UPDATE MARCH 2006

Located on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka, the fishing village of Navalladi took a direct hit from the tsunami. Most of it's buildings were destroyed, the entire fishing fleet was decimated, and many were swept into the river behind the village. The village is far from any towns, deep inside the war zone that has torn Sri Lanka apart for over 50 years. Thus these villagers have received little help from the government and international relief agencies.

We spent many days with the people in this village to find out what their needs were. Incredibly, all they wanted was work - a way to provide for their families. We were able to provide fishing nets for four teams of fishermen. The fishermen themselves chose who would receive the nets and the program has been extremely successful so far. We're seeking donations for more nets and possibly boats on our next visit.