Some Beneficiaries Speak Out

Malani Karunadasa, resident of Rekawa (Hambantota):
My husband is a fisherman. He does not own a boat; he and his mates hire boats when they go out to sea. Earlier my husband used to collect and sell turtle eggs for a living. But ever since the TCP began operations, he works with them as a turtle nest protector. He works five or six days a week (night shifts) at the beach.

We have three children, all of whom have finished schooling.

We lost our house and all its contents to the tsunami.

I have received training in batik designing by the TCP. The additional income we make on sale of garments with batik motifs helps our family

We earn enough to look after the basic day-to-day needs of our family.

T N Ariyasena, Carpenter:
I am a carpenter and live here in Rekawa. Prior to the tsunami, I used to work at a tourist hotel. That was destroyed during the tsunami. I escaped certain death because I had come home for the holidays. However, all my carpentry tools were lost in the disaster.

This electrically-operated, multi-purpose carpentry unit costs around Rs 39,500 (US$ 387). TCP gave me Rs 50,000 (US$ 490) and I also used my own money to buy some other equipment. I pay the TCP back in small instalments.

There are new machines now for intricate woodwork such as carving. I would like to own such machines in the future.

Earlier I had to work very hard to earn Rs 1,000 (US$ 9.80) per day. But, with this machine, I can easily earn Rs 2,000 (US$ 19.60), if there is enough work. This grant has helped me to improve my standard of living.

Thushani Marahinwewa, Class XIII student:
I am an Arts student at the Thangalu Balika Mahavidyalaya. I plan to become a teacher in the future.

I have learnt Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint at the TCP Computer Training Centre.

As a child I used to come here to the TCP book library. I am happy that the TCP is doing a lot of good work for our village.