Feeding her family after the tsunami
| W.N. Danawathi, 33, has been able to return to growing vegetables to feed her family after the Boxing Day tsunami, thanks to a British Red Cross cash for work scheme.
The scheme in Matara, southern Sri Lanka, paid Danawathi and others to unblock canals and drain stagnant water from paddy fields and prevent local roads from flooding. | | |
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| Before the tsunami, she had a plot of land where she grew bananas, beetle nuts and vegetables. She also made rope from coconut husks, but lost her equipment, home and land in the tsunami.
Danawathi worked on the cash for work scheme for 18 days and saved 1,000 rupees (approximately £5) which she has used to start cultivating her land again and to buy medicine for her children.
Cash for work in Sri Lanka
She said: This project was really good for the area. There are no more mosquito breeding grounds in the fields and the water is cleaner now.
The joint British Red Cross/Sri Lanka Red Cross cash for work programme targets vulnerable families affected by the tsunami in Matara, southern Sri Lanka.
In return for daily wages of 400 rupees per five-hour day (approximately £2 in line with average wages in Sri Lanka), local people have been carrying out vital tasks to pave the way for reconstruction and recovery.
More stories about our tsunami livelihoods grants
More about our tsunami recovery programme | |
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