Komari Temporary Housing Development
The village of Komari was completely washed away by the tsunami in 2004. Following a visit in July 2005, the Trustees of HELP linked up with CFDR to assist in the construction of temporary houses for the families of the village who were displaced by the tsunami. All 750 families of the village were initially displaced and housed in tented refugee camps on the outskirts of the village. SOS, a Dutch NGO, was awarded the contract to build permanent houses but construction was very slow. At the time of our visit in July 2005 (7 months after the disaster), only 3 permanent houses had been built.
With CFDR, HELP set about providing semi-permanent houses for the villagers. These houses were built in a traditional wooden/mud brick style (using local and natural materials) with the roofs made from plaited palm leaves. The houses were built by the villagers themselves and would last at least 20 years.
Each temporary house cost approx £300. It was due specifically to the generosity of the children and staff of the King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford (KEGS), that HELP was able to fund the construction of 19 houses for the displaced in Komari. This made a dramatic difference to the lives of many in the village.
KEGS and HELP's other generous donors can be very proud of the contribution they have made to the lives of the families of Komari. As Trustees, we have been privileged to see the smiles on the children of Komari who were living desperate lives in tented refugee camps prior to the temporary houses being built.
We discussed the possibility of further housing development with our colleagues at CFDR during the February 2006 visit to Komari. The situation was much improved - SOS had commenced the construction of more permanent houses, initially for the elderly, and there were only a handful of families still in tents, all of whom had funding for temporary houses. In the circumstance, we agreed to employ our funds on other worthy causes in Komari and the region.
Our thanks go to our donors for this wonderful achievement