With more than 250,000 people in post-tsunami Sri Lanka still living in transitional shelters, housing remains a priority in the island nation near the southern tip of India.

|TOP|Reconstruction, however, has been challenging partly because of the difficulty obtaining land deeds from local government officials and buffer zone restrictions that require people who had lived near the coast to relocate further inland, according to Lutheran World Relief.

Last month, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse praised Lutheran World Relief and the other agencies involved in a housing reconstruction project in the Kallutara district of Sri Lanka for following through on their commitment to help rebuild after the tsunami. Many relief agencies, he said at the project’s inauguration, had made promises they had not kept.

The Eco-village project, led by LWR partner organisation Sarvodaya, consists of 55 family homes, all with environmentally friendly features such as rainwater harvesting and solar panels for heat and power. After the inauguration ceremony, LWR provided household furnishings – including chairs, tables, beds and kitchen equipment – to the families who moved into the village.

|AD|“All the Sri Lankan papers covered the event,” recalled LWR Sri Lanka country representative James Williams, who participated in the Mar. 28 ceremony. “It was really special to be a part of it.”

Three other similar villages in Kallutara and two in Galle are also underway, reported LWR Wednesday, and the Lutheran agency will provide the furnishings for each of the homes, approximately 200 in all.

“The tsunami has given us a new opportunity,” said one of the Eco-village residents after receiving the keys to his new home. In addition to shelter, LWR’s tsunami recovery work in Sri Lanka includes education, healthcare and psychosocial care, water and sanitation, recovery of livelihoods and disaster preparedness.

Lutheran World Relief's tsunami recovery programs have been funded by gifts to the Wave of Giving campaign for South Asia, which is now fully funded.

LWR has been responding to emergencies and disasters since its founding in 1945. Working through partners and global relief and development networks, LWR works in 35 countries to provide not only relief but to combat the causes of poverty and restore the dignity it robs from people’s lives.









Joseph Alvarez
Christian Today Correspondent