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Newsletter April [Download Word Document]
April Newsletter Update –
APRIL 06 NEWSLETTER
PERMANENT HOUSING
April saw another nine partial and complete rebuilds started. At our peak this month we had 15 houses under construction at the one time and we are now using four different contractors to provide quotes and to carry out the work. Five families were also able to move back into their own homes and enjoy the smell of fresh paint! One house in Madawalamulla, one in China Gardens, one in Galle and two in Magalle. April the 14th is the Sri Lankan New Year and we were able to deliver four of the five houses in the week leading up the 14th. This was extremely important to the beneficiaries as they feel their new house will be bestowed with extra good fortune.
I have chosen the house at Madawalamulla for this months before and after photo. This man’s story is one of the worst I have heard in a province full of tragic tales. He lost six of his children on the 26th of December 2004. Four of them he knows were drowned and he has been able to deal with that, but the other two cannot be confirmed as tsunami victims and there is a distinct possibility that they were kidnapped. Obviously no bodies have ever been recovered. He received an unconfirmed sighting report of them about two months after the tsunami. He continues to hope for some good news. Thanks to FOU we were able to give him a house fit to live in which has gone a very small way towards helping him get on.
Friends of Unawatuna were incredibly supportive throughout April and continue to be stalwarts for Project Galle. I cannot emphasize enough how wonderfully helpful FOU have been. The project was fortunate enough to receive a visit from Mr. Luke Simon, a director of the Piers Simon Foundation. The Piers Simon Foundation has a website and they are certainly worth checking out. Luke came to Sri Lanka with the intention of checking Project Galle out; he liked what he saw here and committed £50,000 to PG06 for various projects including at least £21,500 which will go to housing. This donation has given us the means to carry on providing houses to people, that were victims of a catastrophe that occurred almost 18 months ago!
The housing team, which consists of Dimuthu, Priyankara and me, will stay pretty busy, not only checking on the progress of the current work but also with the assessments and the quotes that are required before each contract is prepared. We looked at a further ten applications as part of that process and of those ten, eight will go to the next stage. In my May newsletter I expect to be able to report on a large increase in houses being handed over to beneficiaries, I look forward to it.
Home Grown Nutrition for IDP Camps
Grow Bag Project.
The homegrown nutrition project has now successfully constructed and distributed 56 of the 100 grow bags, in 3 IDP camps, in the Unwatuna area and Hikkaduwa division. The remaining 44 bags were due to be completed by the end of April, but the assembly of the bags has regrettably taken longer than first estimated because we are using cutting which need time to grow, rather than seeds.We chose to use cuttings in order to lessen the possibility of families becoming uninterested whilst waiting for the plants to flower, by using cutting families can immediately take advantage of some of the leaves which are widely used in food preparation.
We are also pleased to announce that a fourth camp has been identified in the Walahanduwa area, which is approximately 5km inland from Galle. A further 26 families will receive grow bags on the 11th May, Thus leaving an additional 18 grow bags left to assemble and install. At present, we are yet to determine the location of the next camp
We are also delighted to report that we have since re-visited both camps in Unwatuna and the grow bags progress is exceptionally promising. A scheduled visited to Hikkaduwa will be made in the second week of May.
NEW PROJECT -
THE BUTTERFLY BRIDGE
The Butterfly Bridge was another important Sri Lankan icon that was destroyed in the tsunami that occurred on the 26th of December 2004. In March this year, Project Galle 2006 was approached by the Mayor of Galle, Mr Ariff Ismail Mohamed, with a request that we give consideration to rebuilding the bridge. At the time PG06 was not able to secure funding for this project and it was placed on the back burner. In April Project Galle received a visit from Luke Simon, a director of the Piers Simon Foundation. Luke came to Sri Lanka specifically to meet with Project Galle. Luke, as did we, fell in love with this particular little project and decided it was worthwhile funding. The Piers Simon Foundation donated £50,000 to Project Galle, a portion of which was to be used to rebuild the bridge. I recommend you check out their website and see for yourself some of the good work that they have done.
The Butterfly Bridge was located on the north western side of Galle Fort. It spanned the Kunuella Canal, also known as the Dutch Canal and linked the Samanala Community Ground with Dharmapula Park. Historically the Butterfly Bridge was most popular in the evenings where couples, young and old would stroll through the gardens of the park, over the bridge and into the Fort. Dharmapula Park was another PG06 project that was completed in April.
Originally constructed in 1968 the bridge was built to commemorate the centenary of the Galle Municipal Council. The Butterfly Bridge soon became more than a local landmark and in 1970 the Prime Minister of the day, Mrs. Sirimawo Bandaranayaka, chose to hold the National Independence Day ceremony in front of the bridge rather than in Colombo. It was due to that particular ceremony that the park lying between the bridge and the Fort was named the Samanala Ground. Samanala means butterfly in Sinhalese.
The bridge was rebuilt in 1998 by a local Galle identity and philanthropist, Aryaseela Wickramanayaka, then chairman of the Master Divers Association of Sri Lanka. It was therefore in near perfect condition when the wave hit. Sadly between 50 and 60 people were standing on the bridge at the time and many lost their lives as a result.
