152 Homeless Families Receive Temporary Homes

As of April 23rd, 2005 we have provided housing for 152 families in our Triple Gem housing units. The Triple Gem Society Camp number 6 was opened on the 23rd of April. Twenty-eight more families moved into the individual units there.

Now all together we have provided temporary homes for one hundred and fifty two homeless families who were affected by the tsunami. For our small organization, without any paid staff, this is a great success story.

In the area we have been working no other organization has done as much as we did.

We expect the families to live in the temporary homes up to one year. Knowing the false promises of the government, we think that they will not get their permanent homes for quite awhile. We have built our homes nicely with water, electricity, and toilet facilities. That way even if they have to live there for two years they are going to be all right.

With the finishing of our last camp, the camp number six, we have stopped building temporary homes and terminated the plans to build Triple Gem temporary housing complex #2. We have informed you earlier that we will build 25 more temporary homes in the land that has been divided for each family. Unfortunately an extreme Tamil separatist movement has warned us and asked us to leave the Baticaloa area and it is not worth the risk of the lives of the people who work for us or myself.

Now we are moving into the next phase of our programs. As I promised in the beginning of our programs in January, we can now move into our long term solutions for the tsunami disaster. Up to now we have solved many problems and successfully completed many projects and programs. Now we have started building permanent homes.

I have signed a contract to build 50 permanent homes and contractors have already started working on the sight. Thirty five of the houses are to be built immediately and the next fifteen are to be started as soon as possible. Many of the families who lost their homes are anxiously waiting to settle into their own houses.

Where does the money come from? Although I am confident the help will come, I do not know yet know from where. If you have any fund-raising ideas please let us know. We need your help. Each house will cost about five thousand U.S. dollars. That will include the costs of providing water and electricity as well. Some people have already come forward to sponsor some homes. However, I need to find more sponsors as soon as possible.

with love and blessings

Bhante Wimala