In January, a young Project Galle 2005 (PG05) entered
into its first agreement with a donor to provide a
valuable service to tsunami-affected families in the
Galle District. Specifically, Concern Worldwide, an
Irish charitable organisation, agreed to fund the
assembly and distribution of 10,000 “family packs.”
This non-food assistance was critical for the many
families in camps and villages who lost their homes and
belongings as a result of the tsunami. The packs,
tailored to the size of each family, consisted of the
following items:
mosquito net
straw sleeping mats
rice cooking pot curry
cooking pot and lid
tea kettle ladles
plates mugs
coconut scraper large kitchen knife
bucket and lid soap
tooth paste and tooth brushes
PG05 teams loaded its first trucks and began
distribution of the packs in early February. After a
rather modest beginning, and only because of continuing
on-the-fly improvements in our system by our intrepid
volunteers, we soon reached full speed and achieved our
one-month high in March by distributing about 2,800
packs. In our area, we provided packs to about 6,200
families from Ambalangoda to Welligama, a distance of
about 55 kilometres.
Finally,
we have
also arranged to assist SOS Children’s Villages in the
distribution of packs to 750 tsunami-affected families
in the village of Komari on the devastated east coast of
Sri Lanka. With that, we will have provided family
packs to about 7,000 tsunami-affected families.
The
project could not have happened without the generous
donation of Concern Worldwide and without the
participation of the many dedicated volunteers who
unloaded raw materials, assembled packs, loaded trucks,
and distributed packs to many needy families. We are
pleased and proud to have been able to provide such an
important service to so many tsunami-affected persons in
our region.
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