 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| USAID Information:
External Links:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CLEANUP
In this section:
Rebuilding Process Starts in Destroyed Village
Rebuilding Process Starts in Destroyed Village
 |
|
Young men help clear away debris in Seenigama, in southern
Sri Lanka. USAID is employing some 200 youths in the
area for cleanup projects.
Julie Fossler, USAID |
Young survivors from Seenigama, in southern Sri Lanka, have
returned to their homes—or the rubble that is left of
them.
The damage caused by the tsunami three weeks earlier is
so extensive that the fishing village of 325 houses is completely
gone.
Now some 200 boys and young men are piling broken stone
into neat piles, cleaning the debris from private properties,
and clearing the area of dangers such as sharp metal pieces
and live electric wires.
A large group of volunteers from the northern districts,
unaffected by the tsunami, have arrived to help the locals.
Sinhalese and Tamils are working together, undivided by ethnic
and religious differences. Their goal is to clean three villages
within one month.
“Volunteering has created a ‘can-do’ spirit,
which reduces fear and insecurity among the locals,”
said RHM Zafarullah from USAID’s Office of Transition
Initiatives (OTI). OTI’s partner, Foundation for Goodness,
is implementing this $30,000 cleanup program.
Participants get cash to buy food and basic necessities
as payment. They also get daily meals.
Before beginning the cleanup in Seenigama, volunteers removed
debris from three badly damaged schools in the area. These
were a part of five OTI-rehabilitated schools that opened
only two months before the tsunami disaster.
The clean-up program encourages people to move on with their
fractured lives.
“The wave took my wife and daughter away, but I was
able to save my 10-month-old baby,” said a tall man who
operates a pickup truck that carries the rubble away. “I
am grieving, but I can’t give up.” His tired eyes
tell of sleepless nights, but during the day he is contributing
to his community.
Despite the tragedy, the young men clearing the rubble sound
hopeful. “We cannot look back. We must move forward and
build the village anew,” said one.
While the clean-up of the three villages is going on, the
program is expanding to other devastated areas on the southern
coast of Sri Lanka. USAID is funding an extensive $370,000
clean-up of both private and public lands in order to allow
the reconstruction of infrastructure and business.
Anna-Maija Litvak contributed to this article.
Back to Top ^
|
