The Fishing Village
The fishing village is at the end of the beach near the Mount Lavinia Hotel. Della was in the village when the second Tsunami wave hit. When the third wave hit the village was almost totally destroyed and the families evacuated to the local school.
In 2005 The Friends of Della and Don decided that they wanted to support the Village and make it self-sufficient. They bought a fishing boat, an engine and nets and has been supporting the children with clothing and toys as well as feeding them at either St. Mary's School or the Montessori School (Sri Lankans call all nursery schools by this name)
The fishermen have been able to make a living for the village with our help. The Friends of Della and Don intends to continue to support the fishermen and help with the supply of new nets and fishing lines when needed as well as essential boat repairs.
"Buy a man a fish and he'll eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he'll eat for a lifetime." Confucius
No-one can change nature but we want to be sure that they can maximize their fishing options when the sea is calm and make enough money to carry them through the monsoon season. We are helping them introduce seine fishing to their village.
The technique requires around 40 people to haul in the nets and is normally operated by a co-operative of villagers but a large percentage of the profits from the haul going to the net owner. Now, thanks to a generous individual donation, the Friends of Della and Don is the owner of a net which will be used by the fishermen of the village. This opportunity will provide employment to around 40 villagers who now have a vested interest in making it work. In addition, with a part-share of the nets, we're able to re-invest directly back into projects to help the village.
The Friends of Della and Don want to do more than provide immediate relief and assistance but they want to help to provide the villagers with employment, a wage and a long term sustainable opportunity to create and share a better way of life.
If you would like to help us continue to fund sustainable projects, you can donate via the website using PayPal.
Thank you.
