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Project Manager Yasmin Jayawardena recently spent a day in the community along with her daughter Yuvani with 15 children from the ten families who are to live in the Travel Retail Village |
SRI LANKA. The Alpha Sri Lanka Tsunami Relief Fund continues to build rapidly and is now in excess of US$250,000. The fund has largely been driven by the international travel retail industry.
Extra funds were generated last Thursday night at the annual Raven Fox Charity Ball (full details soon) where Alpha Orient Lanka Managing Director – Asia & Middle East Paul Topping made a moving speech about the impact of the disaster on the lives of people in Sri Lanka. Once again the travel retail industry reacted with generosity.
As documented previously, the fund was launched within two days of the 26 December tsunami. It has focused specifically on the desperate requirements of a single devastated sea-front community 60km from Colombo called Palliyawatte (“˜church land’).
The fund is the creation of Paul Topping and well-known industry executive Rakhita Jayawardena, President of Centaur Travel Retail and King Power Traveler. Both are determined to act with utmost speed and to ensure that donors are updated constantly on how their generosity is making a difference. The fund is focusing initially on the rehabilitation of ten families in the Palliyawatte area, in the south of Sri Lanka.
The ten families are being gifted a brand new three bedroom house with basic furniture, kitchen equipment and amenities on a ten perch plot of land. In light of the generosity of the global travel industry towards the fund, it has been decided to call this new cluster of houses the Travel Retail Village.
Once the initial ten houses are complete and the benefiting families are rehabilitated to a satisfactory level, more families will be assisted in accordance with available funding. The intention is to keep growing the village over several years.
The voluntary project manager for the fund, Rakhita’s wife Yasmin Jayawardena, has just returned from the area. Here are excerpts from her latest report:
As we are now in the process of finalizing the purchase of three acres of land for construction, I visited Palliyawatte to meet five more families who we may be able to donate houses to. Their details are:
1. Family No 11:
Jude Denzil Fernando, age 30, a teacher at St. Peter’s College Palliyawatte. His wife Mary Ann Sunethra, age 39, is a housewife. They have two sons Dimuth Shalinda age 9 attending school in Grade 4 and Shenal Milinda age 4 still at home. Their home was completely destroyed. They have managed to recover a few items i.e. some chairs and clothes from the tsunami. Presently living with relations and said they can manage as Mr Fernando has returned to work.
2. Family No 12:
Anthoney Laxsman, age 35, a businessman. His wife Sajitha Nimali, age 25, is a housewife. They have 2 children – daughter Sajani aged 6 attending the village school and son Sadeep Laxan aged 4 months. Anthoney had two vehicles which he used to transport building materials etc. He had a small hardware store which was destroyed. Their whole house was destroyed. They have managed to recover some of their home appliances which are now being repaired. They are living with relations. He has got a little work at the moment so he can manage financially.
3. Family No 13:
Mavis Sovis, age 57, a widow with three adult daughters living with her – Sujeewa, age 30, Lakshanthi age 28 and Theresa age 27. Their home was completely destroyed and they lost everything. They were not able to recover anything at all. They are seamstresses and worked at home in a family business. They have lost their machines and now have no income at all. The Parish Priest has given them some wood to build a temporary shed to live in. They are getting a little help from their relations but they need help. I strongly recommend that we give them a sewing machine so that they can get back on their feet to earn a living.
4. Family No 14:
K Thompson Rajendra Fernando, age 40, a carpenter/contractor. His wife Nilanthi, age 35, is a housewife. They have three children – daughter Remasha 8 in school, daughter Minosha age 4 attending school and son Ginoth 1 year. Their house was completely destroyed and they are living with relations. They too could not recover any of their belongings. The father has returned to work so they are managing financially.
5. Family No 15:
Dhammika Nishantha Fernando, age 31, employed in a garment factory. He has returned to work. His wife Mail age 35 is a seamstress. They have two daughters aged 2 and 9 months. Their house too was destroyed completely and they lost everything. They are living with relations at the moment.
All these families are well-deserving families. They sounded very depressed with their situations and with not knowing when the government will give them a home. They have been informed that they may get flats but nothing definite has been confirmed. So far all they have received from the Government is Rs. 2,500/- to purchase some kitchen items and Rs. 375/= work rations for essential foods per week. Some have not even received this.
The Parish Priest has been helpful in that he has given some of the families some wood and sheeting for roofs so that they can build a temporary shed which they have done.
We offer a unique Picture Gallery view of how this unique fund is making a difference to the lives of children. Yasmin Jayawardena recently spent a day in the community along with her daughter Yuvani with 15 children from the ten families who are to live in the Travel Retail Village.
How to donate to the Alpha Sri Lanka Tsunami Relief Fund
A bank account for donations to this humanitarian relief programme for the Tsunami victims is now operative. Anyone wishing to transfer money can make a telegraphic transfer to the following account. The fund will be co-ordinated by Rakhita Jayawardena and Paul Topping and they, with their local teams, will ensure that every dollar gets to the needy people.
Alpha Sri Lanka Tsunami Relief Fund
A/c No: 002-0785788
Hatton National Bank Limited
City Office
No. 16 Janadhipathi Mawatha
Colombo 1
Sri Lanka
SWIFT CODE: HBLILKLX
Contacts:
Paul Topping: ptopping@alpha-group.com; telephone number: 94-777-531801
Rakhita Jayawardena: rakhita@kingpowertraveler.com; telephone number: 94-777-488804
Hiranjan Aloysius: haloysius@alpha-group.com
