The Great Generation

Peraliya Pilot Project 2005

Background

At the end of last year, nine volunteers got to grips with local needs in Peraliya, on the south west coast of Sri Lanka. Peraliya was completely devastated by the tsunami with more than 90% of homes reduced to rubble. When our volunteers arrived, the focus for recovery had been on much-needed reconstruction work and this was still continuing. The aim of our project was to complement these activities, rather than duplicate or take away opportunities for skilled people in the community to earn a living from building work.

The Project

In just two weeks, volunteers cleared a derelict piece of ground and created a new community garden. The team worked tirelessly clearing rubbish, digging beds, helping to rig-up fencing and finally put their green fingers to the test by planting king coconuts and bananas alongside rows of aubergines, tomatoes, chillies, okra and beans. Benefiting from the enriched soil left behind by the tsunami, this ‘Model Home Garden’ will be used as a resource to encourage local families to grow their own fruit and vegetables, and will hopefully become a thriving ‘nursery’ providing people with new plants and seeds. Working alongside our project partner, the UK charity Hela Sarana, which is supporting long term community development in the area, the volunteers also formed a painting task force to finish off newly constructed homes and raised the spirits of local children by running English, games and arts activities after school.

The Legacy

As part of the programme to enable each group to remain connected with communities through small insfrastructure grants and micro-loans, our volunteers have already invested in Peraliya’s infrastructure by using some of their fundraising to provide plants, tools, fencing and a water container for the garden. They are now looking at options to support ongoing maintenance of the garden to bring maximum benefit to the wider community. Back home, the group is in the process of deciding which enterprise opportunities to support in Peraliya to issue our first micro-loan.