IOM renovates school housing tsunami-affected families

Sunil C. Perera in Colombo
Students of Methodist College, Dehiwela and their parents gathered near renovated school buildings and brightly coloured swings and slides on a warm March morning. It was indeed a happy day for these students who eagerly waited over three years to return to their school, as some buildings of the school housed tsunami-affected families in the area until recently and hence needed to be renovated. At the request of the school authorities, the International Organization Migration (IOM), through its Care and Maintenance programme, renovated the play area, classrooms, the laboratory and the staff room, upgraded sanitation facilities and constructed a canteen.The Minister of Education, Susil Premajayantha addressing the crowd of local officials, students and staff members of Methodist College at the handing over ceremony of the renovated school buildings said, “The much needed renovation of the school buildings will resume the education of the students who until now attended a school nearby. We are grateful to IOM for undertaking this project”. Minister Premajayantha also assured that the Ministry of Education will provide the school with computers and necessary equipment for a computer centre.
IOM’s Care and Maintenance programme ensures that adequate care and maintenance support is provided to tsunami-affected people living in transitional shelters in Gampaha, Colombo, Kalutara, Galle, Matara, Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts. The programme also includes decommissioning of voluntarily vacated shelter sites, garbage collection, fire-extinguishing equipment, water supply, lighting, gully suckers, hygiene promotion training, and workshops on topics such as gender, protection, health and safety.