by Melani Manel Perera

The Christian Children’s Fund launches new development programmes in Hambantota districts where 60 per cent of the population lives in utter poverty since the 2004 tsunami. A Buddhist boy tells about his happiness in getting help. “Now I can focus on my studies,” he said.

Colombo (AsiaNews) – About six thousand families affected by the December 2004 tsunami in Hambantota district, about 400 kilometres south of Colombo, can now hope to have a “bright future” thanks to the Christian Children’s Fund (CCF), which has implemented various support programmes in the area, one of the poorest in Sri Lanka.

“We help for example children in their education but also we take care of their families’ development,” said Devaka Amarasena, Area Manager of CCF-Hambantota Project.

The CCF, which is involved in education, nutrition, health care assistance and professional training, held a press conference recently to explain its projects.

A district like Hambantota has deep social, economic and environmental problems. Out of a population of more than 525,000, some 60 per cent is dirt poor. The 2004 tsunami knock a heavy blow and people are still trying to get back to where they were. Almost al (97 per cent) of the people is Sinhalese Buddhists. About 2 per cent are Muslim and 1 per cent is Tamil.

But the CCF is dedicated to every family regardless of faith or differences.

Supun Chandana, a 16-year-old Buddhist boy, told AsiaNews that he was quite “happy” of the benefits he got from the aid programmes.

“My parents are very poor,” he said. “My dad is a fisherman and cannot pay for my bus ticket to school. So I must walk about three kilometres ever morning. Now, thanks to the CCF, I have a bicycle and concentrate on my studies and exams.”

• sri
• lanka
• hambantota
• colombo
• devaka
• amarasena
• christian
• children’s
• fund
• ccf
• supun
• chandana