Sri Lanka PM given keys to Little Malta Village

It was a red letter day for two islands thousands of kilometres apart when the Malta Red Cross Society recently became the first foreign entity to present the government of Sri Lanka with the keys to a newly built village following last December tsunami.

The village, aptly named Little Malta Village, is situated in the disaster-hit area of Ranna in the southern Hambantota district.

It is the fruit of hundreds of thousands of liri donated by the people of Malta and Gozo in the aftermath of the tsunami, said the Malta Red Cross, which supervised and financed the project.

In the space of just five months, 63 houses and a well-equipped clinic were built and made ready for delivery, drawing words of praise from several quarters including the International Red Cross movement.

Supervisory teams were sent and replaced monthly by the Malta Red Cross. All this was possible through the dedication of many unpaid volunteers. The contribution of the Gozo branch of the Red Cross, spearheaded by its secretary general7 Etienne Micallef, was very much in evidence.

The organisation said its policy to engage the villagers to rebuild their village and to directly supervise and finance the project ensured that every cent contributed by the Maltese and their government would directly benefit the fishing community which had lost everything including many lives.

Some 200 villagers showed their gratitude by attending the hand-over ceremony on July 10 attended by the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapakse.

The keys to Little Malta Village were handed over to the Prime Minister by the President of the Malta Red Cross society, Lino Cutajar, accompanied by director general Paul Portelli and Mr Micallef.

The Prime Minister, who was accompanied by some of his ministers, thanked the Maltese people and government for their support throughout the tsunami crisis. He praised the Malta Red Cross for being the first to deliver something tangible and permanent.

The houses, built to agreed specifications, have all been given the name of a Maltese town or village and will serve as a model for future constructions.

This is the first phase of this project which will comprise furnishing of the housing, buying of new boats, help with schooling and other requirements.

The Malta Red Cross is sponsoring the building of a children's home in the southern tip of India which was also devastated by the tsunami.