Sri Lankan village gets a new look from Rotary

At right: the flattened village of Ulla after the Boxing Day Tsunami struck the coast of Sri Lanka. The villagers depend on fishing for their income.

Rotarians from Australia, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom are serving through a Rotary Australia World Community Service (RAWCS) project to rebuild a village wrecked by the Boxing Day Tsunami.
The Rotary clubs of Whitfords, W.A., and Colombo in Sri Lanka have combined with Rotary clubs in District 1110 in the United Kingdom.

Generous support has come from other Rotary clubs in these three countries.

Plans have been submitted through the Rotary Club of Colombo to rebuild the fishing village of Ulla on the eastern coast of Sri Lanka which was devastated by the tsunami.

The village took a direct hit from the tsunami as it sped into Sri Lanka on the morning of December 26, 2004.

Initial village needs are a junior school, a medical centre, a village shelter and, as funds permit, up to 100 houses.

Displaced families in the village are living in Shelterbox tents provided by the Rotary clubs in the United Kingdom. These were supplied just four days after the tsunami hit. Some families are in other makeshift accommodation.

Prompt action after the tsunami by the Rotary Club of Colombo provided repairs to many damaged fishing boats, enabling the fishermen of Ulla to partially return to their traditional work to support their families and the community.

Formal Sri Lankan Government approval for the re-building of the village was expected to be prompt.
RAWCS will monitor and disburse construction costs on behalf of donations received from within Australia. Funds would be available from what has been designated and donated for the Indian Ocean Disaster Appeal.

They will match the funds already collected by the Rotary Club of Colombo. The overall requirement for the construction project, i.e., total estimated construction cost less what is available from the Rotary clubs of Whitfords (RAWCS) and Colombo initiatives, would be met by funds provided by Rotary District 1110 from the United Kingdom.