Relocation and Resettlement of a Tsunami Affected Village

Posted Date : 03/27/2005 CST
Panadura, a small suburb that hugs the Galle road that winds along the Western coast of Sri Lanka was one of the areas affected by the tsunami. I-FREED, in collaboration with SUCCESS and All Ceylon Womens Buddhist Association (ACWBA), two renowned charitable organizations in Sri Lanka, will be assisting the affected people relocate and resettle. The government of Sri Lanka has decided that rebuilding houses near the coast is unsafe and is in the process of resettling the affected people who lived along the cost further inland. To this end the government has provided the land in Horana, about 19 Km from Panadura and 40 km from Colombo.


The project will consist of providing 100 houses, a play area, community center and a preschool for the identified families. A Commercial center will also be a part of this community and will house the shops for the home businesses. This project will be funded and implemented jointly by I-FREED, SUCCESS and ACWBA. In addition, a volunteer medical team will visit the village regularly and provide medical advice to the occupants. ACWBA will provide training for the women in sewing, food preparation and provide funds for them to be self employed. In collaboration with SUCCESS and ACWBA, I-FREED also plans to provide scholarships to the children of these families.

I-FREED will provide funds for this project from monies that are currently available with the organization. In addition other funding sources will be sought to provide additional funds. Gemunu Gunaratne, I-FREED Vice President will Coordinate this project. Ms. C.M. Fernando (Coordinator for ACWBA) and Gamini Perera (past president of SUCCESS and coordinator for this project) will assist him in implementing this project.

Click here to view the project proposal.