USAID inaugurates four projects in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 September 2004, 12:59 GMT]
United States donated US$ 138,000 for four projects in the Batticaloa District the Embassy of United States press release said Friday. The US Embassy this week inaugurated the projects “aimed at improving the health and vocational skills of local residents” according to the press release. The projects are funded by US Agency for International Development (USAID).

The following is the press release:

These initiatives funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) include the donation of cardiac patient monitoring equipment and renovation of the water-sanitation system at the Batticaloa Teaching Hospital, provision of processing equipment and training for three inter-ethnic women’s cashew cooperatives, improvements to a Sarvodaya training centre and the Manchanthoduwai Technical College, both of which cater to Muslim and Tamil youth.

“These projects are tangible remainders of the peace process and could have been made possible by the absence of war, “ said Mr. Chris J. Long, Information Officer at the US Embassy in Colombo, who attended formal opening ceremonies for four projects on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 23-24. “Their value lies not only in the equipment or services provided, but in the understanding and trust developed among different communities. USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) supports efforts to end the long-standing conflict in Sri Lanka by partnering with local groups to demonstrate the benefits of peace, increase the exchange of accurate, balanced information on peace-related issues and reduce or prevent incidents of violence in conflict-prone communities. Since the OTI program began in March 2003, USAID has invested US$ 4.78 million in support of more than 210 local initiatives in the North, South and East of Sri Lanka.