must be praised and serve as an example,” he added.
The 11 lucky families expressed great joy that they could finally sleep under a safe roof with proper sanitation facilities.
“At least now we can sleep peacefully because we know our house is in a good condition. No more fear or complaints that the roof will fly off when the wind comes, or that walls will crack and doors and windows break,” Allen Marambage, a 55-year-old mother of two, told AsiaNews.
For H.G. Piyawathi, a 47-year-old widow, “this is the most beautiful house that I have ever had. We are very poor but now we can live with peace of mind thanks to those who made these homes possible.”