ReliefWeb

Muslim Aid (Sri Lanka Office) in association with its local partner, Help Lanka Consortium, is pleased to announce that the foundations have been laid in a 100 housing complex for a new village in the village of Katankudy, in the Batticaloa district in the eastern province of Sri Lanka on the 19 june 2005 (see attached photos). The 100 house village is designed in an eco friendly setting with additional faciliities of an education centre, a medical centre and community centre. The project is being jointly funded by Oxfam and Muslim Aid and should be fully complete by the end of the year. Where the aquisition of land has been an issue for other parts of the country and NGOs, the land in Katankudy was generously donated by a private welfare society who had legally obtained the land for the purposes of housing victims of the tsunami disaster.
Significant progress has already been made with 40 foundations having been completed in the last month.

ATTN. EDITORS:

1. Agency background

Muslim Aid is an international humanitarian relief and development charity working to alleviate the suffering among the world's poorest and most needy communities. Set up in 1985 by leading British Muslim organisations, Muslim Aid supports projects in 50 countries spanning Africa, Asia and Europe. By responding quickly to emergencies, Muslim Aid provides relief to the victims of natural disasters, war and famine. We also deploy long-term development projects on education, skills training, provision of clean water and healthcare to tackle the root causes of poverty.

2. Muslim Aid's Tsunami programme in Sri Lanka

Muslim Aid is involved in a comprehensive island wide rehabilitation program which involves: a housing project with Oxfam worth £250,00, which will see the construction of new 100 houses eco friendly village with all facilities in the Batticaloa district; 30 houses in the Trincomalee district; the provision of 100 handlooms (and training) for women in the Amparai district as well as an ambitious new enterprise creation training project. All projects are implemented by local partners monitored by the program office in Colombo. Muslim Aid (Sri Lanka) is working amongst all communities irrespective of race, religion and gender.

3. Muslim Aid's Sri Lanka Office can be contacted:

Amjad Mohamed-Saleem
Program Officer
4/48 A, 3rd Lane, Thalakotuwa Gardens, Colombo 06, Sri Lanka
Mobile: +94-77-313-8281
email: srilanka@muslimaid.org
web: www.muslimaid.org