The Keerthi Dandeniya Family
This family consists of father, Keerthi, mother and two young daughters aged 6 and 7, plus the father's sister Pushpa who works for an NGO in Galle.
Keerthi in front of his house
The family had a house and small tailoring business adjacent to Jasiline's house. Five years ago father Keerthi had a job with the Red Cross but he has been unemployed since then and is now 55 - in Sri Lanka this is considered too old to obtain another job.
Their home was totally destroyed in the disaster and they lost all their possessions. They have been given temporary refuge in a hostel in Galle associated with the NGO which Auntie Pushpa works for - but this situation will not continue for long.
Temporary shelter for Keerthi's family
The Keerthi Dandeniya Family - revisited 6 weeks later
Keerthi, the father, is still the only one that is living in Unawatuna. His wife and two young daughters aged 6 and 7, plus the father's sister Pushpa had been given temporary refuge in a hostel in Galle associated with the NGO which Auntie Pushpa works for but have since moved in with another family member in Galle.
Keerthi feels that he can be of more use located in Unawatuna where he has been using the expertise he gained from working with the Red Cross in helping his neighbors fill out the numerous papers which are required from the government such as reports, death certificates and lists of items that were lost, and generally helping out.
Keerthi, his wife and mother-in-law with the family tent
He is currently living in this tent and is visited on the weekends by his family. His house was totally destroyed and was bulldozed several weeks ago by another organization.
While talking with him, he expressed his dismay at not being able to rebuild his home due to the government restrictions. As for his wife's tailoring shop, the project has decided to rebuild this as phase 5 (see update). His wife said she misses all her friends and yearns to come home or at least back to the tailor shop. At present they do not know what they will do with regard to housing but hope that the government will change its mind and allow them to build on their family property.
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