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The project essentially aims at assisting a part of the affected people, initially in the southern coastal area. This area has been selected as project implementation could be carried out effectively with the Loadstar factory in Midigama as base.
The project consists of five components as outlined below.
- Providing immediate relief
- Help to overcome the traumatic effects of the disaster by counselling
- Rebuild houses
- Rehabilitation of Schools
- Helping to re-establish the fishing industry
1. Immediate relief ^
Loadstar was one of the first few institutions that provided immediate relief to those who were affected. From December 26th afternoon, just a few hours after the tsunami had struck, the company has been providing following assistance continuously, under the personal direction and supervision of the two joint managing directors.
- Providing drinking water and meals to inmates of the refugee camps.
- Treating the wounded.
- Clearing the roads, thus enabling the rescue operations.
- Helping to find missing persons.
- Providing the leading hospitals with essential medicines.
- Assisting Public Health Inspectors to mobilize their men and material.
- Deploying a team of medical doctors to carry out clinics at the refugee camps.
- Providing sanitary facilities to refugee camps.
- Providing other infrastructure facilities to the refugee camps.
- Assisting people in cremation or burial of bodies.
- Assisting to find stranded tourists and move them out to Colombo.
- Cleaning of houses and drinking water wells.
- Importing a consignment of medicine to treat any diseases.
- Assisting the refugees to re-settle, wherever possible.
Presently about 130 volunteers from Loadstar Pvt. Ltd. are released to work on a full time basis to provide immediate relief to nearly 5,000 refugees housed in 14 camps in the southern region alone. This relief work will continue as long as it is required.
Immediate relief activities are extended up to Negombo, which is in the North Western Province of Sri Lanka.
It is estimated that the immediate relief work will cost about 15 million Srilankan Rupees (150,000 USD). The cost of these activities will be met by the 'Social Responsibility Fund' of Loadstar Pvt. Ltd. and the voluntary contributions made by the employees who have already contributed two days of their salary.
2. Counselling ^
any have lost their loved ones; some have lost all their belongings. This has left permanent scars on them! Most of the victims have witnessed these events with their own eyes. It is essential that proper counselling is organized, at least to minimize the long term traumatic effects. Loadstar Pvt. Ltd. has a set of professional counsellors who assist its employees. The services of these counsellors will be extended to tsunami victims as well. A provision of 10 million Srilankan Rupees (100,000 USD) is kept for counselling related services.
3. Providing housing ^
The 'Sri Lanka Southern Coast Rehabilitation Program' has suggested to provide new homes for 600 families. These will be established in three housing schemes in the Southern province in following three locations:
- Weligama
- Kamburugamuwa
- Unawatuna
At the first stage of the housing program, a housing scheme consisting of 200 houses will be constructed in Weligama with the basic amenities. It is estimated that a plot of land with an extent of approximately 30 acres (12 Ha) will be sufficient for this purpose. This sub project is estimated to cost approximately 125 million Srilankan Rupees (1,250,000 USD) as detailed below.
The government declared that in future no unauthorized construction activities will be allowed close to the beach front. New houses will be constructed 100m away from the shore, which will also help to improve the environmental planning.
Kamburugamuwa and Unawatuna schemes too are expected to cost similar amounts.
4. Rehabilitation of schools ^
In Sri Lanka, primary and secondary education are provided by the schools system which is largely funded by the government. Between Galle and Matara towns, about 10 provincial schools have been damaged by recent tsunami affecting a student population of about 5,700. These schools primarily serve coastal communities and unless they are reconstructed on an urgent basis, a major social problem is likely to occur. Therefore the rehabilitation of these provincial schools is essential.
The program will cover the reconstruction of destroyed and damaged buildings, provision of desks, chairs, other class room equipment, laboratory and library facilities and also training of teachers. According to preliminary estimates the entire schools rehabilitation program is estimated to cost 65 million Srilankan Rupees (650,000 USD).
5. Rehabilitation of Fishing Industry ^
The main livelihood of the communities living by the sea is fishing. Companies of a medium size as well as small scale boat owners are engaged in this industry. Over 90% of the fishing boats in the area have been either damaged or destroyed by the tsunami thus depriving the meagre earnings of the people involved in the fishing industry on a daily paid basis. It is suggested to repair or replace 100 damaged or destroyed boats belonging to small scale boat owners operating at Mirissa and Weligama harbours. These fishermen will be provided with the other related fishing gears as well. This part of the project is expected to cost 50 million Srilankan Rupees (500,000 USD).
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