ANOTHER WONDERFUL GIFT FROM AUSTRALIA

The generosity from our Australian friends never ceases to amaze the villagers of the Seenigama region.

On 19th April, the Premier of Victoria, Mr Steve Bracks, his wife, Mrs Perry Bracks and other distinguished guests travelled to Seenigama to give their blessing and join in on the traditional ceremonies for the commencement of the construction of "Victoria Gardens". A fantastic new housing scheme, Victoria Gardens comprises 82 modern double story duplex homes complete with modern amenities, essential household items, running water, electricity, reticulated sewerage, underground drainage, paved roads, a community centre, a childrens playground and much more.

According to Mr Bracks, approximately 100,000 Sri Lankans are currently living in the State of Victoria in Australia and when the tsunami struck the coastline of Sri Lanka it also hit hard in the Sri Lankan community of Victoria. So, the State Government decided that they wanted to provide a great deal of assistance to the tsunami-affected in Sri Lanka. And, since so many families were displaced, they recognised that the most pressing need was housing. The Victorian State Goverment chose Seenigama because, as Mr Bracks said, "This is exactly where it is needed" - in a village that was devastated by the waves.

Amongst the distinguished guests for the day was the Australian High Commissioner for Sri Lanka, Dr Greg French, who continues to support us to no end and for which we are eternally grateful. Another very welcomed guest was Dr Peter Frost, who as the Director of the Victorian State Government Tsunami Rehabilitation Fund has shown a great interest in the Foundation of Goodness.

Foundation staff, villagers and our very talented local procession of dancers, drummers and singers first led our distinguished guests to the recently opened AVIVA Village to show them an example of the calibre of the projects that the Foundation has managed. Whilst inside the Childrens Library at AVIVA Village, Mr Bracks kindly handed our Library Coordinator a new book for the children. At the AVIVA Community Centre, there was a special electronic viewing of how the interiors of the new duplex homes will look once completed.

Guests were then led to the Victoria Gardens site, where the grateful recipients gathered under umbrellas in the sun to witness the ground-breaking and traditional Buddhist ceremonies, including the observation of Pansil and Seth Pirith as well as the boiling of the milk. Next came the speeches from our Founder, Mr Kushil Gunasekera, Mr Bracks and a future resident of Victoria Gardens, Mr A.K. Garmini. Garmini described the story of how many homes and villagers were lost in the tsunami, including his loved ones, and that this new housing project is a blessing for those who have gone through such hardships. He couldn't thank the Foundation and the Victorian State Government enough for what an amazing gift this is for the 82 recipient families.

... And neither can we. Victoria Gardens will be the first housing project of its kind in the region and a model for other communities to follow. Thanks to this significant contribution from the Victorian State Government, we are now one step closer to attaining our ultimate goal in developing a unique rural community model.

Construction on the project is due to commence around the end of May this year and is due to be completed some time around mid-2007.

To view a recent article from the Age newspaper in Australia, please click here.