The tsunami took a devastating toll on the Sri Lankan fishing industry, wiping out about half the fleet and destroying huge amounts of nets and other equipment. The biggest cost was of course human with thousands of families torn apart and fishing communities decimated. Is a fisherman who lost his wife and three children ever going to recover?

In Galle, the fishing industry is extremely important, a very significant source of livelihood for thousands in the fish supply chain. Post-tsunami the need to try to do something to help this crucial industry in our area was obvious. We located the only licensed boatbuilder in Galle town, Mr Jayatilake of Petigalawatte. His boat construction and servicing workshop had been swept away leaving only debris-strewn foundations. Facing ruin he had had to lay off all his fourteen employees.

This was clearly a very large-scale livelihood disaster, and so we provided funding for Mr Jayatilake to make new boat moulds and start producing new boats to replace those destroyed. Fortunately a Belgian Army engineering crew had showed up so they built a temporary covered boatyard so that work could be carried out. To date we have donated 45 boats back to fishermen. We have also provided nets and other equipment to fishermen as well as a variety of equipment, such as new stalls, knives and cool boxes to small fish sales businesses.

We have all but stopped handing out boats now, but are continuing to develop his workshop through training up men to service engines, thereby making it an invaluable resource for the local fishing industry. Later next year Mr Jayatilake will begin to rebuild a permanent new workshop on the ruins of his original site. We may well assist with this, depending on need at the time. He has taken on all fourteen former employess and some additional contract workers.