German team visits Vavuniya and Mannar

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 June 1999, 23:04 GMT]
The German government and Agro Action, a German non - governmental organisation, have agreed to provide Rs. 300 m for education, development and the displaced people of Vavuniya and Mannar, said sources in Vavuniya.

The announcement was made Dr. Hans Von Bothmer, the deputy head of the German Embassy in Colombo, during his two day visit to Vavuniya and Mannar.

He was accompanied by Heinz Seidler, the Sri Lanka representative for Agro Action and Lakshi Abeysekara project director of Sewa Lanka, a Sri Lankan non - governmental organisation funded by Germany and the European Union.

The team met the Government Agent for Vavuniya, K.Ganesh, and discussed the general situation of the displaced people and plans for their resettlement.

Dr. Hans Von Bothmer has agreed to give Rs. 94 million for the development of war affected education in Vavuniya, said K.Ganesh. He said that the money will be used to provide furniture, school kits and other teaching materials for the schools.

The government agent further said that he had asked the German official to make arrangements for the implementation of a drinking water supply project in Vavuniya. Although the project had been started several years ago the laying of pipes for the whole area has not been completed and only a portion of the Vavuniya Urban Council receives water.

Meanwhile, officials of Sewa Lanka said that a sum of about Rs. 220 m. will be given to provide a three month supply of dry rations for refugees in the Vavuniya and Mannar districts through Agro Action. The Deputy Head of the German Embassy has agreed to provide DM.5 million for this purpose, said sources.

The team visited refugee camps at Kovilpuliyankulam in the Iranai Illuppaikulam area and at Katkadanthakulam in the Mannar district. They also visited one of the three rehabilitated water intake wells in Murunkan.

The team also visited the Bharathipuram settlement project for women headed families affected by the war. The project is run by the Social Economic Environmental Developers (SEED), a non - governmental organisation functioning in Vavuniya.

Dr.Bothmer who was impressed by this project has agreed to provide assistance to rehabilitate about 800 widow headed families in the refugee camps in Vavuniya, sources said.