Financial Times

Wilden de Silva’s family whose seven members survived the December 26 tsunami is among 100 recipients of homes built and gifted by the Galleon Tsunami Relief Fund at the Monrovia Estate, Rathgama. The Galleon project was coordinated by John Keells Holdings Limited on behalf of the Galleon Tsunami Relief Fund - established by Raj Rajaratnam for the purpose of rebuilding houses for the victims of the tsunami.

JKH said in a statement that Rajaratnam was in Sri Lanka when the tsunami struck and witnessed the widespread devastation. “He has made a personal contribution of $5 million to the Fund which is administered in Sri Lanka by Hemas Holdings Limited, Singer (Sri Lanka) Limited and John Keells Holdings Limited,” it said.

The residents of the Galleon housing scheme were drawn from several areas of the Southern Coastal belt -all of them forced by the tsunami to leave behind their neighbours, relatives and the houses in which they made homes for many years. Yet, new associations and liaisons have formed in the space of a few months – together in the tragedy, the people of Monrovia are today laying the foundations to a new plural community, based on a new set of shared values and beliefs, JKH said.

“Evidence of a spirit of enterprise is found in abundance – many womenfolk, like Nandawathie, operate small shops from their windows; others run small catering operations - serving the many labourers employed within Monrovia. Of the men, many have returned to sea, some have opted for work in masonry while yet others are putting their unique skills to good use by operating bicycle repair shops, barber shops and transport services. Vegetable patches in some backyards are already ripe for plucking. Broken lives are thus being pieced back together – with adults making every effort to create a livelihood for their families,” the statement said.

Visitors to the Galleon housing scheme are greeted by row upon row of neatly maintained homes, with the laughter of children and the occasional neighbourly squabble. A crowded maternity clinic in the middle of the estate demonstrates the resilience of the community and the zest for life. Monrovia bears promise that a decade on, it could well be a case study of how Sri Lanka recovered from the devastation of the Tsunami, and recovered well, to create for itself a better future, the statement said.