ABDF

Typical residence, Vavunatheevu.

Vavunatheevu, a village of 105 families, is the first village you go through when you cross into what was formerly LTTE controlled territory. It has all the hallmarks of other area villages in which we work; being on the front lines of the civil conflict the population experienced multiple displacements, and the only economic activity is sustenance rice farming, meaning that the people there barely squeak out a living and are mired in poverty.

Sadly, Vavunatheevu also suffers from the same water shortage problem during the summer months as our other villages; the water table subsides below the bedrock and is extremely saline at that level. For the past two years Vavunatheevu villagers have been taking water from our water tank at Shalampailkerny. The tank there was built for the use of the villagers of that village, which has only half the population of Vavunatheevu, and as a result they are sometimes unable to access water for drinking and cooking. Therefore it is reasonable to install water tanks in Vavunatheevu itself. In fact, the local RDS (Rural Development Society – a sort of self-help organization which each village has) made just such a request to ABDF.

Experience is showing that one of our standard 10,000 liter tanks is adequate for about 50 families, and so with double that number of people in Vavunatheevu, we’ve been asked to build two tanks. In cooperation with the local RDS we have scouted two locations in Vavunatheevu that we (and the RDS) feel would be best for the village. The first site is next door to the local Hindu temple at one end of the village, and the second is located next to the bus stop on the opposite side (bus service is planned for the village, but has not yet commenced) and the village school. Both are at the side of the main road through town, giving easy access to the Divisions’ water truck.

Our first tank will sit right under this tree.

The second tank will sit next to the school.

Everything is ready for construction; we are currently searching for funds for this project, as well as dry weather. We anticipate that these tanks will give the villagers greater access to clean water for drinking and cooking. It will also prove more convenient for them, as they will not need to go the three kilometers to Shalampailkerny to retrieve the water they need.

Vavunatheevu's main drag.