It is our intention to rebuild the bridge using original specifications and materials. Work started late in April and the interest generated within the Galle community has been astounding. The Butterfly Bridge is important to the people of Galle. Rebuilding the bridge will be a further step forward in the post tsunami recovery process for them.
The first picture below is a photograph of the original bridge, circa unknown. Apparently the design of the two spans is how the name of the bridge was derived. The second photo shows what is left today, the centre support. In the background can be seen the Samanala Ground (used extensively by Galle locals to play cricket) and beyond that the walls of the magnificent Fort.
Allen Cooper
Project Manager
April 2006
PG06 newsletter April ‘06 – Photo restoration project
The photo restoration project is almost finished. Hundreds of photos
have been restored, printed, laminated and framed. Distribution to the
first few camps will start next week. There was a minor delay due to
extended new year celebrations in April but otherwise everything has
gone to plan.
An unexpected development brought a welcomed bonus to the project.
The arrival of Mr Colin Harman , a volunteer from England, and his
framing equipment, gave us the opportunity to create a sustainable
business locally. All of the frames used have been hand made in a Galle
workshop set up and funded by Colin. The photo restoration project along
with Colin have given the new venture a fantastic initial kick-start.
The profits made will enable the new business to continue well into the
future.
Both the family portrait projects and the restoration project
have reached over ten thousand people in the Galle area and we’re sure the
results will be treasured for years to come.
Nothing could have been achieved without the help and
dedication of the many volunteers who passed through Project Galle 05/06.
All of whom should be immensely proud of their contribution.
Sports and Recreation – Goals for Galle
The sports field at Thassim School was officially opened on Thursday 6th April. The first match to be played was between the ‘home’ side and local rival school, Usawathun Hasana. To the delight of the home support, Thassim ran out 2 – 0 winners. All three principals from the neighbouring schools with permission to use the sports field attended and were delighted with the renovated facilities. There was also a good turn out from the local football club, Flying Arrows who use the facilities outside of school hours and have agreed to maintain the field and help coach the local youngsters. Work has also started to extend the size of the sports field, making it possible for senior matches to be played on with an estimated completion date of 31st May.
The completion and handover of the sports field at the third and final school funded by Save the Children, Rohana Balika, was dealt a severe blow when some local teenagers removed the turf from almost twenty five percent of the nearly completed sports field out of spite. After conversations between the school principal, PG 06 and local community members, the problem was resolved satisfactorily, albeit with a further delay to the official opening ceremony. This will now be held on Thursday 18th May.
Renovation works continued at Rathgama municipal sports field and remain well within schedule. Due to the enormous quantity of potential beneficiaries, there has been a huge amount of local interest with extremely positive feedback regarding our professional approach and our interest and regard for public opinion. This has resulted in us agreeing to level the floor of the dilapidated pavilion to create an outdoor stage for future events, make alterations to the type of fencing used and a new, more suitable location for the entrance gates. The contractors started laying the turf in the last week of April and there is now 50% ground coverage. The president of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka, (FFSL) visited the ground for inspection and was extremely impressed with the works being carried out – there was even talk of it being used to stage an international match.
PG 06 had expected to start the building of a new sports pavilion in Dadalla by now, but have been delayed awaiting the final approval from the Ministry of Education. However, we have been assured that approval is a formality and that construction should start in the first week of May. A highly satisfactory agreement has been reached between the recipient school, B.T.S. College and the local football club, Gamini F.C. with regards to terms and conditions, pitch maintenance etc. We are confident that the sports pavilion will be completed by June 9th.
Sports and Recreation – Cricket for Galle
After further requests from local schools and cricket clubs, PG 06 negotiated with our contractors, who have now agreed to build two, as opposed to one practice cricket wicket at the municipal sports field. This will be completed by June 11th. After extensive talks with our cricket equipment supplier, we have been able to purchase equipment packages for eight schools and ten IDP camps, leaving enough funding available to cover the additional cost of the second wicket at Rathgama and complete the renovations to the damaged cricket nets inside the Fort, Galle. The equipment will be distributed to the schools in the first and second weeks of May as opposed to the initial plan of delivering in the last week of April. This was due to school holidays. Renovation works on the damaged practice nets will be completed by the second week of May.
DHARMAPALA PARK
SHADED SEATING AND PLANTERS
The shaded seating and planters to the Children’s Playground at Dharmapala Park were completed on 27 April, three days ahead of the contract completion date.
Resultant upon this, final payment has been made to the Contractor, and planting to the planters and shading has been carried out.
Evidence of the close relationship that exists between Galle Municipality and Project Galle was the arrival of Mayor Ariff Ismael Mohamed, to cut the coconut string and declare the seating open. Members of the public immediately took advantage of the opportunity to sample the quirky seating, many having followed its construction with amusement and not a little bewilderment.
Gavin, Mark, Steve, Dimuto, Mr P and Colin of Project Galle and WV Pemedasa owner of the contractor, Pemadasa Building Construction, attended the opening.
It is said “a picture paints a thousand words”; reference to the before and after photographs illustrates the substantial improvement brought to the Playground both aesthetically and in the amount of seating available for the children and their parents. Also produced is a photograph showing the mayor cutting the ribbon and a close-up shot of the seating.
Project Galle 2006 is delighted to have had the opportunity to construct this seating and offers its sincere thanks, and that of the children of Galle, to the donors.
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