Tsunami hit Soodaikuda villagers to get new houses

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 May 2005, 10:53 GMT]
The Social Development Centre (SDC), headquartered in Killinochchi signed an agreement with the Assembly of God (AG) to construct 76 houses for tsunami-affected families in Soodaikuda, a remote village in the Muttur east in the Trincomalee district. The Fida International of Finland through the AG is providing the financial support for the project, sources said.

Agreement being signed (L-R) Ms Rani Samuel, Rev. Saththiyaraja, Mr.Niroshan

Mr.Gunapalan Niroshan, Trincomalee District Director of SDC and Rev.J.Anthonydas Saththiayaraja, Senior Pastor of Assembly of God, Trincomalee signed the agreement during the weekend at an event held in Trincomalee New Silver Star Hotel.

Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliament participated as the guest at the event. Mr.Prakash Lal, Programme Co-ordinator for Relief and Development Co-operation of the Fida International and Ms Rani Samuel, AGC, Tsunami Relief Project Manager also attended, sources said.

(L-R) Mr.Thurairatnasingham, Rev. Anthonydas Saththiyaraja of AG, Mr.G.Niroshan of SDC, Ms Rani Samuel of AG and Mr.Prakash Lal of Fida International are looking at the model house

The SDC has planned to construct about 176 houses for the tsunami victims in Soodaikuda and 76 houses are to be constructed as part of the first phase. Each house is estimated to cost about five hundred thousand rupees, sources said.

Mr.Thurairatnasingham said people of Soodaikuda, a fishing hamlet have suffered immensely due to war and tsunami. Villagers are undergoing untold hardship after tsunami and are neglected in the rehabilitation and reconstruction programme without a mechanism to channel foreign aid received by the government, he added.

He applauded the SDC for initiating a project to provide houses for these villagers.

Fida is a Finnish International Development Agency and one of the biggest and experienced non-governmental development organizations in Finland. Fida’s development cooperation activities together with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs Finland started in 1974 and carries out about 50 development cooperation programs in 30 countries, its website said.

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FIDA International