Posted Date : 03/25/2005 CST The lights of myriad of returning fishing boats in the horizon against the dusky skies was one of the most beautiful sights that could be seen in the island nation of Sri Lanka prior to the tsunami. Today, there are no more returning boats, and there is destruction along the coast as far as the eye can see. With the tsunami came not only death and destruction, but also the loss of livelihood to many. The fisheries industry received a crushing blow. Many fishermen who lived along the coast lost their lives, families and houses. In addition, their boats were either completely destroyed or badly damaged. Working with our volunteer counterparts in Sri Lanka, I-FREED has identified helping affected fisherman as one of the target areas for which funds will be directed. Three families from the Matara District in the Southern Province of Sri Lanka have been identified as the recipients of the first three boats that will be provided (details of families will be provided to donors upon request). These boats are the “Oru” type non-mechanized catamarans that are commonly used by the fisherman in the area. The cost of each boat is US$ 500. The Galveston Country Democrats Club and North Galveston Country Democrats funded the first three boats. Their generous contributions will go towards restoring the livelihood of these fishermen, which will result in improving their standard of living. Coordinated by I-FREED secretary Mahendra Rodrigo, assisted by volunteers Dilhar De Silva, Thusitha Silva and Kusala Mapatuna, I-FREED will continue to provide boats to the affected people. Trusted I-FREED volunteers, Lakmini Wijesundera and Shirantha Herath will coordinate this project in Sri Lanka and will identify families that need assistance and obtain the boats for them. I-FREED plans to continue providing support in this area to identified families. Details of the type of boats that were damaged as well as the cost of various types of boats that are needed are outlined in the project proposal. Your generous contributions towards this as well as other I-FREED directed projects are greatly appreciated. Click here to view the project proposal.
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