In response to the devastating 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, Loddon Mallee Housing Service (LMHS) with Rotary club support developed a response to bring together a diverse range of partners together to construct 47 housing units within the township of Ambalangoda Sri Lanka.
The township of Ambalangoda in the southern part of Sri Lanka between Galle and Colombo was, one of the many coastal areas in Sri Lanka devastated by the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. The Tsunami left many areas of Sri Lanka completely devastated and claimed the lives of over 31,000 Sri Lankans, injured an estimated 15,000 and left an estimated 443,000 people in Sri Lanka displaced.
To assist with the massive homelessness crisis Sri Lanka faced in the wake of the Tsunami LMHS and its partners committed to build 47 two storey town houses expected to provide shelter for an estimated 250 people. Construction was completed by local contractors using local material and labour, with the final properties being handed over to residents in August 2008.
This vitally important project was conducted in partnership with the assistance of the Rotary Club of Bendigo Sandhurst, the Rotary Club of Colombo Fort, and Sri Lankan Non Government Organisation, Unshaken We Stand, Reawaken Ambalangoda. The project was made possible through the fundraising efforts of Bendigo Rotary, the provision of pro-bono legal expertise and financial support by Burns Bridge Australia, a sizeable grant from the Bendigo Bank Community Enterprise Foundation and the construction services of Priyinkara Constructions
Despite this and many other significant reconstruction efforts in the region there is still more to be done. In addition to providing shelter the final stage of LMHS’s project involves the construction of seven shop-houses to provide residents with the opportunity to operate small businesses.
The final stage of the project requires a total of $180,000 worth of additional funds. To date around $112,000 of funding has been secured leaving roughly $68,000 of additional funding required to complete the project.
Any persons or organisations interested in supporting this project are urged to contact:
Paul Somerville
Loddon Mallee Housing Services Ltd
PO Box 212
Bendigo VIC 3552
03 5442 4288
http://www.burnsbridge.com.au/
http://www.bendigobank.com.au/public/foundation/index.asp